- 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 or cabernet sauvignon), or sub with beef broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml water (Note 3)
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 lb /500g dried pappardelle , or other pasta of choice (Note 4)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
- Fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)
- 1. Beef pieces should be about the size of a baseball to ensure proper cooking time.
- 2. Celery and carrots form a traditional soffritto base, adding depth when slowly sautéed, but can be omitted if needed.
- 3. Beef stock can be substituted with liquid broth instead of cubes and water.
- 4. Thick pasta like pappardelle works best for this ragu as it holds onto the shredded beef sauce well.
- 5. For slow cooker or pressure cooker use, follow stove steps until simmering, then transfer ingredients (excluding water and extra seasoning) to appliance. Slow cook on low 6-8 hours or pressure cook high 40 minutes before shredding beef and completing simmer on stove.
- 6. Use sugar sparingly to balance acidity from tomatoes based on brand sweetness.
- 7. Maintain a very gentle simmer on stove to avoid burning and ensure even cooking.
- 8. Store sauce covered in refrigerator up to 5 days, or freeze for months.
- 9. Toss pasta with sauce and pasta water to emulsify and allow sauce to cling well to pasta, enhancing flavor and texture.
- 10. Nutrition info calculated with 80g dried pasta per serving, recipe serves 5-6 with 500g pasta.
