Beef Ragu with Pappardelle
Chuck beef browned deep, then braised gently in red wine and crushed tomatoes until it falls apart, tossed with pappardelle and parmesan. A hearty, comforting Italian dinner.
- Total
- 120 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 100
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
- No rush
- Savory
- Italian
- Comforting
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery (about 5 mm pieces). Mince the garlic. Pat the beef chuck dry and cut it into 3 cm cubes.
~10 min
-
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Sear the beef in a single layer, in two batches if needed, until deeply browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
~4 min
Sear the beef in batches so the pieces brown instead of steam — crowding the pot keeps the meat gray and the sauce flat.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
~9 min
-
Pour in 150 ml red wine and scrape up the browned bits. Add the canned crushed tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Return the beef and any juices, cover, and simmer gently until the beef is fork-tender, about 90 minutes.
~90 min
-
While step 4 cooks
While the ragu simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pappardelle until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving a little pasta water.
~10 min
-
Discard the bay leaves. Shred the beef with two forks and stir it back into the sauce. Toss the pappardelle with the ragu, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed. Serve topped with grated parmesan.
~3 min