Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🥩 Best beef cut for ragu 🍷 Which wine for Ragu? 🔪 How to make this Ragu recipe 📺 Watch how to make it 🍽️ What to serve it with 🍲 More fantastic Italian-inspired recipes Big Batch Beef Ragu with Pasta 💬 Reviews
I think my favourite part of this beef ragu is the leftovers. When I open the freezer and see it in there, it’s like finding money in a jacket you forgot about.
And I don’t always serve it up with pasta the second time round. Sometimes I serve it in burritos, sometimes I stir in a little cream and serve it with saute potatoes, or I’ll have a mini portion for lunch with some spicy couscous.
The possibilities are endless!
📋 What do we need?
🥩 Best beef cut for ragu
I use fairly inexpensive braising or stewing steak - often known as chuck steak, which comes from the forequarter.Usually, this consists of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.It’s a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender.
🍷 Which wine for Ragu?
I use pretty cheap red wine for this - usually a merlot, malbec or shiraz costing about £5-£5.50 (around $7) a bottle. The flavour comes mostly from the beef, stock and vegetables, so there’s no need to use expensive wine.If you don’t want to use alcohol, then leave it out and add in a little extra stock.
🔪 How to make this Ragu recipe
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
First we coat the beef in flour, salt and pepper, then brown it off in a pan with oil. You might have to work in two batches depending on the size of your pan.Add in finely chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic and allow the to vegetables to cook for a few minutes to soften slightly.Add in tomato puree (paste) and red wine and let that bubble for a couple of minutes. Scrape off any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan - they’ll be full of flavour!Add in tinned tomatoes, beef stock and thyme. Bring to the boil, then place a lid on and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours, until the beef is lovely and tender.
Remove from the oven and give it a good stir, then serve it up with pasta and sprinkling of parsley and parmesan. 👩🍳PRO TIP I like to dunk the pasta in the sauce in the casserole dish first to coat it in that rich sauce, then transfer the pasta to a bowl and spoon more sauce and meat on top.
📺 Watch how to make it
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Homemade PastaCrispy Sautéed PotatoesGarlic Parmesan Green BeansArtisan Bread for dunking!
This post was first published in July 2017. Updated March 2021 with new photos, tips and video. Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
