Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
This slow cooker beef ragu is so comforting and flavorful. It’s the perfect dish for the cool weather.
Thank you to Summerfield Farms for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own.
Recently it has gotten really chilly here and I when the weather changes, the meals that we eat change to. I truthfully believe that it’s important to nourish the body with warming meals that are full of nutrients. This Slow Cooker Beef Ragu is the really the perfect dish for that purpose.
It’s filled with veggies, Summerfield Farms Grass Fed Beef, and stock and other goodies too. Whenever I eat beef, I try to choose grass fed because it honestly has more nutrients that beef that comes from factory farms. This is not my opinion here, this is science. Check out this info on the Summerfield Farms website to learn more about the benefits of consuming Grass Fed Beef.
Ingredients for Beef Ragu
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Tomatoes
Beef Stock
Red wine (you could substitute more beef stock)
Dried thyme
Red Wine Vinegar
How to Make Beef Ragu
First, cut your chuck roast into large chunks and season with salt and pepper and then set your slow cooker to the sauté function for 15 minutes. Add some olive oil into the pot and once it is heated, add the chuck roast in and sauté for a few minutes on each side. Both sides should nice and brown.
Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Then add the diced celery, carrots and onions into the pan. Sauté for 3-4 minutes then add the minced garlic in and sauté until fragrant. Add the wine into the pot and let simmer for a couple more minutes. Then add the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, thyme and salt and pepper into the pot. Stir and then add the chuck roast back into the pot, followed by the bay leaves. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
Once the ragu is done cooking, add the red wine vinegar and sugar if you decide to use it. The sugar really helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in my opinion but it is definitely optional. Stir the ragu and then taste it to see if it needs additional salt and pepper.
This last step is option but during the last hour, I like remove the beef from the pot and shred it. Then I place sauce in the blender and pulse it a couple times to blend everything together. Then I place the shredded beef back into the pot and cook on low for the last hour.
When it’s time to serve the ragu, add some of it to a pan with high sides over low-medium heat. Keep the heat really low if the ragu is already warm. Cook the desired amount of pappardelle that you would like to eat right away. This is best served immediately. Cook the pappardelle al dente according to the instructions on the package. Then when the pappardelle is done cooking, don’t drain it. Add it directly into the pan with the ragu. Add about 1/4 cup of pasta water as well. Stir to coat the pasta and then remove from the heat. The sauce will thicken as the pasta cools.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Summerfield Farms Chuck Roast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine*
- 1 cup beef stock
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp sugar, optional
- Pappardelle, for serving
- Parmesan, for serving
- Fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- First, cut your chuck roast into large chunks and season with salt and pepper and then set your slow cooker to the sauté function for 15 minutes. Add the olive oil into the pot and once it is heated, add the chuck roast in and sauté for a few minutes on each side. Both sides should nice and brown.
- Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Then add the diced celery, onions and carrots into the pot. Sauté for 3-4 minutes then add the minced garlic into the pot and sauté until fragrant. Add the wine into the pot and let simmer for a couple more minutes. Then add the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and salt and pepper into the pot. Stir and then add the chuck roast back into the pot, followed by the bay leaves. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
- This last step is optional but during the last hour, I like to remove the beef from the pot and shred it. Then I place the sauce into the blender and pulse it a couple times to blend everything together. Then I place the shredded beef back into the pot and cook on low for the last hour. BE VERY CAREFUL when blending hot foods. Do not blend for a long time. Only a few seconds. If you decide to skip this step, just shred the beef after it is done cooking for 8 hours.
- Once the ragu is done cooking, add the red wine vinegar and sugar if you decide to use it. The sugar really helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in my opinion but it is definitely optional. Stir the ragu and then taste it to see if it needs additional salt and pepper.
- When it’s time to serve the ragu, add some of it to a pan with high sides over low-medium heat. Keep the heat really low if the ragu is already warm. Cook the desired amount of pappardelle that you would like to eat right away. This is best served immediately. Cook the pappardelle al dente according to the instructions on the package. Then when the pappardelle is done cooking, don’t drain it. Add it directly into the pan with the ragu. Add about 1/4 cup of pasta water as well. Stir to coat the pasta and then remove from the heat. The sauce will thicken as the pasta cools. Serve with parmesan and fresh parsley if desired
Notes:
*You could substitute more beef stock