ragu sauce

Recipe video above. Ragu is one of those recipes that really showcases the beauty of Italian cooking - everyday ingredients, fast prep, leave it to cook long and slow and you end up with a luscious dish that tastes like a million bucks. This recipe makes enough sauce to serve 8 and freezes great.

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

beef

salt

Black pepper

olive oil (, separated)

garlic (, minced)

onion (, diced)

carrots (, diced (Note 2))

celery (, diced (Note 2))

/ 28 tomatoes

tomato paste

beef bouillon cubes (, crumbled (Note 3))

/ 375 ml water ((Note 3))

tsp dried thyme

bay leaves

dried pappardelle (,

cheese

parsley (, finely chopped (optional))

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:&nbsp;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:&nbsp;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:&nbsp;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).&nbsp;Place the lid on and set aside until ready to serve (it's even better the next day and freezes well for months!).

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.

To Serve (Note 4):

This hearty plant-based mushroom ragù consists of readily available fresh mushrooms and is ready in under an hour! I use three types of mushrooms in this recipe, but feel free to use just one or two types to make the sauce even easier. Serve vegan ragù over polenta, pasta, couscous, or even as a topping for steak or chicken!

Easy Mushroom Ragù Recipe

Extra virgin olive oil

yellow onion, (chopped)

garlic cloves, (minced)

Kosher salt

portabella mushrooms, (chopped)

shiitake mushrooms, (sliced)

baby bella mushrooms, (sliced)

low-sodium vegetable broth

thyme leaves

oregano

parsley, (more for later)

dry red wine

tomato sauce

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and season with another dash of salt. Add a drizzle more of olive oil and a little bit of the broth. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften and cook down a little bit. Add the thyme, oregano, parsley, and a good dash of black pepper. Stir.

Finally, add the red wine, tomato sauce, and the remainder of the broth. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or so covered, then uncover and allow the mushrooms to cook some more (about 15 to 20 minutes) until the mixture thickens to a ragu.

To finish, taste and adjust salt to your liking. Stir in a bit more fresh parsley. If you like, add in the chopped hazelnuts (optional).

Serve with your favorite pasta, polenta, or even pearl couscous as I do here. Enjoy!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/GNT3rCZF.mp4

Vegan mushroom ragu with tomatoes, red wine, vegetables, and herbs.

Mushroom Ragu

This beef short rib ragu is made in the slow cooker and turned into tender, juicy, shredded meat. Packed with veggies and flavor, this slow cooker short rib ragu is a rich pasta sauce that is restaurant worthy.

Short Rib Ragu

beef short ribs (see note)

olive oil (divided)

yellow onion (diced (1 1/2 cups))

dry red wine (cabernet)

tomatoes

carrots (peeled, diced

celery (diced (3/4 cup))

Better Than Bouillon beef paste

beef stock

rosemary

thyme

pappardelle pasta (prepared al dente)

parsley

pecorino romano

garlic bread (optional)

black pepper

Salt and pepper all sides of the short ribs.

In a dutch oven over medium/high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. In batches, sear each side of the short ribs for 1 minute, until a browned crust forms. Remove from dutch oven and place in slow cooker. Repeat with remaining short ribs.

Lower the heat to medium, add 2 tbsp olive oil and diced onions. Sauté for 4 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Pour in 2 cups of red wine to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up flavorful short rib bits on bottom of pot. Allow the liquid to reduce for 6 minutes. Carefully add to slow cooker.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot: crushed tomatoes, carrots, celery, tomato paste, bouillon paste, beef stock, rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme. Using tongs, disperse ingredients evenly.

Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.

Once the short ribs are done cooking, carefully remove from the crockpot and place on cutting board. They are so tender, some of the bones may have already fallen out. Discard the bones. Remove the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves as well, discard. Use two forks to shred short ribs, removing and discarding fatty bits. Return the shredded short ribs back into the sauce and stir to combine. Turn the slow cooker on warm.

Prepare pasta al dente

Serve ragu over pasta and top with freshly chopped parsley and freshly grated pecorino romano. Enjoy short rib ragu with homemade garlic bread on the side, to soak up all the delicious sauce.

This simple and classic Bolognese pasta sauce from Giada is easy to make and so rewarding. Who doesn't love a big bowl of meat sauce over pasta?

Giada's Bolognese Sauce Recipe

olive oil

onion,

garlic cloves, chopped

celery stalk, chopped

carrot, chopped

lb chuck

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

c Italian leaf parsley, chopped

basil leaves, chopped

Salt and fresh ground pepper

c fresh grated Pecorino or Parmesan

In a large skillet, heat olive oil until almost smoking. Add the onion and garlic and turn heat down to medium and cook until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes.

