Slow-cooked Beef Ragu
Servings: 4
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
- 800 g–1 kg 1 lb 12 oz–2 lb 3 oz beef chuck (braising/casserole) steak, cut into roughly 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes (see note 1 for substitutes)
- ½ cup 125 ml dry red wine
- ½ cup 125 g tomato paste (concentrated puree)
- 700 ml 23½ fl oz tomato passata
- 2 cups 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 olive oil in a deep heavy-based pan with a lid over medium–high heat.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until softened.
- 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 red wine, tomato paste, passata, beef stock, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 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 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 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 ½ cup (125 ml) 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.Scan for full recipe:
