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This easy slow cooker Beef Ragu with pappardelle pasta is the epitome of Italian comfort food. Tender chunks of beef and hearty vegetables simmering in a red wine-tomato sauce sounds fancy, but after a few minutes of flavor-building up front, your slow cooker does all the work!
Meggan’s notes
Back in culinary school, we spent a whole unit on sauces. Unlike the popular jars of tomato sauce lining the grocery shelves, a proper ragù is a meat-based Italian sauce with only a small amount of tomato added to it. The meat can be anything, really: veal, beef, lamb, pork, elk, or venison. It’s slowly simmered with a mixture of carrots, garlic, celery, and onions. Add wine and tomatoes and simmer away, often all day.
To translate those delicious flavors into a recipe that you actually have the time to make, I turned to my trusty slow cooker. But I’m never a fan of dump-and-pour recipes; you need to spend just a little time up front to really maximize your flavors.
Here, we sear the roast before adding it to the pot, then cook the vegetables in its rendered fat. By deglazing the pan with wine, you release the brown bits (fond) and transfer all that flavor to your slow cooker. These simple steps lead to the best possible Beef Ragu, even in a crockpot, and no Northern Italian trattoria required.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Beef chuck roast: Chuck roast, also called shoulder steak or boneless chuck roast, is my preferred cut for ragù. Your butcher may also recommend bottom roast (also known as round roast or rump roast). Every one of them excels after extended braise times. Any of the aforementioned beef roast options, on the other hand, are easy to shred (and savor).
- Dry red wine: A medium-bodied red from Italy is my preferred red wine for this recipe. Consider Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Chianti, Pinot Noir, or whatever dry red wine you prefer. You only need 1 cup (8 ounces), so you’ll have about 3 generous glasses to enjoy with dinner.
- Pappardelle: Look for dried varieties of this long, wide, and flat cut of noodles in the supermarket aisle that features the rest of the pasta. You may find it in nests or as long strands. Fresh pasta requires about half as much cooking time compared to dried. If you can’t find pappardelle, fettuccine works just fine.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sprinkle beef generously with salt on all sides. Add to pot in a single layer and sear without moving until a dark brown crust forms on one side, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the meat over and continue browning on the second side until a dark crust forms. Remove from pot and transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Swirl the pot to make sure there are at least 2 tbsp oil and/or rendered fat. If not, add 1-2 tbsp more. Add onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet (aka delicious flavor). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, tomato paste, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (if using), and thyme. Bring to boil and transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
- Remove bay leaves and thyme stems (if you used fresh sprigs). Shred meat with two forks. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and keep warm while preparing pasta.
- Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pappardelle or 6 to 8 minutes for dried. Stir occasionally to separate the noodles.
- Remove 2 cups of pasta cooking water from pot, then drain well. Add drained pasta back to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat, adding pasta cooking water as needed to make the sauce the consistency you want (start with ¼ cup if desired and see what you think). Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, basil, or thyme if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Slow Cooker Beef Ragù makes 6 hearty servings of pasta and meat sauce. Add a salad, a side of warm bread, and resurface that wine you used in the ragù and dinner is done.
- Storage: Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Make ahead: The Beef Ragu can be made up to 3 days in advance. For best results, make the pasta right before serving.
- Soup or salad: Start your Italian feast with an Italian Wedding Soup or a veggie-forward Minestrone. Or, for a light and crisp alternative, try a classic Caesar Salad, a colorful Antipasto Salad, or a simple Caprese Salad.
- All the bread: Soak up all that extra sauce with chunks of homemade Focaccia Bread, buttery Garlic Bread, or my easy No-Knead Bread.
- Classic meat sauce: If you’re craving a Spaghetti Sauce made with ground meat, my easy Homemade Meat Sauce is a delicious choice. It’s made with beef and Italian sausage and comes together fast with easy pantry ingredients. It’s great over pasta, of course, or try Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce.
- Sweet endings: Did you save room for dessert? Complete your fabulous feast with a thick slice of Tiramisu, some crunchy Pizzelle cookies, or a dish of icy Granita.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make a ragù with ground meat if you like, but I prefer to find a sturdy piece of beef chuck. Steer clear of stew meat. The pieces turn out tender, but the meat stays in chunks even after cooking (rather than shredding into easy-to-eat forkfuls of shredded beef).
Of course. Whether you’re out of vino or are sharing this with kids or individuals who abstain, add ½ cup more beef broth and skip the wine for an alcohol-free alternative.
Chuck roast, also called shoulder steak or boneless chuck roast, is my preferred cut for ragù. Your butcher may also recommend bottom roast (also known as round roast or rump roast). Every one of them excels after extended braise times. Any of the aforementioned beef roast options, on the other hand, are easy to shred (and savor).
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Beef Ragu
Equipment
- Slow cooker (I use my trusty Crockpot!)
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more as needed
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast cut in half if needed to fit in pot (see note 1)
- Salt
- 1 large onion peeled and finely diced (2 cups)
- 1 cup carrots peeled and finely diced (2 carrots)
- 1 cup celery finely diced (2 ribs)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine such as pinot noir (see note 2)
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds crushed
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
For serving:
- 1 pound pappardelle (see note 3)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
- Fresh basil or thyme for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sprinkle beef generously with salt on all sides. Add to pot in a single layer and sear without moving until a dark brown crust forms on one side, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Flip meat over and continue browning on the second side until a dark crust forms. Remove from pot and transfer to slow cooker.
- Swirl the pot to make sure there are at least 2 tablespoons oil and/or rendered fat. If not, add 1-2 tablespoons more. Add onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot (aka delicious flavor).
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, tomato paste, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (if using), and thyme. Bring to boil and transfer to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems (if you used fresh sprigs). Shred meat with two forks. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm while preparing pasta.
To serve:
- Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, about 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pappardelle or 6 to 8 minutes for dried. Stir occasionally to separate the noodles.
- Remove 2 cups of pasta cooking water from pot, then drain well. Add drained pasta back to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat, adding pasta cooking water as needed to make the sauce the consistency that you want (start with ¼ cup if desired and see what you think).
- Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh basil or thyme if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Beef chuck roast: Chuck roast, also called shoulder steak or boneless chuck roast, is my preferred cut for ragù. Your butcher may also recommend bottom roast (also known as round roast or rump roast). Every one of them excels after extended braise times. Any of the aforementioned beef roast options, on the other hand, are easy to shred (and savor).
- Dry red wine: A medium-bodied red from Italy is my preferred red wine for this recipe. Consider Montelpulciano, Sangiovese, Chianti, or Pinot Noir, or whatever dry red wine you prefer. You only need 1 cup (8 ounces), so you’ll have about 3 generous glasses to enjoy with dinner.
- Pappardelle: Look for dried varieties of this long, wide, and flat cut of noodle in the supermarket aisle that features the rest of the pasta. You may find it in nests or as long strands. Fresh pasta requires about half as much cook time compared to dried. If you can’t find pappardelle, fettuccine works just fine.
- Yield: This Slow Cooker Beef Ragù makes 6 hearty servings of pasta and meat sauce. Add a salad, a side of warm bread, and resurface that wine you used in the ragù and dinner is done.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Just made it and it’s delicious. I didn’t have tomatoes, so I used tomato sauce, it made beef sauce even better, thicker. It is the best when warmed up on the next day.
I’m so glad you loved it, Natalia! Take care! – Meggan