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!
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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…..
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
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle recipe video!
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Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta
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:
Nutrition Information:
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.)
Hi Nagi, This recipe turned out perfect except for one thing. I used Ardmona vine crushed tomatoes which made it a bit sour. Can you please advise the best canned tomatoes to use for Italian and Mexican cooking? Thank you for all the recipes. They are amazing and I go through your website to prepare shopping list these days. Thanks again.
Hi Kavi, I have the SAME problem all the time – I’d kill for decent canned tomatoes but there just aren’t any available here. To balance the sour I usually add a little sugar – N x
Why bother to sauté veggies? Why not just brown the meet and add the veggies and everything else to the slow cooker?
Hi Randall! Slowing sautéing the veggies brings out their flavour and makes them sweet which is an important part of the flavour base for this pasta sauce 🙂 It’s a classic cooking technique. N x
I’m going to half the recipe. Do you recommend adjusting the cooking time? Thanks!
Oh no I’m using my slow cooker and added the 1.5 cups of water! Any suggestions on what I should do?
Hi Voula, you may need to reduce the sauce after the meat is done, just remove the meat and place the sauce ingredients in a pot on the stove to reduce – N x
I have made this several times – I love it! But I add a cinnamon stick to it and it adds a wonderful complexity, warmth and umami to it. Try it, you’ll like it!
Sounds divine Jo-Ann, I’ll have to give it a go!
I am excited to make this later this week! I will need to make it in the slow cooker, but unfortunately no one else will be home and I will be away about 11 hours. Your note says that over 8 will make the beef turn to mush – do you think it will still taste okay? Is there anything I can do to help with this?
Hi Desiree, use bigger pieces of meat that will take longer to cook 🙂
Love love love this recipe. Sometimes I add extra bacon and it enhances the meal even more.
I love this recipe and wanted to cook it for someone that doesn’t eat tomato pieces – is it possible to simply swap out the crushed canned tomatoes with a jar of passata (I use the slow cooker)?
Hi Julia, you could do that, or you could blend the sauce before returning the shredded beef to it 🙂
I cook a lot. Not a chef but not a total amateur. Very few times have I made something and said “I rock”. This was also good using as a Shakshuka.
Ohhh sounds great Julee!
I have also been eating leftovers like a stew. 😀
Hi Nagi! Love your recipes! Quick question, can I replace the red wine with non alcoholic red wine? Greetings from Amsterdam x
Of course! I hope you love it – N x
We loved it! Made it in The pressure-cooker cooker. We added Some shiitake mushrooms. Def has become a family favorite! 🙂
Made this tonight. Epic. Subscribed to your YouTube channel. Thanks Nagi. Im looking forward to trying your other recipes.
I’m so glad you loved it Tim!
I made this on Sunday and it was quite delicious. My only issue was that while it came apart wonderfully and was not mush, its consistency resembled ropa vieja. I did forget to cut it into four chunks and I wonder if that’s why. And during emulsion, the sauce didn’t quite thicken up the way it does in the photo. I could only find fresh pappardalle so the boil time was fairly short; perhaps not enough starch in the pasta water?
Hi Crystal, sounds like the meat just needed to cook a little longer to get to that fall-apart stage ❤️
I am putting mine in a slow cooker. I added 2 beef cubes but needed to know if I put the 1 1/2 cups of water in for the cubes. Thanks!
Hi Tracey, just as per the notes, follow the recipe exactly but omit the water, I hope you love it! – N x
I was also wondering this. I have just put in the slow cooker without water but was wondering if flavour will be to concentrated without water? Or is it because it can’t reduce in slow cooker had same end result?
Absolutely a winner. Would make it over and over! Makes a large batch.
Yes perfect to freeze too!
Made this Sunday night and it was honestly the best sauce ever! Will be a staple in the mix for sure! Thank you so much for uploading! x
Hi! I’m going to make this tonight and was wondering if I’m using fresh beef stock instead of cubes, how much stock do I use? Also, do I keep the same amount of red wine as the original recipe with cubes? Thanks so much!
Just about to make this for dinner tonight. If I’m using 2 saucepans at the emulsifying stage, do I add 3/4 cup pasta water to both pans or just add a little to each pan? It looked like you didn’t add all your water in the video. Thanks and wish me luck
Hi! I’d just add a little to each! Good luck and enjoy – N x
This is so fool proof and delicious. When I make it I have to hide half in the freezer or my husband will keep eating it until it’s all gone. Making your Singapore noodles tonight xx
I love that Shae!! 😂