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.)
Love this recipe! This is the second time I’m making it. I have been reminiscing about the beef Bolognese with pappardelle that I had in Napa. This is so close to what i remember it tasting like. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Ultimate comfort food! I double my batch and freeze half of the Ragu for next time when I don’t have 3 hrs. It’s just as good!
I have made other recipes from this site and have loved them all. So, with this recipe, I made all of it in my 6QTDuo IP from Steps 1-4 as instructed. I omitted the water and extra salt per the notes at the end and when I added the rest of the ingredients, I DID NOT stir the crushed tomatoes (most recipes will just have you dump it in and not stir it because it’s thick and could cause a burn message). So, after reducing the wine, I added the crushed tomatoes, seasonings, tomato paste, and beef chunks (no stirring). I set it for 40 mins as directed but my IP would not come to pressure and I got the burn notice. I ended up having to remove the beef chunks and adding 1/2-3/4 cups of water. I lightly stirred it and put the beef chunks back in. It cooked successfully that time. I did a QR (quick release) instead of letting it do a NPR (natural pressure release) after 40 mins was up. This was not specified in the recipe (perhaps it should be?) and I wonder if the beef would’ve been even more tender if I’d done a NPR. It was still good and was shreddable with forks, but I wouldn’t have a minded a slightly more tender texture. Overall, I hope my experience helps someone else making theirs in an Instant Pot. This is really delicious and I followed ingredients and measurements as written.
*Something to note on the side, my experience making beef cuts in a Dutch oven vs Instant Pot has varied and I do find that I like the texture of the meat more from the Dutch oven. Both are really good though! If you’re pressed for time or prefer the convenience, do it in the Instant Pot. If you want to experience the intended flavor/texture of the written recipe, I would use the Dutch oven. It really does tenderize the meat in a way the Instant Pot and slow cooker does not. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I look forward to making more!
Our family loves this recipe!! Question – is the tablespoon of salt in addition to the salt and pepper used with the beef in step 1? I didn’t see the salt added in the video so wanted to double check. Thank you
Hi Nagi, I was only able to get chuck steaks (about 1 inch thick) from my butcher instead of a chuck roast. Will this affect the cooking time?
Hi Nagi,
I made the ragu and it went great (thanks, your recipes are perfect for me!). I was just wondering if I could make it the night before & keep it in its pot in the fridge overnight & reheat for a family lunch. Hoping that it would taste better and not dry out (+ save me making it that morning). Thanks..
Yes most definitely – I find the flavours are even BETTER the next day Chris! N x
Thanks very much Nagi
Could you do it in the slow cooker on high 🙂
Hi Demi, I’d say try 4 hours on high. N x
Omg..what a big hit with my family!! It was easy and super yummy! You are right Nagi, don’t skip the tossing of.the pasta!! Thanks! My kids can’t get over how tasty it is!!
I’m so glad it was a hit Sheryll! N x
Nagi, I will be making this yummy dish this weekend. Curious though…do you deglaze the pot with the wine or does all the fond come off the bottom when the veggies get added.
Thanks!
Hi Roy, the fond will come off when adding the remaining ingredients 🙂 N x
Nagi, this was delicious. I looked at several recipes and settled on yours, as it looked the most authentic. I agree with you about pappardelle, but unfortunately, so did my dogs. I made it from scratch with einkorn flour, and when I went to take a break and let the sauce simmer, one, maybe 2 of my dogs got the fresh pasta and ate it all up🥺. So I ended up with bowties, still great, but would love to have had that fresh pasta.
Oh no Cathy!!! I can’t help but laugh, those cheeky pups!!! N x
I hope this doesn’t appear twice. Yes cheeky pups, and I know Dozer would never do such a thing🤣.
Lol, I’m sure Dozer would never do😁
I just made this recipe today and it was fantastic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a couple of ingredients, but substituted with beef broth and it turned out really well. My husband really loved this. It was a little intimidating, I’m not much of a cook, but I was so proud of this. Thanks, Nagi. I’ve cooked some of your other recipes and you haven’t failed at one of them. So impressed!
I’m so glad you gave it a go and it turned out Rebecca, that’s great to hear! N x
If done in a slow cooker, do I still cook for 2 hours?
So looking forward to doing this
Hi – if using Instant Pot, should it be quick release or natural after 40mins on high? Thanks!
Hi Dani, quick release is fine here 🙂 N x
Turned out amazing! Used one cup beef stock and 1.5 cups wine. Had to simmer for another 15 mins to reduce the sauce. Really wonderful stuff. Love your recipes Nagi!
Was a winner in our house last night! Hubby was drooling and kept telling me how much he loved it (which he only does with his favourite dinners). I’ve recently discovered your page and I love it. The recipes seem so well tested- I know before I make them that they will turn out well.
That’s awesome Lauren, I’m so glad it was a hit!! N x
Sooo delicious and super easy to make! I have chronic pain so it’s hard for me to make more complicated recipes without having to take long breaks in between. However, this recipe was a breeze and super quick to whip up! It made my house smell amazing while it cooked and once done, my family ate every last bite with no leftovers! We’ll be making this again for sure!
I’m so glad you managed it Camille ❤️
Another ripper! Tried and tested and LOVED! Printed and in my “Magi Knows best’ folder!
Thanks so much Cheryl! N x
Hi there, I’ve got this cooking in my slow cooker as we speak however I missed read the notes and included the water with the beef cubes. Is there anything I can do now to ensure it’s not too watery? Has been on low for about an an hour so far. Hopefully you see this comment in time
Hi Rachel, you can always remove the liquids after and reduce over the stove 🙂 N x
Just a question-so I can use 1 and 1/2 cups of beef stock instead of the boullion cubes and water as well as an extra 1 cup of beef stock instead of wine ?
I cooked this for the first time and it is delicious. The flavours and just everything about this dish is fabulous. It is well worth the time and effort to cook. Enjoy!
What is another alternative besides using chuck beef? Can I use pork shoulder?
Hi Tammy, prk shoulder would be great! N x