Learn how to make amazing Braised Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle without a lot of effort! This is an easy one pot pasta dish that’s full of rich simmered flavor to warm you up this winter.
Slow cooked for the most tender beef and an incredibly savory sauce that the whole family will love!
Originally published August 2015, updated with additional tips and details February 2021.
I grew up in St. Louis, which means I was raised on Italian food. The Hill in St. Louis is an area that attracted Italians in the late 19th century and the area consists primarily of great Italian food, which has penetrated the city.
I can get my fix for a lot of Italian classics, but I have yet to find a really great Braised Beef Pappardelle that compares to my Kansas City favorite, Lidia’s.
I have come to crave the hearty, flavorful dish of Braised Beef Pappardelle. It’s the perfect comfort food for a cold fall or winter evening. As it braises, it fills your home with the most amazing aroma. Something about making braised beef makes everything feel a lot slower, and easier.
This Braised Beef is so amazing that you can easily skip the pappardelle and make it low carb and Keto!
Our girls always beg for seconds whenever we make Braised Beef Pappardelle. The vegetables are disguised in the sauce adding a lot of flavor and nutrition and the girls are none the wiser! WIN! It’s loaded with vitamins and protein and there’s no added sugar or salt.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Beef Ragu Recipe
This ragu is perfect for a weekend dinner in or entertaining a large group of family and friends who will never know how little effort you had to invest in this incredible dinner!
- Inexpensive
- Comforting
- So easy
- Staple ingredients
Braised Beef Ragu with Pappardelle Ingredients
For the most flavorful ragu, use the freshest and best quality ingredients.
- Chuck Roast – This inexpensive cut of beef shreds easily after simmering for hours.
- Pepper – Thick flacks of fresh ground black pepper are preferred.
- Olive Oil – I always prefer extra virgin olive oil but whatever you have on hand will work well.
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary is fragrant and flavorful, but dried works as well.
- Sage – Fresh sage offers the best flavor.
- Garlic – Cloves or minced garlic.
- Onion – White or yellow.
- Carrot – diced
- Celery – diced
- Red Wine – It doesn’t need to be expensive, but something with body like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot or Bordeaux.
- Crushed Tomatoes – Fresh or canned. I use canned.
- Pappardelle – Fresh, dried or homemade pasta.
- Butter – salted or unsalted is fine.
- Parmesan – To garnish.
Variations
- If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, use three tablespoons of my Italian Seasoning Blend.
- Replace the red wine with beef stock if you’d like.
- Omit the parmesan to make it dairy free.
How to Make Braised Beef Ragu
Despite the longer cooking time, this dish is so easy to make.
- Brown Roast – Pepper both sides of beef and cut into cubes. Add oil to Dutch oven over medium-high and add beef. Stir for 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
- Sauté with Herbs and Vegetables – Reduce heat to medium-low and add rosemary, sage, onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prep – Preheat oven to 300 degrees or slow cooker to high.
- Reduce – Add wine and reduce for 15 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and stir.
- Transfer to Oven – Cook in the oven or slow cooker for 3 hours or until tender.
- Prepare Pasta – Meanwhile, prepare pappardelle al dente in a pot of salty boiling water. Drain, toss in butter and parmesan, reserving some for garnish.
- Shred and Serve – Remove herb stems, shred beef with a fork (it should fall apart), stir and serve over pappardelle.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
If you prefer, you can also make Braised Beef Pappardelle in a crockpot.
- Follow stove top directions through step four (or use the sauté function on your appliance if you have one).
- Then transfer to your slow cooker or your instant pot. Slow cook on high for three hours, or low for approximately six hours.
- Or, put your instant pot on high for 45 minutes.
- Shred beef with forks, and following remaining steps.
Best Pasta to serve with Ragu
- I love serving this with pappardelle, but you try this with linguine or penne too if that’s all you have.
- You can substitute gluten free noodles if you prefer.
- You can even pair it with zoodles for a low carb pasta alternative.
