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Home Collections Sunday Supper

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

By Nagi Maehashi
1,399 Comments
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Published3 Jul '17 Updated26 Mar '25
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A budget cut of beef, simple pantry ingredients, a bit of patience and pappardelle pasta. This Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle may be the king of all pastas. It is hands down one of my all time favourite pastas ever!

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce

There’s this annoying thing that’s been a thorn in my backside all my working life. This thing called pride.

I’m not a professional food photographer, or food stylist, videographer or a chef for that matter. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is being proud of everything that I have on my website, knowing that even if there are people out there who can take better photos and make better videos, that I’ve done the best I can do and I’m proud of what I’m sharing.

3 years into blogging with over 500 recipes, I still get butterflies when I hit Publish on a new or updated recipe.

And having rewritten, rephotographed and made a video for this Shredded Beef Ragu which I first shared over 2 years ago, yes I’m going to have butterflies when I hit Publish on this (again!) because it’s one of my all time personal favourites. 🙂

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

I have a weakness for all things slow cooked, but hands down this shredded beef ragu is one of my all time favourites. I’d dare say I love it even more than traditional Ragu Alla Bolognese. It’s the shredded beef that seals the deal for me. The way it soaks up the sauce and clings to the pasta. It’s an absolute ripper!

I’m pretty sure I first learned how to make Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle from Lidia Bastianich. Years ago, her show “Lidia’s Italy” was one of the few cooking shows on free-to-air TV and I used to watch them over and over again. Almost everything I know about Italian cooking (including the reason why I was hunting down Kale a decade before it became “cool”) is because of Lidia Bastianich. Old school, real deal Italian. 🙂

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Best Pasta to serve with Ragu

The question of what type of pasta to serve with different pasta sauces is a question that I get asked quite regularly. Generally, most pasta sauces will pair perfectly well with most common pasta types, like spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, penne / ziti, macaroni, shells etc.

And while this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce will be great with any type of pasta, the best pasta for a rich sauce like this ragu is pappardelle. This wide, flat pasta is especially great for this recipe because the shredded beef clings to the wide strands.

For pappardelle, I am quite particular about which brand I use because I’ve had problems in the past with uneven cooking. I use San Remo which is a well known trusted brand here in Australia. The pappardelle is bundled into nests so they are fully submerged when dropped into boiling water, and the nests are loose enough so the bubbling water separates the strands and the pappardelle cooks evenly.

You’ll find San Remo pappardelle at all the major supermarkets as well as fresh produce stores and delis. And here’s a photo for size context – giant pasta in my Baby Hands…..

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Oh – and the other reason San Remo Pappardelle is my pasta of choice for ragu is because it’s an egg pasta. The addition of egg makes the pappardelle stronger so it doesn’t break when tossed in the thick, rich sauce.

If you’ve just invested hours of patience, slow cooking the sauce to tender perfection, you’ll make me cry if you just dump cooked pasta in a bowl and spoon over the sauce. And the entire nation of Italy will cry with me. 😉 Please promise me you will toss the ragu with the pasta before serving! It is worth it, I promise. Look how every strand of the pappardelle is beautifully coated in that luscious ragu!! – Nagi xx

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Watch How To Make It

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle recipe video!

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Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total: 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Pasta, Slow Cooked
Italian
4.97 from 437 votes
Servings5 – 6 people
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Recipe video above. Ragu is one of those recipes that really showcases the beauty of Italian cooking – everyday ingredients, fast prep, leave it to cook long and slow and you end up with a luscious dish that tastes like a million bucks. This recipe makes enough sauce to serve 8 and freezes great.

