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.)
I made this last night and my fiance was in heaven. He said it was restaurant quality. I followed the recipe mostly. I added italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and oregano. And I used rigatoni. So delicious.
A rich flavoursome ragu that hits the spot!…and yet is so easy to make. I followed all directions and placed the sauce in the oven to slow cook for 3 hours. Perfetto!!
This a very good recipe. I forgot the water and still had a good sauce. Maybe because I used whole tomatoes untrained. Also, non alcohol merlot worked well. Nice easy recipe for a lazy day.
This a very good recipe. I forgot the water and still had a good sauce. Maybe because I used whole tomatoes untrained. Also, non alcohol merlot worked well. Nice easy recipe for a lazy day.
I made this tonight with diced kangaroo instead of beef. Absolutely beautiful! Chucked in some extra veg and paired it with Nagi’s no knead bread.
Very tasty without the bullion. Without the stock. Just use water and let IT become the stock.
I found this to be middle of the road and kind of bland. That might be user error, perhaps I didn’t add enough salt or sugar? I typically have loved all of Nagi’s recipes, however!
This is one of the most delicious dishes EVER! I use Merlot and beef broth instead of water; also added: splashes of wostershire sauce, oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, onion powder, garlic powder… don’t be afraid to season… really sear that meat and really let it cook a long time even after shredding. The texture, fullness, flavors, colors, aroma… OH MY was it absolutely fabulous!!! We put it over pasta and then rice or spinach for gluten free guests. Lots of grated cheese and fresh parley on top. But you can also just eat it as a stew, sopping it up with a beautiful fresh bread. Really taste test towards the end and season to your liking…
Thank you for this amazing recipe and the explicit directions and help!!!
This is a winner and a keeper, I made it with the pressure cooker in a bit over an hour. I used beef brisket just because had some already. I cut all the fat out of the beef before starting and there was no oil or fat to skim. buzzed the sauce a little with the stick blender, put the extra water into the pot by accident and i think it was fine. yep 11/10 recommend
This was excellent! My only sub was using a partially dried Italian herb blend instead of thyme, bay leaves, or parsley. But otherwise followed to a T and it turned out perfectly. Will definitely make again. Thanks, Nagi!
I love this recipe. This one is on high rotation in my house – I use the instant pot for this and its always a winner, plus its super forgiving if you’ve forgotten an ingredient. I would reduce the amount of liquid for the instant pot version though, as it does need a bit of reducing if too much liquid is added.
How long in Insta-Pot
Love this recipe so much!! I did pop mine in the oven for a few hours instead of the stovetop and it was divine!! I did need a bit of extra water though 🙂 it was even better the next day of course!!
How long did you cook it in the oven and at what temp?
This will forever be a staple recipe in my family – it’s my partners FAVOURITE meal now – he requests it for every birthday. I’ve got 2 toddlers now who also love it – you honestly can’t go wrong with this recipe. 11/10 recommend
I’ve made this twice now and it’s been a hit each time. But it took longer than the 2 hours stated in the recipe. It’s been more like 4 hours to really make the beef soft and easy to shred. Next time I will make the stew part of it the day before to avoid the guesswork on timing.
It’s an impressive dish. A guest asked if we ate like that all of the time?
I’m going to try adding some red pepper flakes or green peppercorns to add a bit more zip next time.
I even make my own pappardelle to go with this amazing dish and it was spectacular! Obviously it was quite involved when you throw making your own pasta into the mix but it was so worth it!! Amazing!
Hello Nagi, I accidentally added the water to the slow cooker recipe. It is currently cooking in the slow cooker, was just wondering whether it will affect the outcome by much or is there anything I can do to fix this. Thank you 🙂
I accidentally added the water to the slow cooker recipe… will this ruin the outcome? 😮 thank you love you recipes Nagi!
Hello Nagi, would love to substitute the beef with lamb shanks only because that’s what I have in my freezer. Is there anything else I would need to change? For example, would I substitute the beef stock cubes for chicken stock cubes? I would appreciate if so someone would share their thoughts with me. Thank you.
Cooked this for the first time at the weekend and it was well worth the effort 😋 simply delicious.
Do you need a casserole dish for this recipe?