Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
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This Slow Cooker Beef Ragu recipe is rich, hearty, cozy, and tastes like something you’d order at a little Italian restaurant where the portions are enormous and everyone argues over who gets the last piece of bread.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
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The beef cooks low and slow until it practically melts into the sauce, and the vegetables soften down into all that savory goodness. And the slow cooker does almost all the work for you.
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Toss everything in, walk away for the day, and come back to a house that smells absolutely incredible. Add butter at the end, shred the beef, toss it over rigatoni, and miraculously dinner feels a whole lot fancier than the effort you actually put in.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is one of those meals that is both comforting and impressive at the same time. The beef gets ridiculously tender after hours in the slow cooker, while the tomatoes, broth, garlic, and vegetables cook down into a rich sauce that clings perfectly to pasta.
It’s also sasy to prep, great for feeding a crowd, perfect for leftovers, freezer friendly, and nearly impossible to mess up. The hardest part is waiting the full 8 hours while your house smells amazing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beef roast
- Red onion, minced garlic, carrot, celery
- Beef broth
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Optional for serving: pasta, grated parmesan, red pepper flakes
Step By Step Directions
Start by adding the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Cut the beef roast into large chunks and place them on top of the vegetables.
Pour in the beef broth and crushed tomatoes, then sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. Give it a gentle stir just to combine things slightly.
Cover and cook until the beef is fall-apart tender.
Right before serving, add the butter to the slow cooker and let it melt into the sauce. While that’s happening, remove the beef and shred it. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir everything together.
Spoon the beef ragu generously over the top of your prepared pasta and finish with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Skip The Butter: I know it seems small, but adding butter at the end makes the sauce richer, silkier, and way more luxurious tasting.
- Use A Chuck Roast If Possible: Chuck roast works beautifully here because it becomes super tender during long cooking.
- Shred The Beef Well: You want lots of little shredded pieces throughout the sauce instead of giant chunks. It helps the sauce coat the pasta better.
- Save A Little Pasta Water: If the sauce feels too thick after shredding the beef, a splash of pasta water loosens everything up perfectly.
Storage Instructions
Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for about 4 days in an airtight container.
You can also freeze the beef ragu sauce for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the sauce separately from the pasta so the noodles don’t get mushy.
To reheat, warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
More Delicious Italian Recipes
- Caprese Sandwich Recipe
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
- Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
- See all our best Italian recipes
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Recipe
Ingredients
Beef Ragu
- 3 pounds beef roast
- 1 red onion peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For Serving
- 1 pound pasta (pictured: rigatoni; pappardelle is also a classic choice)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more as desired)
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic to the bottom of a large slow cooker.
- Cut the beef roast into roughly 3-inch cubes and place into the slow cooker.
- Pour the beef broth and crushed tomatoes over the beef and vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef is tender and easily shreds apart.
- Right before serving, add the butter to the slow cooker and allow it to melt.
- Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the sauce and stir well.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the pasta water.
- Serve the beef ragu over the cooked rigatoni (if ragu is too thick, stir in pasta water as needed to thin). Garnish with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, as desired.
Notes
- Chuck roast works especially well for this recipe because it becomes incredibly tender during slow cooking.
- For extra richness, replace ½ cup of the beef broth with red wine.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- The sauce freezes well for up to 3 months.
- If the sauce thickens too much, stir in a splash of reserved pasta water before serving.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Tools We Love
- Large Slow Cooker – I’ve had this slow cooker since my husband and I were married in 2003!
- Metal Tongs – I am a tongs junkie, we have at least 7 or 8 pairs and I have a hard time not buying more every time I see them in a store!
Other Great Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chex Mix
- Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken
- Slow Cooker Cube Steak
- Crock Pot Chili Mac
- Crock Pot Ham Recipe
- See all our easy slow cooker recipes!
What To Serve With Beef Ragu
This meal is already hearty enough to stand on its own, but it’s especially good with:
- Garlic bread
- Roasted asparagus
- Caesar salad
- A big glass of red wine
Final Thoughts
This Slow Cooker Beef Ragu is exactly the kind of dinner I love having in my back pocket. It’s cozy, filling, and tastes like you spent all day working on it… even though the slow cooker did most of the heavy lifting.
And if you happen to eat a second bowl standing at the counter while “just cleaning up,” know that I fully support that decision.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely. Pappardelle is a classic choice. Penne, or even mashed potatoes also work great with this sauce. If you’re watching carbs or gluten, I love using zucchini noodles or microwaved spaghetti squash.
Yes! In fact, the flavor gets even better the next day.
No, you can if you want extra depth of flavor, but this recipe is designed to be easy and delicious without the extra step.
Definitely. Replace part of the beef broth with red wine for a deeper, richer flavor.
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