Serving Suggestions
- To take it over the top, garnish it with a little Gremolata.
- Fresh grated Parmesan is always best
- Add a little chopped parsley, rosemary or sage on top for a burst of vibrant green color.
Side Salad Suggestions
Tips
- Let the beef come to room temperature before cooking it and season it well.
- I like to prepare dishes like this in a Dutch oven because it browns beautifully and locks in flavor. I can also save cleaning an extra dish because I brown the meat in it before putting it in the oven.
What to do With Leftovers
- Make a beef stew
- Create a beef ragu pot pie
- Add a layer of mozzarella and turn it into a pasta bake
- Serve it on top of creamy mashed cauliflower for low carb leftovers
How to Store
- At Room Temperature – This beef ragu recipe can sit out for up to two hours while serving.
- Refrigerate – Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Freeze – This recipe freezes beautifully! Store beef ragu in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before use.
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Braised Beef Ragu with Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 1 pound chuck roast
- pepper fresh cracked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs sage
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounces parmesan freshly grated
Instructions
- Pepper both sides of beef and cut into cubes. Add oil to dutch oven over medium-high and add beef.
- Stir for 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add rosemary, sage, onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Add wine and reduce for 15 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and stir.
- Cook in the oven for 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare pappardelle according to package. Drain, toss in butter and parmesan, reserving some for garnish.
- Remove stems, shred beef with a fork {it should fall apart}, stir and serve over pappardelle.
Notes
- Let the beef come to room temperature before cooking it and season it well.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. It also freezes well.
- I love serving this with pappardelle, but you try this with linguine or penne too if that’s all you have.
How long in the crockpot and do the liquid ingredients stay the same?
Hi Kay!
I apologize that I am just now seeing your comment! Ingredients remain the same for the crockpot. You’ll want to set it to low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. I hope you give it a try and enjoy, wish I had some for dinner tonight!
Julie
what size of tomatoes and can you replace the wine with beef broth? This sounds so amazing! Thanks for your yummy recipes 😋
You absolutely can – it won’t have the same depth in flavor but will still be delicious. Medium tomatoes. Enjoy!
This was really amazing! My whole family loved it!
Just made this.. Oh man. It was SO good and so much easier than I thought. My husband asked me to make it again. Thanks for yet another great recipe.
Your pictures have me drooling, this is such an amazing dish!
Boy, the flavor of this pasta sauce was amazing! Next time, I’ll try some homemade noodles!
Oh yum!!! This is a perfect dinner idea.
So delicious – we’ll be making this again soon!
This was a huge hit at my house! My kids loved it!
Looks like a perfect comfort food my whole family will love! Can’t wait to make it when it gets cool enough to turn on the oven again. 🙂
This sauce is delicious!
This recipe is SO good!! I had leftovers, and it was even better the next day!
This is so good even without the Parmesan cheese!
This is going straight to the top of list! So easy and so, SO delicious!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! I love easy recipes (if you haven’t noticed). Thanks for sharing!
The beef looks so tender! I bet the flavor is amazing!
This was a delicious change of pace from my usual pasta sauce! The depth of flavor was incredible!! So good!!
My husband really loved it! A new favorite meal in our house!
Such a great dinner recipe for any time of the week. Also a great crowd pleaser. Thanks for sharing.
Made this and loved it!
What a perfect dinner idea. I know everyone here would love it.
I was going to make my usual spaghetti sauce for dinner, but saw your fabulous recipe! This ragu will become a regular in our meal rotation—it was so tender and delicious!
So hearty and delicious! Love me some pasta!
What a hearty comfort food meal!!
This is such a perfect weeknight meal! A new favorite in my house!
You can always count on anything that’s cooked low and slow like this to have amazing depth of flavor. Yum!
This beef ragu is making me drool!
mmm perfect for this weekend! May have to make this Sunday evening!
Now I’m craving carbs! This dish looks divine.
I love that pasta! Great comfort food here!