Slow cooker beef ragu is a Sunday supper recipe to get excited about.
A boneless beef roast is browned on all sides in a hot pan and then transferred to a slow cooker along with the essential ingredients to make the perfect ragu: San Marzano tomatoes, red wine and some essential seasonings and spices. The roast is slow cooked for about 8 hours until it falls apart. As the flavors meld, the sauce becomes the perfect topping for fresh pasta or polenta. This recipe is simple, delicious and super comforting!
YAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAY! Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you guys have amazing plans for the weekend! Zach and I plan on tackling a long trail run and then relaxing the rest of the weekend. We go away the following week, and sometimes it’s good to rest up before our lives get busy again!
This slow cooker beef ragu is totally a winter meal. I know. But as winter is my favorite time of year, I like to indulge in winter-like dishes all year round! This includes, but isn’t limited to soups, slow cooker meals and hearty pasta dishes.
This recipe is totally a double-whammy (yes, I just used that term). I combined hearty and slow cooker in one recipe and the result was just fab. Although completely different, this recipe definitely reminds me of my mother. She literally makes the best meat sauce. She uses country ribs as the protein, and her tomato base is seriously the complete opposite of what I used in this recipe. My mom wouldn’t touch whole canned tomatoes with a 10-foot pole, but somehow this recipe still reminds me of her. I definitely tend to lean towards meat sauces rather than your traditional marinaras. There is definitely more body and more flavor, and let’s be honest…you can whip up a marinara in like 10 minutes. A good ragu takes houuuuurrrrrs. Each have their purpose, and when hearty pasta is involved, a beef ragu is definitely a must.
This recipe is one you need to add to your fall meal plans guys! It’s a great addition to your Sunday suppers, and the leftovers are even better! Pair this slow cooker beef ragu with a hearty stout. It’s seriously a match made in heaven. Have a wonderful weekend friends! xo
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Servings:
8Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound boneless beef roast
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 2 28- ounce cans San Marzano Tomatoes one can drained
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- dry pasta of choice cooked per manufacturer's instructions
- fresh parsley for garnish
- grated parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt and black pepper. In a large non-stick deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the beef roast and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the beef roast to the slow cooker. Also to the slow cooker, add the onion, garlic, tomatoes (add the liquid from one can only), tomato paste, red wine, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, crushed red pepper and a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the beef is falling apart.
- Shred the beef with two forks and mix well. Serve the beef ragu over pasta, garnished with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
28 Responses
Stunning photos! I love San Marzano tomatoes!
Thanks, Medha!
What a beautiful meal!!! I love using my slow cooker in the summer instead of my oven and I love that you brown the meat before adding it to the cooker. So much more flavor!! I will be making this soon!!
Thank you so much, Wendy!
This looks incredible (and I love that it’s made in the slow cooker!), I will definitely be making this soon! Pinning!
Thanks for pinning, Sam!
Looks amazing! I like hearty meals year-round!
Thank you so much, Tonia! Me too!
All this deliciousness in a slow cooker! YUM!
Thanks, Becky! <3
Your weekend sounds perfect :) Slow cooker meals are exactly what we need for relaxing weekends! It looks so hearty an delicious!
Aw, thanks Kelly! xo
I am more a marinara sauce kinda girl but this beef ragu with the red wine and san marzano tomatoes sounds killer! And it looks crazy tender. So craving this now! You, me, this dinner, a glass of wine. Need to make it happen gurl! :)
THAT definitely needs to happen! xoxo
I always crave soups in the summertime moreso than when the weather is cold! This recipe looks great, the slow cooker has been my BFF these last few months so I don’t have to turn on the oven–can’t wait to make this dish.
Thank you so much, Dani! I’m with you on the slow cooker over oven thing!
That sauce looks just fantastic, so hearty and comforting! And I love that’s it’s made in the slow cooker!
Thanks so much, Stacey!
I just told Dustin I wanted to make a ragu type sauce…so talk about perfect timing!
PERFECT timing! Thanks girl!
This looks like SUCH a perfect comfort meal! I feel like I could eat the sauce by the spoonful….!
Thanks, Cathy! xo
Wow this looks fantastic Justine! Love that you made this into a slow cooker recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try!!
hi, just wondering what cut of beef did you use and/or alternatives cuts. ty
Hi, Ali. I used a beef chuck roast, but you can definitely sub in a different cut of meat. Any roast-style beef cut will do the trick. As it is cooked in the slow cooker, it will even break down tougher cuts of meat because of the long cooking time. Hope this helps! – Justine