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.)
Thank you!! I remember having exactly this in a restaurant in Cape Town, SA. Looked high and low for the recipe it was so good and tasty and found it here! Cooked it tonight and brilliant!!
That’s so terrific Gaz! I’m so pleased to hear that, thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
So, I will admit to being a recipe website ‘taker’ and not a ‘giver’.. I happily ‘take’ recipes and inspiration but never ‘give’ feedback. This recipe has changed that however. This ragu is quite simply sublime, one of the best dishes I have ever cooked at home. My family LOVED it, and yes, it tastes even better a day (or in our case two) later. Bravo, it’s not only family good, it’s dinner party good!
WHOOT! So great to hear that Bill, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
To make ahead… reheating on the stove I guess? Anything to do when reheating this?
Stove or even microwave is fine! If it’s a little thick for your taste, add a tiny bit of water but then simmer for a bit to bring the sauce together again. 🙂 N x
Nagi-
I came across your baked chicken and rice recipe last month and have been in love with your site since.
I made the beef ragu for my family over the weekend and they couldn’t stop raving about it. My husband actually got up in the middle of dinner and gave me a kiss and said “thank you”. He tells me all the time what a great cook I am but has NEVER done that before.
Thank you !!!!
I’m sitting here smiling like a FOOL – like a FOOL – at that vision! I love it. Thank you Deb, these are the sorts of messages that make me love what I do SO MUCH!! 😂 N xx
I made this recipe one night when I had some friends coming for a casual dinner but wanted to serve something that looked and tasted like I had made a special effort. The flavour is just beautiful and when one of my friends went to serve herself some more as she had only taken a small first helping, her husband said, “you’re on a real winner here, she normally doesn’t eat pasta! She asked for the recipe after. Just delicious and nice with casarecce pasta as an alternative to pappardelle. Thank you.
That’s great to hear Helen!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N xx ❤️
Hey Nagi!
Planning on making this for a friend coming over for dinner on Monday. I’ll be making it in my slow cooker and plan to sub beef broth for the bouillon cubes. In your notes it says if making it in a slow cooker to not add additional water. Should I add the beef broth or leave it out? Or just stick to bouillon cubes?
Thanks! Hope you see this before Monday! 🙂
Hi Meredith!! If you can stick with the bouillon cubes, that would be better for slow cooker. 🙂 And do not add the water in the ingredients! This is because liquid does not evaporate in the slow cooker. Hope you and your friend love it! N xx
Made this today in my smart cooker – was a hit! First time I’ve cooked anything like it. The beef pairs exceptionally well with the pappardelle. Extra yum, thanks for a tasty recipe!
I’m so pleased to hear that Megan! Thank you for letting me know! N xx ❤️
How do you freeze it, would you let it cool and put it in a plastic container and freeze it. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Karen! Yep that’s exactly right, cool then cover in airtight container and freeze!
Hi Nagi,
I made this tonight and OMG it was amazing! It is a bit of work, but well worth it! I did it in my slow cooker and it came out perfectly! Definitely will make again! Thanks again for yet another fantastic recipe!
That’s so fantastic to hear Alana! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Wow! I made this for the family tonight and it turned out AMAZING!!! My toddler even loved it and she’s extremely picky. I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes in the future (:
That’s fantastic to hear Destiny! Thanks for leaving a review! N x ❤️
MAde this today and it was sooo good. All of the recipes I’ve tried from your website have been turned out great to the point where I can get most of my meal plans from here. Thanks!
That’s so great to hear Sabrina! So happy to hear you enjoyed this – N x
So I can’t rate this yet because I haven’t made it, but it’s on the menu for this week. I had a very similar recipe years ago but lost it. It was so rich and delicious that I have high hopes for it!
I really hope you do try it Kathy! It’s one of my signature dishes 🙂 N x
Omg this was amazing and truly a hit with the fam. I modified slightly as my husband hates carrots and celery lol, so I left those out and ya know what I didn’t miss them. I also had trouble finding chuck roast and could only find chuck steaks but they worked. Came out super tender and shredded easily. My husband couldn’t get enough of this sauce. Sunday staple for sure!! ❤️
That’s terrific to hear Kristy, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Cooked this in the slow cooker on low for about seven hours and it was perfect! Really impressed, I usually find I have to tweak a lot of recipes I find online because they aren’t seasoned well enough or they end up cooking too quickly or slowly, but this was spot on exactly as you’ve formulated it. Thanks for sharing, I’ll certainly be making this again 🙂
That’s terrific to hear Kittni, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Hi Nagi! All your recipes are great as they taste fabulous! I am not great cook but following your recipes religiously , the meals turn out great every time.
I was wondering for this beef argue, is it possible to slow cook it in the oven in a covered cast iron pot? If so, what is the recommended temperature and timing ?
Thanks!
PS Bring it to a simmer on the stove first, then cover and transfer to oven 🙂
Hi May, I’m so pleased you enjoy my recipes, thank you! I would do it at 160C/320F for around 3 hours covered in the oven 🙂 N xx
Made this tonight and you need to cook this WAY longer than the recipe indicates. I followed everything to the letter but it was not ready to shred after 3 hours. I’m an Italian, seasoned home cook and didn’t make any mistakes-just cook this 4-5 hours. Taste was very good!
Hi Roseanne – how odd! No one else has given that feedback and there’s many comments on this recipe! Regardless I am very happy you enjoyed the flavour 🙂 N x
This is my type of comfort food. Love this pasta recipe, Nagi!
ME TOO!!!! N xx
I just made this today! I just shredded the beef and returned it to the pot. I decided to watch the video to see how thick I should let it get, but in your video it shows adding thyme and there is no thyme in the printed recipe. I’m pretty sure it’s too late now to add it since it will have missed all the slow cooking. But for the future, how much time do you add? Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Sorry I missed the thyme Lisa! It wouldn’t have affected the flavour much 🙂 I added it to the recipe though, thanks for picking that up. So pleased you enjoyed this! N xx
I just found your site and I am so excited!!!! I have been looking at everything and can’t decide what to start with because it’s all wonderfully delicious! Thanks so much! P.S. I am in Tuscaloosa, Al and its almost 100 degrees…perhaps I will start with a secy salad!!
Ba ha ha! YES try the salads section!!!! This is a wee bit HOT for you I think! 😂
I literally dreamt of making this last night…so I best get on it. Though this is the hottest week yet in Texas. I will be obsessed until I can have this!
Crank up the air conditioning!!! PS I know how you feel, I’m currently in NYC and it is STINKING hot but I just got back from a heavily air conditioned Italian restaurant where I inhaled mounds of steaming pasta!!
I am new to your blog and adore it! Spreading the word.