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.)
The sauce is so delicious and flavourful. All the family enjoyed this dish.
Brilliant, thank you Nagi. Can’t wait for my cookbook to arrive!
I was following the recipe for making in the slow cooker and mistakenly added the water. What will this mean for the end result?
I just did the same.
Have I wrecked it?
This recipe is wicked! I’ll make it again and again. I live just two streets away from the San Remo factory here in Adelaide. and their pasta is my preference, not just because it’s local but because of the quality. And no, I’m not a paid commercial, but I do wish they had a factory shop…. I’d be there regularly! Anyway, I love your recipes Nagi! Big hug to you and big pat to Dozer!
For step 7, is the pot covered or uncovered?
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great dish to make on the weekend!
Fantastic recipe, full of flavour perfect for a cold winter night, clean plates all round. Thanks for another winner
We’ve made this in the Slow Cooker twice now, following Nagi’s alternative instructives. This is SO DELICIOUS! We can’t get enough – it will be a long cherished and enjoyed recipe for sure.
I’ve made this delicious dish several times, I’m going to make it again next Sunday. 😋😋😋
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. I’ve used a number of them including this recipe, Nagi, and overall happy with the results.
For this recipe I bought chuck steak from the supermarkets, so the meat was cut into thick slices like steak. Shredding the meat resulted in uneven lengths which I think also affected the texture. Next time I’ll buy the meat from a butcher to get a thicker cut similar to what you used in the video, to get the longer strands …
Hi.
I loved the look of this recipe so am in the process of making it with my slow cooker. Question re note 5 – What happens to the omitted water, salt and pepper. Could you clarify why omitted and whether these are added later.
Looking forward to finishing the remaining wine with this later. Cheers for the recipe!!
I was thinking the same thing!!! I think she meant to only omit the water. I added salt and pepper before I turned on the pressure cooker!
This recipe is the best, I did in the slow cooker & meat was falling apart – was enough to feed 3 adults & 3 kids for two night & enough fir my lunch the next day – everyone loved it! One thing I did do was add big blob of sour cream & took to the next level, mixed with rice for the kids & 2nd night had Roti bread with it – will be part of my repertoire, thanks Nagi 😊
Hey Nagi! Pappardelle with beef ragu is one of our favorite items when eating at an italian restaurant. Your recipe looks great (as do all the reviews), so I’m planning to make it this next weekend. One question…my family and I have an aversion to fatty meat, so what cut of meat can I buy for slow cooking that is extra lean? Thanks.
I have tried several of your recipes – to be quite honest, you have become my Go-To. You have not failed me yet, so in saying that , I am so excited to try your ragu recipe. You are amazing, keep the fabulous going 💗
Will beef short ribs be a good cut to use for this recipe (pressure cooked)?
This was absolutely fantastic. Definitely a keeper!
Delicious! Made this in the slow cooker and my whole family loved it! Will be making this again and scan .
Delicious Nagi! We had it with your watermelon salad great contrast with the crisp refreshing salad and the warm cuddle from the ragu
Hi Nagi,
First time poster. This was absolutely delicious, the perfect comfort food in Winter.
And the greatest feat of all; my kids ate their entire plate without complaint or prompting. They even said thanks for dinner mom.
Is this heaven??
Thanks Nagi!!