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Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu is a classic Italian-style meat sauce made with slow-braised beef chuck, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and red wine for a thick, fall-apart texture. Shred the beef, simmer it in the sauce, then serve over pappardelle or rigatoni for hearty twirly pasta coverage.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and base
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 2 can (28 oz) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 cup dry red wine (Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.5 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
Serving and garnish
  • 1 Pappardelle or rigatoni, cooked, for serving
  • 1 fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Season and build the sauce
  1. Season the beef chuck roast generously with salt and black pepper, then place it in the slow cooker.
  2. Whisk together the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, sugar, and remaining salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the sauce mixture over the beef, then tuck in the bay leaves.
Slow cook until fall-apart tender
  1. Cook on low for 8–10 hours until the beef is completely fall-apart tender, with the sauce bubbling gently around the meat.
Shred, combine, and serve
  1. Remove the beef and shred into large pieces with two forks, then discard the bay leaves.
  2. Return the shredded beef to the sauce and stir to combine until the ragu looks thick and evenly coated.
  3. Serve the ragu over pappardelle or rigatoni, then garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

For the silkiest ragu texture, give the sauce a good stir after shredding so the tomato base clings to the meat. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge) and reheat gently. For a lighter option, use a leaner cut like top round chuck, but reduce cook time to avoid dryness.