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 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 and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- 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.
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.
How to Make Beef Ragu in the Slow Cooker - Step by Step
- Step 1: 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.
- Step 2: Heat the rest of the oil in the same pan and cook the onions, garlic, carrot and celery for 3-4 minutes.
- Step 3: Once softened, add to the slow cooker.
- Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Step 5: Once cooked, remove the beef from the slow cooker and finely shred using two forks.
- Step 6: Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and mix well.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 recipe, 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.
Pris says
This ragu looks spectacular! Searing the beef is really a great tip!
Chris Collins says
Now THIS is comfort food! Can't wait to try the recipe :)
Alison says
I love slow cooker recipes this time of year! The smell of dinner cooking while you're spending your day working is awesome! Really simple, yet delicious!
Priya Lakshminarayan says
This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner! Gorgeous pictures!
Pavani says
That is such a hearty and delicious dish. Slow cooker makes it so easy and convenient. Thank you for all the tips to make this recipe perfect.
Maria says
Comfort food dish! Will try this on weekend night :)
Toni Dash says
This is such an amazing weeknight meal! A huge hit at my house!
Ashley says
This was absolutely perfect last night! It was a chilly night, but we enjoyed your ragu over homemade pasta and it was so belly warming!
Natalie says
Haven't made ragu in ages. Thanks for this lovely reminder. This ragu is perfect comfort food. I will give your recipe a try. Looks amazing!
Dolly @ Little Home in the Making says
Slow cooker recipes are the best! I love making beef in the slow cooker because it's always so tender! Love this recipe, Can't wait to try it!
Julia says
I am putting this on my menu for next week. Looks so good and easy to make!
Sue says
I love that this can be made in a slow cooker. Can't wait to make it - my family will love it!
Jess says
Anything made in the slow cooker is totally worth it. I love that this recipe is freezer friendly.
Gina says
This is the perfect slow cooker recipe and definitely worth searing the beef first - gives it such a nice depth of flavor!
Shelley says
Such perfectly wonderful comfort food - just what we all crave this time of year as the weather turns chilly! I love that you gave lots of ideas for a "veggie boost" - even if that's not exactly traditional. Also awesome that this is freezable, which is so terrific as a make-ahead for busy nights! Thanks bunches!