Ingredients

Ragu

  • 1.2kg / 2.5 lb chuck beef or other slow cooking beef cut, cut into equal 4 pieces (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 1 cup carrots , diced (Note 2)
  • 1 cup celery , diced (Note 2)
  • 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (Note 3)
  • 1 cup / 250ml red wine , full bodied (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), or sub with beef broth/stock
  • 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml water (Note 3)
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 dried bay leaves

To Serve (Not all Sauce is used)

  • 1 lb /500g dried pappardelle , or other pasta of choice (Note 4)
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
  • Fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • Sear Beef: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a heavy based pot. Add beef and sear each piece aggressively on all sides until very browned (3 – 5 minutes in total), then remove onto a plate.
  • Turn stove down to medium low and add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil.
  • Soffrito: Add garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery and sauté slowly for 5 minutes.
  • Add remaining Ragu ingredients and return the beef to the pot (including pooled juices). Turn the stove up and bring it to a simmer, then turn it down to low so it’s bubbling very very gently. (Note 7)
  • Slow cook: Cover the pot and let it cook for 2 hours or until beef is tender enough to shred. (Note 5 for slow cooker and pressure cooker).
  • Shred: Remove beef then coarsely shred with 2 forks. Return beef to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened – beef will soften slightly more during this step.
  • Final season: Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper. ALSO, add 1/2 tsp sugar if sauce is a bit sour for your taste (Note 6). Place the lid on and set aside until ready to serve (it’s even better the next day and freezes well for months!).

To Serve (Note 4):

  • Bring a very large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to the boil.
  • Add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time as per the packet instructions.
  • Meanwhile, place 5 cups of the Ragu in a very large fry pan, dutch oven or use 2 normal size fry pans. Heat over high heat while the pasta is cooking.
  • When the pasta is ready, transfer it directly from the pot into the fry pan using tongs.
  • Add 3/4 cup of pasta water into the fry pan.
  • Gently toss the pasta (I use 2 wooden spoons) for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce water evaporates and leaves you with a thick Ragu sauce that coats the pasta.
  • Yell for your family to sit down at the dinner table because you need to serve it immediately!
  • Serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan, or even better, with parmigiano reggiano.

Recipe Notes:

1. Beef – Cut the beef into 4 pieces that are around the size of a baseball. The cook time of this recipe assumes you do this. 
2. Celery and carrots sautéed with the onions and garlic is called “soffritto” in Italian cooking. It is a very traditional base for many Italian dishes. Cooking them slowly over low heat releases their flavour and adds an extra dimension to this dish. But it’s not a deal killer if you skip these ingredients.
3. Beef stock – You could use liquid beef stock instead of water + stock cubes.
4. Pappardelle pasta is the thick wide pasta and is ideal for this recipe because the shreds of beef cling to the thick pasta strands. If you can’t find it, just use the widest pasta you can find eg tagliatelle, fettuccine.
Don’t skip the step of tossing pasta with the sauce! This is called “emulsifying” and it is a KEY secret to awesome pastas because it makes the sauce cling to the pasta. Italian Nonna’s will roll over in their graves if you don’t do this! I can’t stress enough what a difference emulsifying makes to pastas!
5. Slow Cooker & Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot – follow recipe to the end of Step 4 on the stove (or sauté function on your appliance). Turn heat up to high, add wine, stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Then transfer it all to the slow cooker or pressure cooker/IP, and add all remaining ingredients but DO NOT add water and extra salt & pepper.
Slow cook on low for 6 – 8 hours (i.e. 6 is enough, 8 hrs is fine, any more = beef turns to mush). Or pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Shred beef then follow recipe.
6. Sugar – The sweetness of canned tomatoes differs depending on brand (typically more expensive = sweeter). So adjust the sweetness of your sauce to your taste by using sugar – 1/2 tsp at a time.
7. Low and slow – Turn the heat of the stove down to a level where it is bubbling very, very gently – a few bubbles here and there. This usually LOW on Gas Stoves but might be medium low on electric stoves. If it is too high – i.e. simmering rapidly (lots of bubbles appearing rapidly) – then you run the risk of the bottom burning. If it is too low, it will take longer to cook.
8. Recipe source: This recipe is based on classic slow cooked ragu recipes from Italian greats including Lidia Bastianich, Stafano Manfredi. It is not an exact replica of any, but is similar to many!
9. Storage – sauce keeps for 5 days in the fridge, or months in the freezer. 
10. Beef Ragu nutrition assuming sauce serves 8. Nutrition includes 80g / 2.7oz dried pasta per serving (standard quantity). Note: recipe as written uses 500g/1 lb pack of pasta which will serve 5 – 6 people.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 678cal (34%)Carbohydrates: 69g (23%)Protein: 42g (84%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 170mg (57%)Sodium: 1451mg (63%)Potassium: 1155mg (33%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 3105IU (62%)Vitamin C: 13.2mg (16%)Calcium: 107mg (11%)Iron: 6.4mg (36%)
Keywords: Beef ragu, Ragu, Ragu Sauce, Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Today’s recipe is brought to you with thanks to San Remo. When they asked if I would consider showcasing one of their products in a recipe, it seemed meant-to-be because I wanted to republish this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu and in fact, I had made the video using San Remo pappardelle pasta before they approached me! I figured it was a sign. ❤️ San Remo is Australia’s most well known pasta brand and is available at supermarkets all around Australia, including the pappardelle I recommend using for this recipe.


