Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu with Red Wine
Slow-cooked beef ragu with a glass of wine, on the couch in front of Netflix, is my happy place after a long day at the store. Made with chunks of beef slowly cooked in red wine, tomatoes, and herbs until fall-apart tender, it’s rich, hearty, and proper comfort food. Serve it with a big bowl of pasta and plenty of parmesan, and I’m a very happy girl!
If you’re new here, you might not know I also run a small online store where I keep many of the tools I cook with every day, along with a few timeless homewares for good, slow living…
Instead of using minced beef, I make my beef ragu with chuck steak and slowly cook it for a few hours until the meat gently pulls apart into the rich red wine sauce. Any good slow-cooking cut of beef will work, but chuck is easy to find, affordable, and gives you those lovely shreds of tender beef throughout the ragu.
My big batch dinners generally feed 6-8 servings. The idea is that one batch will feed 3-4 people for 2 nights’ dinner, making them great for time-poor people, batch cooks, or, like me, cooking for shift workers.
Here’s why you are going to love this beef ragu recipe
It’s a set-and-forget kinda easy recipe. Half an hour of prep, then pop the red wine ragu into the oven, forget about it for 3 hours, and wait for the magic to happen!
Make a big batch and rehash it! You can easily rehash ragu into multiple nights’ dinner. Try pasta one night, mashed potato, and steamed greens the next. You could also turn beef and red wine ragu into a pie by popping it into an oven-proof dish, topping it with puff pastry, and baking until flaky and golden.
It’s warm, fuzzy and the whole family will love it!. And by that I mean it’s got all the comfort food feels. Pop on your pj’s, curl up on the couch, and open a bottle of wine. It’s a cracking night in!
What you need to get started
- pantry essentials – extra virgin olive oil, beef stock, tomato paste
- vegetables – onions, garlic cloves. You can also substitute garlic powder if fresh garlic is out of season in your area.
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to season
- chuck steak is my go-to for slow-cooked beef ragu. It has enough fat and connective tissue to become beautifully tender after a few hours of slow cooking and shreds easily into the sauce. It’s also readily available; however, I’ve also cooked this recipe with beef cheeks, and it worked beautifully. Alternatively, any other slow-cook cuts of beef or even boned-in cuts like beef short ribs or beef chuck roast could be used.
- canned tomatoes – if you have an abundance of San Marzano tomatoes from the garden (the BEST Italian cooking tomatoes), you could substitute fresh for canned whole or crushed tomatoes.
- Red wine – Wondering what is the best red wine for cooking beef ragu? I’m not normally fussy when it comes to the type of red wine I use for slow cooking. I’m not a huge red wine lover, but I always have a bottle or two of dry red wine lying around for cooking and the occasional glass. A dry, full-bodied red wine works beautifully in beef ragu. I normally use a Cabernet Sauvignon, but Shiraz also works well. You don’t need an expensive bottle – just choose something you’d happily drink with dinner. Around the $12–15 mark is usually where I land.
- fresh herbs – bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and basil
- freshly grated parmesan cheese – Parmigiano Reggiano is just perfect.
- sea salt and pepper to season
- Capunti Pasta. If you’ve never had Capunti pasta, you are in for a treat! They kind of look like empty green pea pods and they go really well with saucy pastas.
If you are as obsessed with slow-cooked stews as I am, check out my Irish Stew recipe. Because what’s the point of an Irishman’s Wife if she doesn’t have a good stew recipe up her sleeve?
The details
- Preheat the oven to 150°c/300°f.
- Brown the meat. In a large enamel Dutch oven, add a little oil to the base of the pot. Brown the chuck steak in batches in the Dutch oven. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Add the onion (and a little extra oil if needed) and cook gently until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, and stir through.
- Build the sauce. Add the beef stock, red wine, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay, and thyme. Give a good stir to release any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan from cooking the beef. Bring the ragu to a simmer over low-medium heat on top of the stove.
- Slow cook. Pop on the lid and cook in the oven for around 2.5 – 3 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- Remove from oven. Taste test and make sure that the beef is falling apart, so you get shreds of it through the pasta.
- Serve with cooked al dente pasta, a shaving of good parmesan, finely chopped basil leaves, and a glass of wine!
What Is the Best Red Wine for Beef Ragu?
A dry, full-bodied red wine is best for beef ragu. I normally reach for a Cabernet Sauvignon, or Shiraz – something with enough body to stand up to the rich beef and tomato sauce.
There’s definitely no need to use an expensive bottle, though. I always have a bottle of cooking wine in the pantry; it’s never fancy and usually something I just pick up at the supermarket. Cheap and cheerful is my rule of thumb when it comes to cooking wine. Around the $10–15 mark usually does the trick.
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How to serve up this slow-cooked beef ragu
Traditionally, most red wine ragu sauce recipes are served with ribbons of pappardelle pasta… pappardelle al ragu! Personally, I like to serve my red wine beef ragu recipe with Capunti pasta. All the good, tomato-ey bits get stuck in the crevices. It’s also my favorite pasta, so I try to weave it into recipes as much as possible! Oh, and always finish this one with a good parmesan and fresh basil. You’ll thank me for it!
A creamy polenta or mashed potato is also a great option, as is a slice of garlic bread – perfect for mopping up any excess sauce!
Cooks Notes
Be sure to scrape down all those brown bits (aka fond) from both the side and bottom of the pot after browning the meat. Those are the good bits with tons of flavor. We want to keep it all in the pan to make the sauce rich and full of flavor.
Always leave the seasoning with salt and pepper til the end to get an accurate result. Otherwise, you can be left with over (or under) seasoned food – not ideal!
