This Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu with Pappardelle is an easy weeknight family dinner main dish! Prep time is only about 10 minutes. But the big time saver is the slow cooker. Set it and forget it.

This is my easy, made-for-busy-moms Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe! It has a thick meaty texture and a super rich delicious flavor. It’s made with beef chuck, so it’s affordable and easy to work with. It’s made without wine, but instead gets that acidic backdrop from Balsamic Vinegar. And it’s easy for busy moms because it’s made in a slow cooker! Just toss all ingredients in the slow cooker, set for 6-8 hours, shred the beef, and that’s it!
Easy Ingredients for this Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu
- Beef chuck roast – this is a cut of meat from the shoulder area of the animal that has lots of connective tissue. It needs to be cooked long enough to break this down and be tender. It is sometimes also called chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or chuck shoulder pot roast.
- Veggies & Fresh Herbs: onion, carrot, garlic, basil
- Pantry: Beef Broth or Stock, Tomato Paste, Crushed Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar
- Dry Herbs/Seasonings: Bay leaves, Dried Thyme, Sugar, Salt, Ground Black Pepper
- Uncooked Pappardelle pasta: You can use any long pasta you have or like best. You can also use a short pasta.
- Grated or Shredded Parmesan cheese
Time Saving Tip: Freeze for Later!
This slow cooker Shredded Beef Ragu recipe makes a ton of sauce that freezes and then cooks up again deliciously! That means it’s perfect for getting multiple meals out of. Simply cool and then freeze the portion you want to save. It will keep in your freezer for up to 4-6 months. Click here to get more freezer dinners: Five 5-Ingredient Freezable Dinners – with Grocery List!
Here are some other recipes that are great for freezing. First, my Southwestern Pasta with Ground Beef and Corn. Freeze the beef sauce and then make fresh pasta when you are ready to serve. Or individually freeze my Quinoa & Black Bean Burritos. Meatballs are always perfect for freezing raw, so try these Ground Chicken Greek Meatballs.
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Simple Equipment for this Shredded Beef Ragu
I made this recipe in a slow cooker. However, you could also make it in the oven in a dutch oven or any or any good quality enameled cast iron 5-6 quart dutch oven or small roasting pan with a lid. For the oven, you will want to cook it for 2-3 hours at 400 F degrees until the meat is fall apart tender.
Time Saving Prep Ahead Steps for this Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you can prepare in the day(s) ahead. (Full recipe is below)
The prep for this recipe is to dice the onions and carrots, as well as to mince the garlic. The rest of the ingredients are simply measured out and then added to the slow cooker insert.
Cooking Steps for Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu
Slow Cooker recipes are great because they are easy for busy families and this one is no exception! Just put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, mix to combine, and then set the slow cooker to 6 or 8 hours, depending on your schedule.
When the beef is done cooking and is fall apart tender, scoop all of the cubes out of the sauce and shred them. Leave your Slow Cooker on the warm setting. Once shredded, add it back to the sauce in the slow cooker.
Cook your pappardelle pasta in a large pot of water with a large pinch of salt. Follow package instructions. Cook to al dente and then strain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, you can give the fresh parsley a rough chop and either tear the basil into pieces or roll the leaves and slice across to chiffonade it.
Mix the pasta and some of the sauce. Serve and garnish with the basil, parsley, and parmesan.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe FAQs
Can I cook this in the oven?
Yes, you could also make this recipe in the oven by braising the beef with the same exact ingredients in a dutch oven in a 400 F degree oven for 2-3 hours until the beef is pull apart tender.
Can I substitute red wine for the Balsamic Vinegar?
Yes, you can add red wine to this recipe and then will want to eliminate the balsamic so the ragu is not too acidic. If you want to add wine, you can reduce the 2 cups of broth to 1.5 cups and then replace the reduced amount of ½ cup with wine. Or add 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of wine for even more wine flavor. I would use a good dry red wine that you enjoy drinking.
Are there any other cuts of beef that can be used?
The beauty of this dish is that you can use a less expensive tough cut of meat used for stew and it gets really tender and delicious. If you want to make this even more decadent, you could use boneless short ribs in this instead. Just cut them into cubes so they cook evenly and get as tender as possible.
Is this the same as Pulled Beef?
Pulled Beef is basically shredded beef. However, this recipe is more of a sauce then simply the shredded beef. If you were to have less sauce, they it would be considered a pulled beef recipe.
What can I serve with this Shredded Beef other than Pasta?
You could serve it over mashed potatoes or rice. Or how about Light and Easy Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash? This easy Creamy Parmesan Polenta is also a delicious side to pour this ragu over.
Can this recipe be adapted to be a Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef recipe?
Well, if you are looking for a shredded beef recipe to use in Tacos, then let me recommend my Birria Shredded Beef Tacos recipe! It is also made using the slow cooker, so it’s super easy!
Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
Ragu Ingredients
- 2 ½-3 pounds Beef chuck roast, cubed
- 1 Medium onion, diced finely
- 1 cup Carrots, diced finely
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 cup Beef broth
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 28 ounces Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Sugar, granulated
- 2 teaspoons Salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
Pasta and Toppings (serves 10, so reduce by half if you will freeze half of the ragu)
- 40 ounces Uncooked Pappardelle pasta (4oz dried per serving)
- 1 small bunch Fresh Basil leaves
- 6 ounces Grated or Shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 small bunch Fresh Italian Parsley (optional)
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Finely dice the carrots and onions. Mince the garlic cloves.
Make the Ragu
- Put all ingredients into the slow cooker pot, starting with the beef chuck cubes, then adding all of the other ingredients. Mix to combine. Store in the fridge overnight to cook in the morning or move on to the next step.
Cook your Beef Ragu and Pasta
- In the morning, set your slow cooker to 6 or 8 hours, depending on your schedule.
- When the beef is fall apart tender, scoop all of the cubes out of the sauce and shred them. Leave your Slow Cooker on the warm setting. Once shredded, add it back to the sauce in the slow cooker.
- Cook your pappardelle pasta in a large pot of water with a large pinch of salt. Follow package instructions. Cook to al dente and then strain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, you can give the fresh parsley a rough chop and either tear the basil into pieces or roll the leaves and slice across to chiffonade it.
- Mix the pasta and some of the sauce. Serve and garnish with the basil, parsley, and parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could also make this recipe in the oven by braising the beef with the same exact ingredients in a dutch oven in the oven for 2-3 hours until the beef is pull apart tender.
- You can add red wine to this recipe and then will want to eliminate the balsamic so the ragu is not too acidic. If you want to add wine, you can reduce the 2 cups of broth to 1.5 cups and then replace the reduced amount of ½ cup with wine. Or add 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of wine for even more wine flavor. I would use a good dry red wine that you enjoy drinking.
Linger says
Hi Carrie. In my opinion, the crockpot is the best summertime kitchen appliance and this dish is the perfect summertime meal. There’s nothing like “fix it and leave it” recipes. Every ingredient in this Beef Ragu looks like it adds so much flavor to the overall dish. Thanks so much for sharing!
mimi rippee says
Beautiful. Perfection. Those words come to mind!
Carrie Tyler says
Wow, thanks so much, Mimi!
Mimi Rippee says
This just looks wonderful!
Mary says
Are you cooking on low crock pot setting for 6-8 hours? Looks really good.
Carrie Tyler says
Hi Mary! For my slow cooker, 6 hours is automatically set to HIGH and 8 hours is at LOW.
Either setting will work, as will 10 hours if you need more time due to your schedule. The beef will just get more tender!
Thanks and Happy Cooking,
Carrie