Life Of Dozer

Pappardelle pup. (Try saying that 10 times real fast after a few glasses of wine.)

Rich, slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with pappardelle pasta. Stunning Italian comfort food at its best. recipetineats.com

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1,399 Comments

  1. Selena says

    November 21, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    What kind of wine did you use for this ragu recipe? I’m not a wine drinker at all so this would be helpful. Thank you! I am very excited to find this recipe.

    Reply
  2. Joelene says

    November 19, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    5 stars
    This has been a family favorite for years. (found it on another site). My Italian husband doesn’t even make his spaghetti any more because this is so delicious.

    Reply
  3. Véronique says

    November 13, 2021 at 3:57 am

    5 stars
    I never comment on recipes I like but I had to leave a comment on yours. This recipe is the sixth I tried on your website (I made four only this week) and it is as good as the others. The only change I made was to put less salt. I kept thinking that I would be disappointed by one of your recipe someday but nope, doesn’t look like it is going to happen. It is so tasty. I can’t wait to try the others on my list. A big thank you from Canada.

    Reply
  4. Lee says

    November 7, 2021 at 11:58 am

    Hi.
    Our family loves your recipes so I’m keen to try this one!
    Can I use beef cheeks for this recipe? Also, I’d like to put mine in the oven to simmer rather than stove top as my gas burners always seem to cause sauces to stick. How long and what oven temp should I use?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 10, 2021 at 3:14 pm

      Hi Lee…yes you can use beef cheeks and you can do it tightly covered in the oven at 160 for 2 hours then check it and see if it needs a bit longer. Enjoy! N x

      Reply
  5. Sam says

    November 6, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely stunning, full flavoured reach Ragu!
    I cannot wait for your cookbook. This should definitely be in it!

    Reply
  6. Milko says

    November 6, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    Best way to describe this dish “SPECTACULAR”!!!!!

    Reply
  7. Stef says

    November 5, 2021 at 6:55 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this today, I can’t eat a lot of things (garlic, onion, celery, carrots) but it still tastes amazing thank you so much!!

    Reply
  8. Linda W. says

    November 3, 2021 at 8:42 am

    I made this recipe, and it was fantastic!! My husband and I thought this sauce was the best we’ve ever had!! I can’t wait to make it again!!