Want to take it up a notch? Here are a few variations…
Substitute the canned tomatoes for passata. It takes the flavor (and richness) of the sauce up a gear!
Add a couple of anchovies to the sauce at the searing meat stage. They add a whole new level of flavor plus a bit of umami goodness to the sauce
Like a bit of spice? Add some chili or red pepper flakes to add a little warmth to the pot.
Equipment
I always slow-cook my soups and stews in my cast iron French / Dutch ovens. This red wine beef ragu was cooked in my 24cm enamel cast iron Le Creuset casserole.
You can also adapt this recipe to cook in an Instant Pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker.
You will also need a sharp cook’s knife ( I like a 20 cm chef’s knife), a chopping board, a heat-resistant spoon (or wooden spoon), and a garlic crusher.
My Go-To Cast Iron Pot
If there’s one piece of kitchen equipment I couldn’t live without, it’s my 24cm Le Creuset enamel Dutch oven. Steady heat, beautiful cooking and it goes from the stovetop straight to the table.
Cooking beef ragu in a Dutch oven
When it comes to slow cooking, the biggest factor (besides the cut of meat) is what you cook the ragu in. My preference is always enamel cast iron cookware, specifically a French or Dutch oven. It holds onto heat beautifully and can magically turn slow-cooked meals into something really special. It also gives you one pot for browning the beef, building the sauce, and slowly cooking the ragu in the oven.
I cook this beef ragu in my 24cm enamel cast iron Dutch oven, which is a great size for this recipe. While good cast iron is an investment, I always say that my [cast iron cookware] makes me a better cook – and slow-cooked dinners like this are exactly why.
The main thing to remember with enamel cast iron cooking is that you don’t need high heat. Heat the pot gradually over low to medium heat for browning, then let the low, slow oven cooking do the rest.
A quick tip on buying pasta
When buying pasta from the store, there’s pasta, and there’s pasta. Many supermarket pastas are dried at high temperatures, effectively par-cooking the pasta and making it really hard to get a perfect al dente pasta. Seek out those who stock pasta that is air-dried. You will not only notice the superior difference in taste, but the pasta itself is far better for you.
Hint: Always reserve a little pasta water after you’ve cooked your pasta to add to the pasta sauce. Added flavor right there!
Batch cook this one!
That’s why I never slow-cook a small batch of (any) stew. Batch cooking is a busy mum’s best friend. Cook the beef & red wine ragu in advance, cool, pop into a freezer-safe container, and freeze it into smaller portions that you can whip out of the freezer at any time. Mid-week dinner sorted! Ready to eat? Just cook the pasta and reheat the beef ragu sauce. Dinner is served!
This beef ragu recipe will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. Most slow-cooked stews taste better the next day, so where possible, cook your red wine ragu a day in advance.
Happy slow cooking!
x
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Cast Iron Cooking 101
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Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu with Red Wine
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Description
Beef and red wine ragu with a glass of wine, on the couch in front of Netflix is my happy place after a long day at the store. It’s meaty, full of red wine & tomatoes, and is one of the most soul warming dishes around.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 kg chuck steak (cut in rough 3cm dice)
- 2 400g canned tomatoes
- 250 ml beef stock
- 250 ml red wine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- Capunti pasta (or your favorite type of pasta), fresh basil leaves, and grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°c/300°f.
- Brown the meat. In a large enamel Dutch oven, add a little oil to the base of the pot. Brown the chuck steak in batches in the Dutch oven. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Add the onion (and a little extra oil if needed) and cook gently until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, and stir through.
- Build the sauce. Add the beef stock, red wine, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay, and thyme. Give a good stir to release any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan from cooking the beef. Bring the ragu to a simmer over low-medium heat on top of the stove.
- Slow cook. Pop on the lid and cook in the oven for around 2.5 – 3 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- Remove from oven. Taste test and make sure that beef is falling apart, so you get shreds of it through the pasta.
- Serve with cooked al-dente pasta, a shaving of good parmesan, finely chopped basil leaves, and a glass of wine!
Notes
I like to serve my ragu on a bed of Capunti pasta and top with a good parmesan and freshly picked basil. I allow 100g of pasta per person.
Always reserve a little pasta water to add to the ragu sauce prior to adding the pasta.
Be sure to scrape down all those brown bits (aka fond) from both the side and bottom of the pot after browning the meat. Those are the good bits with tons of flavor. We want to keep it all in the pan to make the sauce rich and full of flavor.
Always leave the seasoning with salt and pepper til the end to get an accurate result. Otherwise, you can be left with over (or under) seasoned food – not ideal!
Please note all recipes on this website are in US measurements. Eg, 1 cup / 240ml, 1 tablespoon/15mls. Oven temperatures refer to a fan-forced oven.
This recipe was tested in a 24cm enamel cast iron Dutch oven.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 802
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 213.4 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 99.6 g
- Protein: 58.6 g
- Cholesterol: 134.9 mg
OMGEEEEE This recipe is delicious and definitely one of my new favorite dishes!
I really enjoyed this thank you for the recipe Emma
Your welcome Karl, thanks for following along x
Hi! I would like to make this recipe for my boyfriend and his grandparents. I was just wondering, if I do half of everything (Because there is only 4 of us), do you know by how much the time in the oven would decrease? Because there would be less liquid of course. Thank you very much in advance!
Hi Anna
I have never done this before, however I’m sure this will work.
As long as the pot size is small enough for half the liquid to cover the meat when it goes into the oven, it will still need to be cooked for at least 2 hours. I would try it at 2 hours and see if the meat is falling apart yet or not. The biggest factor in cooking time is how big the meat is cut up. Smaller pieces will take less time / larger pieces more. Hope this helps x