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Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle with a fork on plate with parsley, basil, parmesan, and bread on the table. It's so easy to make and has a thick meaty texture and a super rich delicious flavor.

Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe

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 also a beef ragu 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, set for 6-8 hours, shred the beef, and that's it! #beefragu #meatsauce #ragurecipe #easyfamilydinners #dinnerideas #slowcooker #crockpot

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Beef, beef sauce, pasta, pasta sauce, ragu, slow cooker
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Servings 10 servings
Calories 876 kcal
Author Carrie Tyler

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

  1. Finely dice the carrots and onions. Mince the garlic cloves.

Make the Ragu

  1. 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.

    Pouring pureed tomatoes over raw beef, diced onion, carrots, and other ingredients in pot for Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle. It's so easy to make and has a thick meaty texture and a super rich delicious flavor.

Cook your Beef Ragu and Pasta

  1. In the morning, set your slow cooker to 6 or 8 hours, depending on your schedule.

  2. 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.

    Adding cooked shredded beef to sauce in pot for Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle. It's so easy to make and has a thick meaty texture and a super rich delicious flavor.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Mix the pasta and some of the sauce. Serve and garnish with the basil, parsley, and parmesan. Enjoy!

    Crockpot Shredded Beef Ragu Recipe with Pappardelle with a fork on plate with parsley, basil, parmesan, and bread on the table. It's so easy to make and has a thick meaty texture and a super rich delicious flavor.

Recipe Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.