    Reply
  9. Mumma says

    October 31, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    I love the sound of this recipe and will most definitely be making making it. I am a but disappointed that there is no recipe for Parpadelle as I was hoping to do it all from scratch. I’m so used to you having all options available. Ie having the parpadelle recipe available along with the store bought options for when you couldn’t be bothered.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 1, 2021 at 12:05 pm

      Thanks for the feedback! I will add that to the potential recipe list! N x

      Reply
  10. Vicky says

    October 25, 2021 at 6:27 am

    I’ve got this in the crockpot and the sauce is so thin and it doesn’t have much flavor, but I know I can fix that with more thyme, garlic powder, and s+p. But it needs to be thickened. Help!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 26, 2021 at 11:59 am

      Hi Vicky – did you follow the slow cooker instructions at Step 5? You can always put it on the stove and simmer longer with the lid off to reduce the sauce or if the meat is already done, remove it to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon and put the sauce back on to boil and reduce (chef’s trick keeps from overcooking the meat!). Correct the seasoning at the end as flavours intensify when reducing. Good luck! N x

      Reply
  11. Liz says

    October 25, 2021 at 3:21 am

    Would a 4.5L pot be big enough for this recipe? About to buy one, and want to make sure I can make this!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 26, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Liz…yes this will fit in a 4.5 litre pot! N x

      Reply
  12. Laura says

    October 23, 2021 at 4:46 am

    5 stars
    I’ve got this on the stove simmering now. I added rosemary and thyme. Plus a splash of balsamic. The flavors are on point! Lidia is an inspiration to my family as well!
    Japanese, Italian, Thai, Korean, Mexican, Chinese and more! I love and cook it all and your blog is one of my all time faves and go-to!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 24, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      That’s amazing! So glad you are enjoying the recipes! N x

      Reply
  13. Tania says

    October 18, 2021 at 10:40 am

    mouth watering…mouth watering…mouth watering…every recipe, every image and every video is just mouth watering! Cannot wait for your recipe book because your recipes are favourites amongst my family!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 20, 2021 at 10:06 am

      Thanks! N x

      Reply
  14. Karen says

    October 16, 2021 at 2:58 am

    Hi there
    When you say 1 cup of carrots or celery, how much is this in weight please? Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 16, 2021 at 7:56 am

      ! cup carrots diced is 130 grams and 1 cup celery diced is 100 grams.. N x

      Reply
  15. Sammy da Greek says

    October 3, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely bobby dazzler
    First recipe i have tried will be checking out others thanks so much
    Legend

    Reply
  16. Debs says

    September 30, 2021 at 5:39 am

    5 stars
    I don’t know where my review of this recipe went, but I made it and it was wonderful. I wish I had made 3 times the recipe. Such wonderful flavor. I did use egg-based pappardelle as you said was important. This is a keeper and I can’t wait to make it again, this time to impress people.

    Reply
  17. Debs says

    September 30, 2021 at 5:05 am

    5 stars
    BTW, you do have baby hands, but your smile is infectious. You make my day happy, just watching your videos. And Dozer is adorable! I’m a cat person and he makes me want to get a dog!

    Someday I’ll get around to making most of your recipes, probably.

    Reply
  18. Debs says

    September 30, 2021 at 5:02 am

    5 stars
    This is incredible! I used pappardelle that I found in my local US grocery. I made sure to source an egg pappardelle, as you indicated was necessary. The meat was tender and succulent. I wish I had tripled the recipe, it was that good. It’s definitely a keeper.

    Note, I also recently made your meat pie, the one with chunks of beef. I had ‘issues’, so to speak (I couldn’t find my little pie dishes), and ended up making free-form hand pies without the puff pastry and only regular pastry. It was still excellent and I’ll be making it this way again. Eventually, I’ll get around to using the puff pastry method, too, I’m sure. Once I find those stupid, little pie pans that I know I have somewhere!

    I love, love, love your website. My step-mom is Australian, so I love your Aussie updates!

    Debs from the US

    Reply
  19. Carol L says

    September 28, 2021 at 9:33 pm

    Hands down the best Ragu I have ever made. Now a family favourite. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Tiffany says

    September 20, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing, so much flavour. Have made multiple times. I use beef stock instead of bouillon cubes+water and it is still delicious!

    Reply
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