Braised Beef Ragu ~ tender, shredded beef in a rich tomato herb sauce. Fast prep, slow cooked – serve over your favorite pasta topped with grated Parmesan cheese. A million dollar holiday recipe!
This recipe is rich with layers of flavor. It preps in just a few minutes then sit back and relax while the max of the oven does its thing.Serve it over your favorite pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top – mmmm – it makes a great Sunday Supper and feeds a crowd – ideal for the upcoming holidays.
If you’ve already checked the turkey and ham boxes at Thanksgiving, consider this Braised Beef Ragu.
- It’s inexpensive to make – chuck roast and pasta
- Feeds a lot of people
- Is hands off for much of the cooking process
- Leftovers freeze well
What’s in Braised Beef Ragu?
- beef chuck roast
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- butter
- onion
- celery
- carrot
- garlic
- fresh herbs: rosemary, sage and parsley
- crushed tomatoes
- tomato paste
- beef stock
For serving:
- pasta
- parmesan cheese
How to make Braised Beef Ragu:
Cut the beef into 4 pieces then trim any excess fat. Pat it dry with paper towels, then generously season it on all sides with salt and pepper. I used a good tablespoon of salt to cover all the pieces.
Add the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to a Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot over medium high heat. Carefully add the beef searing on all sides. It’s important to give the meat time to sear because it adds flavor to both the meat and the sauce.
Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary and sage then reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Fold in the tomato paste then continue cooking 2 more minutes to let the tomato paste caramelize for another layer of flavor.
Pour in the wine scraping the brown bits from the bottom then cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat to reduce the wine then fold in the crushed tomatoes and beef stock.
Return the beef and all their juices to pot, turning them over in the sauce then cover and bake at 325° for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
At the one hour point, stir the Ragu then check for doneness after 2 hours of cook time. You want the beef to be able to shred easily with two forks, but not mushy.
Finishing the Ragu:
Take the pot out of the oven then remove the beef, carrots, celery and herbs. Continue cooking the sauce on the stove top 15 more minutes uncovered so the sauce reduces and thickens.
Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper. Because some canned tomatoes aren’t as sweet as others you may need to add brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, combining thoroughly and tasting after each ½ teaspoon.
Using two forks shred the beef leaving some of it in larger pieces then add it to the sauce along with the remaining butter and parsley.
other favorite pasta recipes on the blog:
We’re huge pasta lovers in my house. Here are a few favorites:
20 Minute Sausage Tortellini – 20 minute, one pot Italian sausage, tortellini, tomato and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce.
Baked Mostaccioli – easy, homemade meat sauce and tender pasta blanketed in three kinds of cheese baked to hot and bubbly perfection. This family-friendly classic recipe is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Basil Pesto Pasta – you’re just 4 ingredients and 20 minutes away from this delicious Pesto Pasta with sun dried tomatoes.
Loaded Macaroni and Cheese – the ultimate comfort food with crispy bacon, sour cream and green onions. Super creamy, ultra cheesy – worth every indulgent bite.
Cheesy Chicken Pasta with Brussels Sprouts – pasta, bites of chicken and sliced brussels sprouts blanketed in a luxuriously creamy smoked gruyere-white cheddar cheese sauce.
Enjoy!
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Braised Beef Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pound beef chuck roast if your roast is larger, cooking time will increase ~ don’t rush it!
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk cut in thirds
- 1 carrot cut in thirds
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs sage
- 1 cups red wine chianti or cabernet are good, not sweet red
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef stock
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- 1 pound pappardelle pasta
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring the beef to room temperature then cut it into 4 pieces. Pat it dry with paper towels, then generously season it on all sides with salt and pepper (I used a good tablespoon of salt).
- Add the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to a Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot over medium high heat and once it’s hot, add the beef searing on all sides and ends then transfer the beef to a plate.
- Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary and sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute 5 minutes then add the tomato paste and continue cooking 2 more minutes.
- Pour in the wine scraping the bottom to get all the brown bits off and cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally or until the wine starts to reduce, then fold in the crushed tomatoes and beef stock
- Return beef and their juices to pot, turning them over in the sauce then cover bake at 325 degrees for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring at the 1 hour point and checking for doneness at 2 hours. You want the beef to be able to shred easily, but before it becomes mushy.
- Remove the pot from the oven and take the beef out of the pot for shredding. Remove the carrots, celery and herbs then continue cooking the sauce 15 more minutes (stovetop) uncovered allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken more while you shred the beef.
- Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper.NOTE: Some canned tomatoes aren’t as sweet as others. If your sauce isn’t as sweet as you’d like, add brown sugar ½ teaspoon at a time, combining thoroughly and tasting after each ½ teaspoon.
- Using 2 forks shred the beef (I like to leave about 1/3 of it in a bit larger pieces) then add the shredded beef to the sauce along with the other tablespoon of butter and chopped parsley.
- Serve with pappardelle or gnocchi cooked according to package directions along with fresh bread or salad and fresh parmesan cheese.
Mary says
Happy 2018!! Goodness gracious, this sounds so darn delicious. Just reading this post makes my tummy feel good. I can almost smell the roast cooking and getting all scrumptious. Pinned. Making soon. Chat later my friend. Have a good week.
Bernie says
Hi there Mary ~ Happy 2018 to you too! It sure is a comfort meal! Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write them. Have a good week, friend. More later 🙂
Cristi says
Absolutely delicious! Kids hated the parsley, hubby and I couldn’t stop eating :)!
Bernie says
Hi Cristi –
This makes my day! This is one of my favorite recipes – I’m actually excited for cooler temps so I can make it again soon — and I totally get that you couldn’t stop eating it ~ we’re the same. Thanks for taking the time to write. Enjoy the day – Bernie
Terri Horner says
I have been looking for a recipe like this ever since my grandma passed away, that she got from an old Italian man , Pappy Joe! But she used salt pork in it somehow. And these big flat rigatoni noodles. I’m going to try to recreate it, and this sounds like an excellent beginning! Ty!
Bernie says
Thank you Terri! I hope this recipe is a good jumping point for your grandma’s (and Pappy Joe’s!) recipe. I see any recipe as a place to start and make it your own. I’d love to hear how your Beef Ragu turned out and whether it brought back memories of your grandma’s. 🙂
Jodie says
How much dried Rosemary and Sage should be used?
Bernie says
Hi Jodie – you’ll want to use a couple of sprigs each of Rosemary and Sage. – Bernie
Jodie says
Thank you Bernie, but I meant how much dried Sage and dried Rosemary? Not the fresh herbs. How many teaspoons or tablespoons of the dried?
Bernie says
Gotcha 🙂 – dried herbs have a deeper, stronger flavor than fresh herbs. So first, you’ll want to make sure the dried herbs are ‘fresh’ – meaning they’re within their shelf life (I say this because I have some in the back of my pantry that I haven’t used and should probably throw out). Anyway, I’d recommend 1 TEASPOON of EACH – rosemary and sage. Also – I liked to rub dry herbs between my thumb and first finger as I’m sprinkling them into the pot. That’ll help wake them up. Enjoy the day – and the recipe – Bernie