Tender, fall apart, melt in your mouth beef in a rich tomato sauce, all mixed into chunky pasta. Slow Cooker Beef Ragu is total comfort food. Cooked low and slow, this is a great family meal that freezes well, making it perfect for bulk cooking.
This slow cooker ragu recipe might take a little more effort than some slow cooker recipes (as the beef needs searing first), but it is totally worth it.
This pasta with beef ragu is the meal you want to come home to on a cold winter's night. A hearty sauce that is easy to adapt and you can even bulk it out with some veggies.
Looking for more slow cooker beef recipes? Why not try our spicy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman, delicious Slow Cooker Beef Curry or hearty Slow Cooker Beef Goulash.
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What is a beef ragu?
Traditionally, in northern Italian regions, a ragù uses minced, chopped or ground meat and is cooked with sautéed vegetables (carrot, celery and onion) in a liquid. It doesn't have to be beef - the meats may include one or more of beef, chicken, veal, pork, duck, goose, lamb, game or mutton, including their offal.
Ingredients needed
- Beef - We used a beef roasting joint, which was the cheapest joint that we could find in the supermarket. The great thing about this slow cooker beef ragu recipe, is that you can use a cheap joint, making it a budget friendly meal. Chuck roast (called braising steak in the UK) is another good choice too. Don't worry about the joint being large when you buy it, as you will be cutting it into 4 before searing anyway.
- Onion - This is a must in the base of the ragu and add lots of flavour. You could swap it for shallots, which will give a sweeter taste.
- Carrots - Along with the onion and celery, carrot is part of the holy trinity of Italian cooking (called Soffritto in Italian), this adds some flavour, texture and of course some nutrients. You can just use the standard orange carrots you find in the supermarket. Make sure they are finely diced. The sweetness of the carrot also helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Celery - This also makes up the Soffritto and really adds so much flavour to the slow cooker beef ragu.
- Garlic - This recipe is garlic heavy, with 4 cloves in it, but that's the way it should be. You could crush fresh garlic, or save yourself some time and use some lazy garlic from a jar.
- Tinned tomatoes - This is what makes up the majority of the rich sauce. Try to use the best quality tinned tomatoes you can get, as you really will taste the difference. Cheap tinned tomatoes tend to be really watery and it will make a thinner sauce.
- Tomato puree - This gives the dish a more intense tomato flavour. You could swap it for a sun-dried tomato paste for something a little different.
- Beef stock - This helps to make the sauce really rich, and intensify that beef flavour. Use a stock pot, as it has a more intense flavour.
- Dried herbs - We used basil and oregano and they are a must in this Italian dish.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make beef ragu in the slow cooker - Step by step
One: Heat half the oil in a large pan and add the four pieces of beef. Sear the beef on all sides (about 3 minutes per side). Put the seared beef into the slow cooker.
Two: Heat the rest of the oil in the same pan and cook the onions, garlic, carrot and celery for 3-4 minutes.
Three: Once softened, add to the slow cooker.
Four: Add the remaining ingredients and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.
Five: Once cooked, remove the beef from the slow cooker and finely shred using two forks.
Six: Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and mix well.
Variations
This slow cooked beef ragu is a fairly basic standard recipe, and there isn't a huge amount of room to change it (why mess with perfection, right?), but there are a few small changes you can make.
If you want a super rich sauce, then add some red wine to it. We left it out as we were serving it up to the kids as well, and the alcohol doesn't burn of when slow cooking like it would cooking it on the hob. Swap 100ml of the stock for red wine - something like a Merlot will work.
If you want to give this slow cooker beef ragu a veggie boost, then you have a few options. Cook some mushrooms, bell pepper and courgette at the same time are the onion, carrots and celery.
This isn't traditional at all, but we always like to give some options for a vegetable boost in our recipes. You could also stir in some spinach 20 minutes before everything is finished cooking.
Serving suggestions
This is pasta with beef ragu and we have served ours with pappardelle which we love because it is a really thick pasta that lets the sauce cling to it. You could use any other pasta, but the thicker the better as the sauce should be mixed into it, rather than it piled on top like a bolognese. Speaking of bolognese - we have a Slow Cooker Bolognese recipe too?
You don't have to serve it on pasta though, as it's delicious on creamy mashed potato too, creamy polenta or mixed into gnocchi. We have also been known to just scoop it up with some crusty bread. Any leftovers are delicious on an Air Fryer Jacket Potato too.