Raise heat to high and add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens &#8211; about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over pasta of your choice with more black pepper and grated cheese.

Slowly simmered Braised Beef Ragu is the ultimate Italian-inspired comfort food! Rich beef chuck roast slowly braises until meltingly tender with veggies, fresh herbs, Italian tomatoes, and red wine, creating a hearty beef ragu sauce. Simply toss it with pappardelle pasta or serve atop polenta or gnocchi for a seriously rich and comforting meal! Easy enough for a cozy Sunday dinner and delicious enough for any special occasion – date night, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, you name it!
Make Ahead-Friendly. Stove top, Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker, and Instant Pot directions provided. ♡ Happy cooking!

Slowly Braised Beef Ragu (Stovetop, Oven, Slow Cooker, and More!)

olive oil, divided

carrots,

celery,

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic,

parmesan rind

low-sodium beef broth/beef stock

kosher salt and ground black pepper,

heavy cream

parmesan

Brown the beef

Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I use a 5-qt Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Use paper towel to pat the surface of the beef as dry as possible, then generously season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Once the oil in the pot is shimmering hot, carefully add in the seasoned beef. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot (which prevents browning). Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside. Repeat, as necessary, with any remaining beef.

Brown the soffritto

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot used to brown the beef. Once hot and shimmering, add the soffritto (carrot, celery, onion), seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium or medium-low.

Add the aromatics and deglaze

Add the garlic to the pot with the soffritto. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot, stirring to coat the soffritto. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the soffritto.

Build and simmer the beef ragu

Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Add the crushed tomatoes, broth/stock or water, and browned beef chuck from Step 1. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 ½ &#8211; 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. If the beef ragu sauce begins to reduce too much (i.e. it loses too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more water and/or reduce the heat further.

Finish the braised beef ragu sauce

Carefully transfer the braised beef chuck to a plate or cutting board. At this point, you can remove and discard the spent herbs, bay leaves, and parmesan rind from the pot, as well. Use tongs or 2 forks to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded beef to the pot with the ragu sauce. Stir to combine. At this point, you can cool and store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage and freezing directions), or proceed with making the beef ragu pasta (below).

Boil the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package directions. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta – do NOT rinse it! (Learn more ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!)

Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, bring the braised beef ragu up to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Braised beef ragu pasta

Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the braised beef ragu sauce, tossing to coat. The beef ragu should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the ragu needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the ragu.

Serve

Portion the beef ragu pasta into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and/or crushed red pepper as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

I MADE THIS RECIPE AT MY SISTER'S HOME AND SHE WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH MY COOKING.

THANKS.

WAITING FOR MORE RELATED RECIPE.

I have made this 5 times in the last month because everyone who tastes it is obsessed!!! Seriously so amazing

This is a terrific recipe that is easy and gives impressive results.  I followed the recipe closely only omitting the celery from the soffrito (I don't care for it).  I like the idea of browning the soffrito, it does seem to add another layer of flavor which is helpful since the beef is fairly robust.  Do make the effort to use the parmesan rind...I use them in just about everything soup or stew like...they add a nice umami.  The only real change I made was adding some balsamic vinegar at the end of the braise to correct the acid balance.  It was a big hit with my foodie family...

Made this tonight! Absolutely delicious and a huge crowd pleaser. Will be making again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

This was delicious but I found it to be more time consuming and messy than I like. My family loved it so I told them to request for their birthday dinners. The messy part was the reheating half, adding the cream, pasta etc. (We r only 4). Definitely delicious. Maybe next time I'll do more prep in advance.

I found this just ok, I followed the recipe exactly, accept at the very end where I only put in 1/4 cup of cream. It was already way too saucy and didn't feel like ragu. After 2.5 hours the meat was still tough, I finally gave in at 3 hours and 15 minutes and cut the beef, it wouldn't easy shred.  It also tastes more like pot roast on noodles. I had ragu in New York that was absolutely amazing, I've been trying to replicate it and this just wasn't it. I wouldn't make this again because of the amount of work and it just being ok. I also didn't feel like the parm rind added anything special. Not a winner in my book.

This was so so good!! So glad I made it. It is the best recipe I’ve tried. The flavor complex is amazing and the beef melts in your mouth.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/y3Jio27H.mp4

Braised Beef Ragu is the ultimate Italian comfort food! Rich beef chuck becomes meltingly tender as it slowly braises in a Dutch oven with veggies, fresh herbs, Italian tomatoes, & red wine, creating a hearty beef ragu sauce. Toss with pappardelle pasta or serve with polenta or gnocchi for a seriously comforting meal! Make Ahead-friendly. Stovetop, Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker / Crockpot, & Instant Pot directions provided. 

Braised Beef Ragu Recipe

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The most viewed ragu sauce recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine