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Home Collections Sunday Supper

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

By:Nagi
Published:3 Jul '17Updated:15 Feb '20
1,151 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A budget cut of beef, simple pantry ingredients, a bit of patience and pappardelle pasta. This Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle may be the king of all pastas. It is hands down one of my all time favourite pastas ever!

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce

There’s this annoying thing that’s been a thorn in my backside all my working life. This thing called pride.

I’m not a professional food photographer, or food stylist, videographer or a chef for that matter. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is being proud of everything that I have on my website, knowing that even if there are people out there who can take better photos and make better videos, that I’ve done the best I can do and I’m proud of what I’m sharing.

3 years into blogging with over 500 recipes, I still get butterflies when I hit Publish on a new or updated recipe.

And having rewritten, rephotographed and made a video for this Shredded Beef Ragu which I first shared over 2 years ago, yes I’m going to have butterflies when I hit Publish on this (again!) because it’s one of my all time personal favourites. 🙂

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

I have a weakness for all things slow cooked, but hands down this shredded beef ragu is one of my all time favourites. I’d dare say I love it even more than traditional Ragu Alla Bolognese. It’s the shredded beef that seals the deal for me. The way it soaks up the sauce and clings to the pasta. It’s an absolute ripper!

I’m pretty sure I first learned how to make Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle from Lidia Bastianich. Years ago, her show “Lidia’s Italy” was one of the few cooking shows on free-to-air TV and I used to watch them over and over again. Almost everything I know about Italian cooking (including the reason why I was hunting down Kale a decade before it became “cool”) is because of Lidia Bastianich. Old school, real deal Italian. 🙂

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Best Pasta to serve with Ragu

The question of what type of pasta to serve with different pasta sauces is a question that I get asked quite regularly. Generally, most pasta sauces will pair perfectly well with most common pasta types, like spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, penne / ziti, macaroni, shells etc.

And while this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce will be great with any type of pasta, the best pasta for a rich sauce like this ragu is pappardelle. This wide, flat pasta is especially great for this recipe because the shredded beef clings to the wide strands.

For pappardelle, I am quite particular about which brand I use because I’ve had problems in the past with uneven cooking. I use San Remo which is a well known trusted brand here in Australia. The pappardelle is bundled into nests so they are fully submerged when dropped into boiling water, and the nests are loose enough so the bubbling water separates the strands and the pappardelle cooks evenly.

You’ll find San Remo pappardelle at all the major supermarkets as well as fresh produce stores and delis. And here’s a photo for size context – giant pasta in my Baby Hands…..

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Oh – and the other reason San Remo Pappardelle is my pasta of choice for ragu is because it’s an egg pasta. The addition of egg makes the pappardelle stronger so it doesn’t break when tossed in the thick, rich sauce.

If you’ve just invested hours of patience, slow cooking the sauce to tender perfection, you’ll make me cry if you just dump cooked pasta in a bowl and spoon over the sauce. And the entire nation of Italy will cry with me. 😉 Please promise me you will toss the ragu with the pasta before serving! It is worth it, I promise. Look how every strand of the pappardelle is beautifully coated in that luscious ragu!! – Nagi xx

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle recipe video!

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Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 50 mins
Pasta, Slow Cooked
Italian
4.98 from 307 votes
Servings5 - 6 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Ragu is one of those recipes that really showcases the beauty of Italian cooking - everyday ingredients, fast prep, leave it to cook long and slow and you end up with a luscious dish that tastes like a million bucks. This recipe makes enough sauce to serve 8 and freezes great.

Ingredients

Ragu

  • 1.2kg / 2.5 lb chuck beef or other slow cooking beef cut, cut into equal 4 pieces (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 1 cup carrots , diced (Note 2)
  • 1 cup celery , diced (Note 2)
  • 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (Note 3)
  • 1 cup / 250ml red wine , full bodied (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), or sub with beef broth/stock
  • 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml water (Note 3)
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 dried bay leaves

To Serve (Not all Sauce is used)

  • 1 lb /500g dried pappardelle , or other pasta of choice (Note 4)
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
  • Fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

  • Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • Sear Beef: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a heavy based pot. Add beef and sear each piece aggressively on all sides until very browned (3 - 5 minutes in total), then remove onto a plate.
  • Turn stove down to medium low and add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil.
  • Soffrito: Add garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery and sauté slowly for 5 minutes.
  • Add remaining Ragu ingredients and return the beef to the pot (including pooled juices). Turn the stove up and bring it to a simmer, then turn it down to low so it's bubbling very very gently. (Note 7)
  • Slow cook: Cover the pot and let it cook for 2 hours or until beef is tender enough to shred. (Note 5 for slow cooker and pressure cooker).
  • Shred: Remove beef then coarsely shred with 2 forks. Return beef to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened - beef will soften slightly more during this step.
  • Final season: Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper. ALSO, add 1/2 tsp sugar if sauce is a bit sour for your taste (Note 6). Place the lid on and set aside until ready to serve (it's even better the next day and freezes well for months!).