Then to finish it off, we add a sprinkling of Parmesan and some fresh finely chopped basil.
Storage
Store:Once the ragu is fully cooled, you can keep it in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: This freezes really well, making it perfect for batch cooking, as it makes 8 generous servings. Once it is cooled, portion it out into freezer bags and then they can lay flat, stacked in the freezer. They will keep well for 3 months.
Defrost: You can defrost it in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: To reheat, add it to a hot pan and heat through, or you could reheat it in the microwave.
Extra tips
- If you are making this for children, then make sure that you don't use red wine and that you use a low salt stock.
- You can give this recipe a veggie boost by also adding some mushrooms, bell pepper and courgette and then stirring in some spinach 20 minutes before it's ready.
- Use the best quality tomatoes you can get, as you really will taste a difference in the sauce.
- Give it a taste before serving, as it might need a little extra seasoning.
- To make a spicy version of this you can add some diced red chillies at the same time as the tomatoes. This spicy version is delicious on nachos.
FAQs
Beef brisket, chuck roast, or a cheap beef roast joint will all work well for this recipe.
Whilst they are sometimes used interchangeably, there are subtle differences. The main one being, that a ragu is a very meat heavy sauce, and will have a higher meat to tomato ratio. Whereas a bolognese will have more tomatoes.
Technically, you don't have to sear the beef first and you could skip this step, but we really don't recommend it. Whereas with chicken dishes you can get away with not searing the meat first, it's a bit different when it comes to beef. Searing the beef before it goes into the slow cooker caramelises the surface of the meat, which gives it a richer flavour.
If we have any leftovers that we aren't going to freeze or serve on pasta the next day, then we use it to make lasagna. If you thought lasagna was total comfort food already, this takes it to the next level. Use the sauce in replace of the usual meat sauce you would use, for a really rich lasagna. It also makes an epic filling for a grilled cheese sandwich.
More beef recipes
If you’ve tried this Beef Ragu, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Ingredients
- 1.3 kg (3 lb) Beef joint - cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for the beef
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for the vegetables
- 1 Onion - finely chopped
- 4 Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 Carrot - diced
- 2 ribs Celery - chopped
- 800 g (1.75 lb) Chopped tomatoes - canned
- 3 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 0.5 teaspoon Dried basil
- 0.5 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 150 ml (0.66 cups) Beef stock
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil in a large pan and add the 1.3 kg Beef joint. Sear the beef on all sides (about 3 minutes). Put the seared beef into the slow cooker.
- Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil in the same pan and cook 1 Onion, 4 Garlic clove, 2 Carrot and 2 ribs Celery for 3-4 minutes. Once softened, add to the slow cooker.
- Add 800 g Chopped tomatoes, 3 tablespoon Tomato puree, 0.5 teaspoon Dried basil, 0.5 teaspoon Dried oregano, 150 ml Beef stock and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Once cooked, remove the beef from the slow cooker and finely shred using two forks.
- Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and mix well.
Recipe Tips
- If you are making this for children, then make sure that you don't use red wine and that you use a low salt stock.
- You can give this recipe a veggie boost by also adding some mushrooms, bell pepper and courgette and then stirring in some spinach 20 minutes before it's ready.
- Use the best quality tomatoes you can get, as you really will taste a difference in the sauce.
- Give it a taste before serving, as it might need a little extra seasoning.
- To make a spicy version of this you can add some diced red chillies at the same time as the tomatoes. This spicy version is delicious on nachos.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Joce says
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I’m assuming the 463 cals doesn’t include the parpadelle pasta? As your recipe states low carb... I served mine with the pasta so thinking that may have increased the cals if it wasn’t included
Angela says
This recipe is wonderful, total comfort food. Yum!
Traci says
So much YUMMMM! I could eat this for days...but it probably won't make it more than two days LOL. Thanks for another great recipe!
Jess says
Love this meal for a busy night running kids around. So easy to throw it in the crockpot and it is ready when we come home from a busy night!
Tisha says
This dish look like a perfect comfort food for this time of year!
Marlynn says
I appreciate that you sear the beef first. Makes a delicious difference when slow cooking, and makes this dish absolutely divine on a chilly fall night!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and yummy! I can't wait to give this a try! My family is going to love this recipe!
Toni Dash says
This is such an amazing comfort food!! Can't wait to make it again!