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Γ—
Home Β» Recipes Β» Slow Cooker Recipes

Slow Cooked Beef Ragu Sauce

Published: Apr 1, 2016 Last Updated: Jun 17, 2020 by Marye 944 words. | About 5 minutes to read this article.

12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Rich, thick slow cooked beef ragu is full of flavor from chuck roast that is simmered in a combination of vegetables and herbs. Super easy!
Jump to Recipe

This slow cooked beef ragu simmers in your slow cooker for 12 hours until the sauce coaxes every bit of flavor from the ingredients. The meat disintegrates into tender shreds that coat every surface of the rigatoni pasta. Everyone will think you have an Italian grandmother tucked away in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove. 

For this recipe you'll need: chuck roast, olive oil, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, sweet red wine, stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, basil, oregano 
 If you are in a hurry click here to go straight to the recipe.

Super easy, slow cooked beef ragu is a rich sauce full of aromatic vegetables and herbs. From RestlessChipotle.com

So there is a rumor floating around that I am part Italian. It may or may not be true as I was adopted by my maternal grandparents almost immediately after my birth. I didn't know I was adopted until I was 36 and I can tell you it turned my world upside down. There was a shift in my reality that has taken years to find my balance for. Anyway, as far as I know my birth mother never told anyone many of the details other than the one who donated part of my DNA was Italian. Although there is nothing to prove that claim I can say that I love Italian food with a passion  -- so who knows?

Family is an odd thing. You'd think it was static but the truth is that family shifts and stretches, shrinks and wiggles to wrap itself around a variety of situations even in one lifetime. Once my family was my birth mom and me, within hours it was my parents and me, and when I found out I was adopted I gained a couple of brothers, a sister in law, and a niece. It has been used to describe my first marriage and my children born to me plus a few kids that we took in to help. Now it has grown to include my new (actually we've been married long enough that I should stop describing him as new and call him slightly used) husband, a son in law, a daughter in law, two stepkids, three grandkids, a brother in law, another sister in law, and some really amazing friends who have become family and filled in the aunts, uncles, and cousins slots. Eventually family will become just my husband and me as the kids move out and begin their own families. Family are the ones that are there for you, that have your best interests in mind, and that support you through all of your changes even if you don't share DNA.

I've been very lucky in that department.

Slow cooker beef ragu is a hearty weeknight meal. from Restlesschipotle.com

Anyway, whether on not I have some Italian blood rushing through my veins I do like Italian food. My mom created spaghetti with over cooked pasta and a jar of Ragu. For years I thought Ragu was the name of a brand of spaghetti sauce. Then along came adulthood and cookbooks and, low and behold, a recipe for ragu -- real ragu. Real ragu is not a jar of commercial sauce with some cooked ground beef dumped in. It is a slow cooked melange of meat, vegetables, herbs, and wine. If you prefer not to use wine go ahead and use purple grape juice -- it works great! I made this for an event at church and didn't want to add wine in case it would cause a problem for someone. I used grape juice instead and it was perfect.

I like this slow cooked beef ragu sauce with rigatoni because the size and shape of the pasta grabs the sauce and hangs on for dear life. Every single bite is magic. It's easy to make but don't skip the searing step. It makes a huge different in the end result and the flavor is worth it. The slow cooked beef is just so much better that ground meat! The sauce is even better the next day if you can stand to wait.

The following are affiliate links. If you click through and buy something I get a small commission which is used to keep the blog up and running smoothly. Thank you for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

This requires a six quart crockpot. I have this Hamilton Beach crockpot and it's programmable. I love it and highly recommend it.

 Here's that slow cooked beef ragu recipe! You're gonna love it!

πŸ“– Recipe

slow cooker beef ragu feat
5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooked Beef Ragu Sauce

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Rich, thick slow cooked beef ragu is full of flavor from chuck roast that is simmered in a combination of vegetables and herbs. Super easy!
Course Slow Cooker
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours hours
Total Time: 12 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Servings:8
Calories:
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup sweet red wine or grape juice
  • 28 ounces stewed tomatoes
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 Β½ teaspoons of basil
  • 1 pound box of rigatoni
  • Parmesan as desired

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Rub the salt and pepper over the beef.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet until it sizzles.
  • Add the beef and sear on all sides until it is golden brown.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (except the rigatoni and Parmesan) to a slow cooker and place the beef on top.
  • Cook on low for 12 to 16 hours.
  • About 1 hour before serving shred the beef with two forks and stir it into the sauce.
  • Remove any large hunks of fat.
  • Replace the cover and continue to cook.
  • Cook the rigatoni.
  • Drain.
  • Serve the ragu over the rigatoni and pass the Parmesan
You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Super easy, slow cooked beef ragu is a rich combination of beef, herbs, and vegetables. Perfect weeknight meal! From RestlessChipotle.com

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Kristy @ Southern In Law

      April 01, 2016 at 8:04 pm

      You can never go wrong with a good ragu sauce and this one looks incredible! The slow cooking would give it SO much flavour!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 9:03 pm

        It totally does. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah

      April 01, 2016 at 7:32 pm

      5 stars
      Love easy recipes like this πŸ˜€ We love pasta for dinner, but to have it ready when I get home? Priceless!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 9:02 pm

        Absolutely!

        Reply
    3. Adriana Lopez Martin

      April 01, 2016 at 6:12 pm

      pasta is always a great choice loving how good that ragu looks seems very flavorful and chunky yum!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 9:01 pm

        Thanks! I love this.

        Reply
    4. allie @ Through Her Looking Glass

      April 01, 2016 at 2:39 pm

      With this amazing recipe, I choose to believe you ARE Italian. Just gotta be. I read a very interesting book about adoptions in the 50's and 60's called The Girls Who Went Away. It was many fascinating stories from the point of view of the birth mothers who were often forced to give their babies away. I have a lot of respect for these girls. It was a different time, that's for sure. You might want to check it out. XO

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:58 pm

        I'll look for that book! Thanks Allie!

        Reply
    5. Catherine

      April 01, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      Dear Marye, I love this! Real ragu and it looks incredible. What a delicious and comforting dish. xo, Catherine

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:57 pm

        Thank you Catherine!

        Reply
    6. Julie @ Willow Bird Baking

      April 01, 2016 at 10:18 am

      This looks absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    7. Ashley - Forking Up

      April 01, 2016 at 10:18 am

      I love a good ragu sauce! Such a comfort food.

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:56 pm

        πŸ™‚ Yep!

        Reply
    8. Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

      April 01, 2016 at 9:34 am

      Oh, this is gorgeous! There's nothing better than the smell of slow-simmered sauce cooking all day. I bet this has incredible depth of flavor!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:56 pm

        I agree! πŸ™‚ and it totally does.

        Reply
    9. Heather Kinnaird

      April 01, 2016 at 9:10 am

      my mouth was watering the entire time I read this - we will be making this ragu for sure!!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:55 pm

        Let me know what you think.

        Reply
    10. Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary

      April 01, 2016 at 7:41 am

      It absolutely looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        April 03, 2016 at 8:54 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply

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    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

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