Learn how to make this amazing Braised Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle without a lot of effort! This is an easy one pot pasta dish that’s full of rich simmered flavor to warm you up this winter.
Slow cooked for the most tender beef and an incredibly savory sauce that the whole family will love!
I grew up in St. Louis, which means I was raised on Italian food. The Hill in St. Louis is an area that attracted Italians in the late 19th century and the area consists primarily of great Italian food, which has penetrated the city.
I can get my fix for a lot of Italian classics, but I have yet to find a really great Braised Beef Pappardelle that compares to my Kansas City favorite, Lidia’s.
I have come to crave the hearty, flavorful dish of Braised Beef Pappardelle. It’s the perfect comfort food for a cold fall or winter evening. As it braises, it fills your home with the most amazing aroma. Something about making braised beef makes everything feel a lot slower, and easier.
This Braised Beef is so amazing that you can easily skip the pappardelle and make it low carb and Keto!
Our girls always beg for seconds whenever we make braised beef ragu recipe. The vegetables are disguised in the sauce adding a lot of flavor and nutrition and the girls are none the wiser! WIN! It’s loaded with vitamins and protein and there’s no added sugar or salt.
Why You’ll Love this Beef Ragu Recipe
This ragu is perfect for a weekend dinner in or entertaining a large group of family and friends who will never know how little effort you had to invest in this incredible dinner!
- Great for entertaining or leftovers
- Easy
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the most flavorful ragu, use the freshest and best quality ingredients.
- Chuck Roast – This inexpensive cut of beef shreds easily after simmering for hours.
- Pepper – Thick flacks of fresh ground black pepper are preferred.
- Olive Oil – I always prefer extra virgin olive oil but whatever you have on hand will work well.
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary is fragrant and flavorful, but dried works as well.
- Sage – Fresh sage offers the best flavor.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves or minced garlic. You can find a complete list of Garlic Conversions here, and get the simplest techniques for how to peel and mince garlic here.
- Onion – White or yellow.
- Carrot – Diced.
- Celery – Diced.
- Red Wine – It doesn’t need to be expensive. Choose a with body like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot or Bordeaux. Wine enhances the flavor and color.
- Crushed Tomatoes – Fresh or canned.
- Pappardelle – Fresh, dried or homemade Pappardelle Pasta. You can use your favorite noodle. Thick noodles or short noodles work well.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted to bring out all the flavors in the sauce.
- Parmesan – To garnish.
Variations
- If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, use three tablespoons of my Italian Seasoning Blend.
- Replace the red wine with beef stock.
- Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste or one of these tomato paste substitutes for an even richer tomato base.
- Omit parmesan to make it dairy free.
How to Make Braised Beef Ragu
Despite long cooking time, this dish is so easy to make and largely hands off.
- Pepper both sides of beef and cut into cubes. Add oil to Dutch oven over medium-high and add beef.
- Stir until browned.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add herbs and vegetables. Sauté, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven.
- Add wine and reduce for 15 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes and stir.
- Place lid on Dutch oven and transfer to oven to bake.
- When ragu has been in the oven for two hours and twenty minutes, bring a pot of water (salty like the sea) to a boil. Prepare pappardelle al dente (slightly undercooked).
- Remove ragu from oven. Remove stems from herbs and shred beef with a fork – it should fall apart. Add optional butter.
- Using a pasta fork or tongs, add cooked pasta to ragu. Add ¾ cup pasta water and toss to coat. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Garnish with parmesan, fresh parsley or gremolata.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
If you prefer, you can also make Braised Beef Pappardelle in a crockpot.
- Follow stove top directions through step four (or use the sauté function on your appliance if you have one).
- Then transfer to your slow cooker or your instant pot. Slow cook on high for three hours, or low for approximately six hours.
- Or, put your instant pot on high for 45 minutes.
- Shred beef with forks, and following remaining steps.
Pastas to Serve with Ragu
- Pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine, garganelli, penne or homemade pasta
- Gluten free pasta
- Zoodles
Serving Suggestions
- To take it over the top, garnish with Gremolata, a traditional Italian condiment.
- Fresh grated Parmesan offers the best flavor.
- Add a little chopped parsley, rosemary or sage on top for a burst of vibrant green color to garnish.
- Garlic Cheese Bread – Don’t forget the garlic bread with this delicious pasta!
Side Salad Suggestions
Tips
- Bring Reef to Room Temperature – This allows the meat to cook evenly. The exterior of the meat will not burn and the inside won’t remain cold. This also increases juiciness!
- Add Pasta Water and Toss – The starch in pasta water helps the sauce adhere to the pasta ensuring it’s coated to perfection for rich flavor in every bite. This process, known as emulsifying, is key to flavorful pasta.
- Use a Dutch Oven – I like to prepare dishes like this in a Dutch oven because it browns beautifully and locks in flavor. It goes from stovetop, to oven, to table which saves on dishes, too!
What to do With Leftovers
- Make a beef stew
- Create a beef ragu pot pie
- Add a layer of mozzarella and turn it into a pasta bake
- Serve it on top of creamy mashed cauliflower for low carb leftovers
How to Store
- At Room Temperature – This beef ragu recipe can sit out for up to two hours while serving.
- Refrigerate – Bring to room temperature and store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Freeze – This recipe freezes beautifully! Store beef ragu in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before use.
Pastas to Try
Braised Beef Ragu with Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 1 pound chuck roast room temperature
- black pepper thick flakes fresh cracked
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic minced or 3 cloves minced
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs sage
- 1 karge yellow onion chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound pappardelle tagliatelle, fettucinne or garganelli
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounces parmesan freshly grated
Instructions
- Pepper both sides of beef and cut into 1" cubes. In a dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high, add olive oil and beef. Stir 5 minutes or until brown on all sides.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add minced garlic, rosemary, sage, copped onion, carrot and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Add red wine and reduce uncovered 15 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes.
- Place lid on dutch oven and transfer to oven to braise 3 hours.
- When ragu has been in the oven for 2½ hours, bring a pot of salty water to a boil. Prepare pappardelle or noodle of choice al dente (slightly undercooked).
- Remove ragu from oven. Remove stems from herbs and shred beef with a fork or tongs. It should fall apart.
- Add ¾ cup pasta water and butter to beef. Toss until well coated.
- Garnish with parmesan, fresh parsley or gremolata.
Julie’s Tips
Substitutions and Variations
- Use beef stock in lieu of red wine.
- Substitute Italian seasoning for fresh herbs.
- Omit parmesan to make it dairy free.
- Use thick long noodles like tagliatelle or fettuccine or short noodles like garganelli or penne.
Slow Cooker and InstaPot Instructions
- Follow steps 1-4 (or use the sauté function on your appliance if you have one).
- Transfer to your slow cooker or your instant pot.
- Slow cook on high for two and a half to three hours, or low for approximately five hours. Or, put your instant pot on high for 45 minutes.
- Shred beef with forks, and following remaining steps.
Tips
- Bring Reef to Room Temperature
- Add Pasta Water and Toss
- Use a Dutch Oven
How to Store
- Refrigerate – Bring to room temperature and store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Freeze – Store beef ragu in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before use.
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
You can always count on anything that’s cooked low and slow like this to have amazing depth of flavor. Yum!
This beef ragu is making me drool!
mmm perfect for this weekend! May have to make this Sunday evening!
Now I’m craving carbs! This dish looks divine.
I love that pasta! Great comfort food here!