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.)
We’re eating this as I type – sooooo delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I baked it in a 300°F oven instead of simmering it
Perfect Sarah!! N x
Hi Nagi, I am wanting to cook this today for 2 people, I only have 600g chuck steak. I am using my slow cooker, so I cook for 5 hours on high or low? Thank you very much 😀
Hi Georgia, sorry for the late reply – that would be cooking on low as per the recipe notes. I’d love to know how you went! N x
I made this tonight and ohmygosh it is soooo yummy. Thank you x
I’m so thrilled you loved it Carol, thanks so much for letting me know ❤️
Simply delicious! Takes forever for the beef to tender, but so worth it at the end.
Hi Mark – yes it’s slow cooked so breaks down over time. If you want to speed up the process, you can use a pressure cooker (directions are in the notes) N x
Mmmmmm, made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious, winner in our house that’s for sure, definitely use this recipe again!!!
Wahoo that’s great!! N x
Beautiful dish. My changes: I used an extra tbs of tomato paste and used the boullion cubes and water option. I also blitzed the sauce using a stick blender after taking the beef out to shred. My family isn’t big on pasta (!!!) so I served this over sweet potato mash instead. A great budget option – is cheaper and goes farther than my favourite Bolognese recipe. Thanks N!
Sounds great Mel! N x
Can’t wait to make this, looks incredible! May I be cheeky and ask where your bowls are from, they’re really pretty!☺️
OMG this recipe came out amazing. I used short ribs and did make one other modification; I salt and peppered the ribs and floured them before frying them. I left them in the crock pot for 9 hours on low. They were better than the restaurant that I go to that has short rib ragu on the menu! Even my husband loved them and he does not like short ribs. This is a keeper!
WOOT!! That’s awesome Gloria!! N x
My first attempt at a Ragu and this recipe was fab! So easy to make but delicious. This is the third recipe I’ve tried from Nagi’s website this week, loving them 🙂
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Cheryl!! N x
I made this today & it was so good! There is only 2 of us so just reduced ingredients. Thanks for the recipe, will make it again for sure.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Max! N x
Hi Nagi, I couldn’t get chuck beef so am using blade instead, which is a bit thinner. What would you suggest for cooking time? I was a bit confused as the video says cook for 1.5hrs then shred, but the recipe says 2hrs. Thanks
Hi Olivia, the recipe is super forgiving – you just want to continue cooking until you get to that fall apart stage. I’d cook for 1 hour then check, if it’s still tough, just continue to cook for another half an hour or so. N x
Hi Nagi
I’m dying to try this amazing looking recipe using my instant pot. You mentioned not to add extra water with this method- do you mean not to add the 375 ml of water in the ingredients list for the ragu…or do we add that 375 ml of water and don’t add any more in addition to that?
Thanks so much
Ruchi
Hi Ruchi, no leave that water out as it wont reduce in an IP – N x
Looks great. Would you use it for lasagna?
I would – it would be fabulous Cameron! N x
Yes! So good. Restaurant quality ragu!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Mia! N x
I made this for dinner tonight for three hungry lads. Not a sound was heard except the slurps and groans of contentment!
Thanks Nagi for another fantastic recipe that has become a family favourite🤩❤️
Great recipe, great instructions. I followed the slow cooker instructions (I left it for about 6 hours) and it was so good. I would have taken a photo but I devoured my plate too quickly. I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe to make again. Thank you!
Perfect Shawna, that’s great to hear!!! N x
Hi Nagi – if using a slow cooker, can you cook on the high setting for a shorter time as well?
Hi Bethany, I’d check at about 4 hours, it may need slightly longer on high 🙂 Enjoy! N x
My butcher gave me chuck beef already cut into cubes. Can I use this and will the cooking time be affected?
Thank you
Hi Judy – the cook time will be affected depending on how big the pieces are. N x
Just made it & it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Will certainly be in our rotation! Also, for next time I was thinking a pork shoulder? Do you think that would be A good equivalent to the chuck beef?
Hi Lauren, yes that will work fine here! N x
I wonder if using fresh tomato would be any better? Or would you actually recommend sticking with canned?