Slow Cooker Beef Ragu (Printable)

Rich, slow-cooked beef ragu combined with wide pappardelle for comforting Italian flavors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

06 - 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
07 - 1/2 cup dry red wine
08 - 1/2 cup beef broth

→ Herbs & Spices

09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 2 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 2 bay leaves
13 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Pasta & Finishing

15 - 1 lb pappardelle pasta
16 - 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
17 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
18 - 2 tbsp olive oil

# How to Make It:

01 - Generously season beef chunks with salt and pepper on all sides.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear beef chunks for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to slow cooker.
03 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the same skillet. Cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Transfer vegetables to slow cooker with beef. Add crushed tomatoes, red wine, beef broth, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until beef is fork-tender and easily shreds. Remove and discard bay leaves.
06 - Shred beef directly in slow cooker using two forks. Stir thoroughly to incorporate meat into sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Twenty minutes before serving, cook pappardelle according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
08 - Toss cooked pappardelle with beef ragu, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to coat noodles evenly. Serve hot with additional Parmesan and fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The beef becomes impossibly tender, practically melting into the sauce without any effort from you
  • Your house will smell incredible all day long, which might be the best part
  • This is one of those rare dishes that actually tastes better as leftovers
02 -
  • Resist the urge to peek during the first six hours. Every time you lift the lid, you add thirty minutes of cooking time.
  • The sauce might look loose at first but will thicken beautifully as it cools slightly.
  • Pat the beef dry before searing or it will steam instead of brown, missing all those crispy flavor bits.
03 -
  • A splash of cream at the end transforms this into something almost restaurant luxurious
  • Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those browned bits from the skillet

Return