To Serve (Note 4):

  • Bring a very large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to the boil.
  • Add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time as per the packet instructions.
  • Meanwhile, place 5 cups of the Ragu in a very large fry pan, dutch oven or use 2 normal size fry pans. Heat over high heat while the pasta is cooking.
  • When the pasta is ready, transfer it directly from the pot into the fry pan using tongs.
  • Add 3/4 cup of pasta water into the fry pan.
  • Gently toss the pasta (I use 2 wooden spoons) for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce water evaporates and leaves you with a thick Ragu sauce that coats the pasta.
  • Yell for your family to sit down at the dinner table because you need to serve it immediately!
  • Serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan, or even better, with parmigiano reggiano.

Recipe Notes:

1. Beef - Cut the beef into 4 pieces that are around the size of a baseball. The cook time of this recipe assumes you do this. 
2. Celery and carrots sautéed with the onions and garlic is called "soffritto" in Italian cooking. It is a very traditional base for many Italian dishes. Cooking them slowly over low heat releases their flavour and adds an extra dimension to this dish. But it's not a deal killer if you skip these ingredients.
3. Beef stock - You could use liquid beef stock instead of water + stock cubes.
4. Pappardelle pasta is the thick wide pasta and is ideal for this recipe because the shreds of beef cling to the thick pasta strands. If you can't find it, just use the widest pasta you can find eg tagliatelle, fettuccine.
Don't skip the step of tossing pasta with the sauce! This is called "emulsifying" and it is a KEY secret to awesome pastas because it makes the sauce cling to the pasta. Italian Nonna's will roll over in their graves if you don't do this! I can't stress enough what a difference emulsifying makes to pastas!
5. Slow Cooker & Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot - follow recipe to the end of Step 4 on the stove (or sauté function on your appliance). Turn heat up to high, add wine, stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Then transfer it all to the slow cooker or pressure cooker/IP, and add all remaining ingredients but DO NOT add water and extra salt & pepper.
Slow cook on low for 6 - 8 hours (i.e. 6 is enough, 8 hrs is fine, any more = beef turns to mush). Or pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Shred beef then follow recipe.
6. Sugar - The sweetness of canned tomatoes differs depending on brand (typically more expensive = sweeter). So adjust the sweetness of your sauce to your taste by using sugar - 1/2 tsp at a time.
7. Low and slow - Turn the heat of the stove down to a level where it is bubbling very, very gently - a few bubbles here and there. This usually LOW on Gas Stoves but might be medium low on electric stoves. If it is too high - i.e. simmering rapidly (lots of bubbles appearing rapidly) - then you run the risk of the bottom burning. If it is too low, it will take longer to cook.
8. Recipe source: This recipe is based on classic slow cooked ragu recipes from Italian greats including Lidia Bastianich, Stafano Manfredi. It is not an exact replica of any, but is similar to many!
9. Storage - sauce keeps for 5 days in the fridge, or months in the freezer. 
10. Beef Ragu nutrition assuming sauce serves 8. Nutrition includes 80g / 2.7oz dried pasta per serving (standard quantity). Note: recipe as written uses 500g/1 lb pack of pasta which will serve 5 - 6 people.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 678cal (34%)Carbohydrates: 69g (23%)Protein: 42g (84%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 170mg (57%)Sodium: 1451mg (63%)Potassium: 1155mg (33%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 3105IU (62%)Vitamin C: 13.2mg (16%)Calcium: 107mg (11%)Iron: 6.4mg (36%)
Keywords: Beef ragu, Ragu, Ragu Sauce, Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Today’s recipe is brought to you with thanks to San Remo. When they asked if I would consider showcasing one of their products in a recipe, it seemed meant-to-be because I wanted to republish this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu and in fact, I had made the video using San Remo pappardelle pasta before they approached me! I figured it was a sign. ❤️ San Remo is Australia’s most well known pasta brand and is available at supermarkets all around Australia, including the pappardelle I recommend using for this recipe.


LIFE OF DOZER

Pappardelle pup. (Try saying that 10 times real fast after a few glasses of wine.)

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

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1,151 Comments

  1. Karen says

    May 24, 2022 at 8:29 am

    Hi Nagi, Your recipes are a big hit with my family, thank you. Please let me know if there is a substitute for red wine in Ragu.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 24, 2022 at 10:43 am

      You can replace it with more stock Karen! N x

      Reply
  2. Brittany H. says

    May 23, 2022 at 4:14 am

    5 stars
    So good! I 1/2 the recipe (only because that is what we had in the freezer) – we all know sometimes that doesn’t work out, that was not the case here!

    Only mods I made was adding parm cheese rind and ghost pepper flakes (we like it spicy!).

    I couldn’t believe how tasty it was even before starting the 2 hour cook time!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 23, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      You are brave adding ghost chillies Brittany!! I’m glad you liked it!! N x

      Reply
  3. Kathryn says

    May 21, 2022 at 8:20 pm

    5 stars
    This ragu was delicious. I could only find large pieces of oyster blade and osso bucco in my supermarket chain. Both worked well but I’d suggest to take a little time to remove the fat around the slightly cheaper osso bucco at the shredding step if you use it. The pressure cooker worked wonders.

    Reply
  4. Deb says

    May 18, 2022 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!
    Cooked in the oven for 2.5 hours at 150°, so I didn’t have to check on it throughout the afternoon. After shredding the meat, put back on stove uncovered to thicken.
    Everyone had seconds.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 20, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      That’s great Deb! I am glad it was so tasty and easy for you!! N x

      Reply
  5. Kasia says

    May 17, 2022 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    This pasta is amazzzzing! Cooked it in the slow cooker for 5 hours and 2 hours on the stove to reduce the liquid. Thank you!!! Yummmm as always!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 17, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      That’s great Kasia! I’m happy you liked it! N x

      Reply
  6. Katie says

    May 16, 2022 at 6:29 pm

    5 stars
    Hi there!! I’ve tried this recipe multiple times and it’s always a hit however, I’m just finding it’s not very saucy, it comes out very watery and not like a thick sauce, am I doing something wrong? Or is there anything you recommend I do differently?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 16, 2022 at 6:44 pm

      You might need to cook it down more to reduce if you want to thicken it Katie! N x

      Reply
  7. Leah says

    May 13, 2022 at 9:03 am

    Hello, could I use a brisket cut for this recipe please? Planning on using my slow cooker.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 13, 2022 at 5:37 pm

      Yes you could Leah! N x

      Reply
  8. Leecia says

    May 2, 2022 at 11:46 am

    Hi l live in a small country town and can’t purchase a chuck steak in a whole peace. I can only get in steak like peace’s. What time variance would you suggest in cook time 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 2, 2022 at 3:22 pm

      Hi Leecia – if your butcher can’t cut the steak into large pieces (baseball sized) then it will probably only take an hour or so to cook the normal sized pieces from the grocery store. If the beef is done before the sauce has reduced enough then remove the beef with a slotted spoon and keep cooking the sauce down until it’s the thickness you like. N x

      Reply
      • Leecia says

        May 4, 2022 at 7:31 am

        Thank you, l took meat out to allow sauce to reduce further.
        Was very happy with the out come,
        Thanks again for a wonderful dish

        Reply
  9. Jane says

    April 26, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    I substitute the Beef for Lamb and it worked great

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 26, 2022 at 4:51 pm

      Thanks for that helpful feedback Jane! N x

      Reply
      • LL says

        May 1, 2022 at 1:17 pm

        Which cut of lamb my love, I don’t want to stuff it up!

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          May 2, 2022 at 5:52 pm

          You could use any lamb cut that’s good for slow cooking – a shoulder would be great! N x

          Reply
  10. Amber says

    April 22, 2022 at 12:44 pm

    5 stars
    I’m very new to cooking and thought I’d try this recipe to challenge myself! It turned out absolutely amazing, and the recipe was so easy to follow even for an inexperienced chef. Can’t wait to try your other recipes 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 22, 2022 at 1:03 pm

      That’s great Amber! Welcome to RecipeTin and I hope you enjoy cooking the other recipes!! N x

      Reply
  11. phill says

    April 16, 2022 at 9:38 am

    Hi Nagi,

    I’ve noticed Massel stock cubes come in two different sizes. The “7’s” cube makes 1 cup of stock while the other cubes are twice the size and make 2 cups of stock.
    Which ones are you using?
    Thanks so much for your great recipes!

    Reply
  12. Kent girl says

    April 13, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Hello from the U.K. 🇬🇧
    It was most economical to buy a joint, so I plan on doubling the recipe and using the slow cooker, then freezing. Any tweaks required? Thank you in advance 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 14, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      No just be sure the meat is the size specified in the recipe and follow it as written! N x

      Reply
  13. Melissa says

    April 12, 2022 at 10:10 am

    5 stars
    New favourite dinner! Just wondering, if I wanted to make this the day before, would you shred the meat but leave the sauce reduction stage till the night you were serving?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 12, 2022 at 1:43 pm

      Hi Melissa – you can make the whole ragu the day before then just cook the pasta on the day you want to eat it and reheat the ragu to add into the recipe – I think it’s actually better the second day!! N x

      Reply
  14. Mihoko says

    March 23, 2022 at 3:11 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this but it took a lot longer to be able to shred the meat(2&1/2 hours). Was it because the heat was too low on on my electric stove top?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 23, 2022 at 5:23 pm

      Different cuts and beef can vary – sometimes it just takes longer or it could also be the heat down a bit too low – you got there in the end! N x

      Reply
  15. Trinette Cordeiro says

    March 20, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    5 stars
    It’s the business. My partner said its a 1st class meal. Thank you. Wish I could post a pic.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 20, 2022 at 9:39 pm

      I am happy that you enjoyed it Trinette! N x

      Reply
  16. TS says

    March 16, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    Can this be served over polenta?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 16, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      Yes you could TS! N x

      Reply
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