braised beef recipes

Slowly simmered Braised Beef Ragu is the ultimate Italian-inspired comfort food! Rich beef chuck roast slowly braises until meltingly tender with veggies, fresh herbs, Italian tomatoes, and red wine, creating a hearty beef ragu sauce. Simply toss it with pappardelle pasta or serve atop polenta or gnocchi for a seriously rich and comforting meal! Easy enough for a cozy Sunday dinner and delicious enough for any special occasion – date night, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, you name it!
Make Ahead-Friendly. Stove top, Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker, and Instant Pot directions provided. ♡ Happy cooking!

Slowly Braised Beef Ragu (Stovetop, Oven, Slow Cooker, and More!)

olive oil, divided

beef

carrots,

celery,

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic,

tomato paste

dry red wine

bay leaves

parmesan rind

tomatoes

low-sodium beef broth/beef stock

kosher salt and ground black pepper,

heavy cream

parmesan

Brown the beef

Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I use a 5-qt Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Use paper towel to pat the surface of the beef as dry as possible, then generously season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Once the oil in the pot is shimmering hot, carefully add in the seasoned beef. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot (which prevents browning). Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside. Repeat, as necessary, with any remaining beef.

Brown the soffritto

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot used to brown the beef. Once hot and shimmering, add the soffritto (carrot, celery, onion), seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium or medium-low.

Add the aromatics and deglaze

Add the garlic to the pot with the soffritto. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot, stirring to coat the soffritto. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the soffritto.

Build and simmer the beef ragu

Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Add the crushed tomatoes, broth/stock or water, and browned beef chuck from Step 1. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 ½ &#8211; 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. If the beef ragu sauce begins to reduce too much (i.e. it loses too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more water and/or reduce the heat further.

Finish the braised beef ragu sauce

Carefully transfer the braised beef chuck to a plate or cutting board. At this point, you can remove and discard the spent herbs, bay leaves, and parmesan rind from the pot, as well. Use tongs or 2 forks to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded beef to the pot with the ragu sauce. Stir to combine. At this point, you can cool and store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage and freezing directions), or proceed with making the beef ragu pasta (below).

Boil the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package directions. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta – do NOT rinse it! (Learn more ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!)

Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, bring the braised beef ragu up to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Braised beef ragu pasta

Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the braised beef ragu sauce, tossing to coat. The beef ragu should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the ragu needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the ragu.

Serve

Portion the beef ragu pasta into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and/or crushed red pepper as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

I MADE THIS RECIPE AT MY SISTER'S HOME AND SHE WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH MY COOKING.

THANKS.

WAITING FOR MORE RELATED RECIPE.

I have made this 5 times in the last month because everyone who tastes it is obsessed!!! Seriously so amazing

This is a terrific recipe that is easy and gives impressive results.  I followed the recipe closely only omitting the celery from the soffrito (I don't care for it).  I like the idea of browning the soffrito, it does seem to add another layer of flavor which is helpful since the beef is fairly robust.  Do make the effort to use the parmesan rind...I use them in just about everything soup or stew like...they add a nice umami.  The only real change I made was adding some balsamic vinegar at the end of the braise to correct the acid balance.  It was a big hit with my foodie family...

Made this tonight! Absolutely delicious and a huge crowd pleaser. Will be making again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

This was delicious but I found it to be more time consuming and messy than I like. My family loved it so I told them to request for their birthday dinners. The messy part was the reheating half, adding the cream, pasta etc. (We r only 4). Definitely delicious. Maybe next time I'll do more prep in advance.

I found this just ok, I followed the recipe exactly, accept at the very end where I only put in 1/4 cup of cream. It was already way too saucy and didn't feel like ragu. After 2.5 hours the meat was still tough, I finally gave in at 3 hours and 15 minutes and cut the beef, it wouldn't easy shred.  It also tastes more like pot roast on noodles. I had ragu in New York that was absolutely amazing, I've been trying to replicate it and this just wasn't it. I wouldn't make this again because of the amount of work and it just being ok. I also didn't feel like the parm rind added anything special. Not a winner in my book.

This was so so good!! So glad I made it. It is the best recipe I’ve tried. The flavor complex is amazing and the beef melts in your mouth.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/y3Jio27H.mp4

Braised Beef Ragu is the ultimate Italian comfort food! Rich beef chuck becomes meltingly tender as it slowly braises in a Dutch oven with veggies, fresh herbs, Italian tomatoes, & red wine, creating a hearty beef ragu sauce. Toss with pappardelle pasta or serve with polenta or gnocchi for a seriously comforting meal! Make Ahead-friendly. Stovetop, Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker / Crockpot, & Instant Pot directions provided. 

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