Slow-cooked Beef Ragu
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 476kcal
Slow-cooked Beef Ragu is an economical but delicious meal, made with simple, economical ingredients. Just 10 minutes of prep, then let the stove do the rest of the work!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 brown onions, finely diced
- 2 large carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 kg beef chuck (braising/casserole) steak, cut into roughly 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes (see note 1 for substitutes)
- 125 ml dry red wine
- 125 g tomato paste
- 700 ml tomato passata
- 500 ml beef stock
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Pasta, to serve (rigatoni pictured)
- Freshly grated parmesan, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil – Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy-based pan with a lid over medium–high heat.
- Fry the base veggies – Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until softened.
- Brown the beef – Turn the heat to high, add the beef chuck steak and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the meat is sealed all over.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients – Add the red wine, tomato paste, passata, beef stock, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cook – Cover, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 2½ hours or until the beef is tender enough to be easily shredded with two forks (see note 1).
- Shred the meat and serve – Shred the beef with two forks and serve with your favourite pasta and some grated parmesan.
Notes
Note 1 – If the beef is still tough after 2½ hours of cooking, it needs to cook for longer. Make sure the sauce is still bubbling very gently (you should be able to see bubbles appearing in the sauce; if not, the heat is too low and the beef will take a lot longer to cook). The beauty of chuck (braising/cassserole) steak is that it is almost impossible to overcook – the longer it cooks, the more it will soften and break down into the sauce. Continue cooking in 30-minute intervals. If the sauce seems to be too thick and sticking to the base of the pan, add 125 ml (½ cup) of water.
Make Ahead
You can refrigerate the ragu for up to 3 days, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely overnight in the fridge to reheat. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely overnight in the fridge to reheat. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.Nutrition Facts
Slow-cooked Beef Ragu
Amount per Serving
Calories
476
% Daily Value*
Fat
26
g
40
%
Saturated Fat
9
g
56
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
14
g
Cholesterol
115
mg
38
%
Sodium
913
mg
40
%
Potassium
1603
mg
46
%
Carbohydrates
23
g
8
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
12
g
13
%
Protein
37
g
74
%
Vitamin A
5008
IU
100
%
Vitamin C
22
mg
27
%
Calcium
90
mg
9
%
Iron
7
mg
39
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Scan for full recipe:
