Every Home Cook Needs A Classic Beef Ragu Recipe
A classic beef ragu recipe will serve any home cook well for many, many years, whether cooking for family or a crowd. Universally loved, hearty and filling, beef ragu is classic comfort food and always a family or crowd pleaser.
Cooked low and slow until the beef basically falls apart, this is one of those dishes where you can do the bulk of the prep mid-day, enjoy the smell all afternoon and just have the few minutes work to cook the pasta to do at dinner time.
That said, I think most people would agree that beef ragu is even better after it has been refrigerated, so don’t hesitate to make it ahead.
And yes! You can easily make this beef ragu in the oven or in a slow-cooker, as well.
Dried Herbs And Spices
The second big thing I noticed is that the vegetables and spices in the sauce were all dried including things like the onion. This made a difference to the mouth feel of the sauce. Unlike fresh onions, which become very soft after a long simmer, the dried onions in the Ragu had a toothsome quality even after whatever processing the commercial sauce underwent.
How To Make Beef Ragu
The ragu starts like a lot of Italian sauces, stews and soups, with Il Soffritto.
Il Soffritto is very simply, finely chopped carrot, celery and white onion sauteed slowly with a little olive oil for about 10 minutes until soft but not browned.
This adds an incredible depth of flavour to many dishes and can even be made in advance to add into weeknight meals for an extra flavour punch.
Read Also: Rao Tomato Sauce
Ways To Use Beef Ragu & Serving Suggestions
This authentic beef ragu is perfect tossed with tagliatelle pasta made into a classic lasagne with a cheesy white sauce or stuffed into cannelloni or ravioli .
You can even serve it how it is over creamy polenta with lashings of parmesan cheese and a glass of red wine.
It’s comfort food at it’s best and can be used in so many different ways you’ll never get bored!
What About The Pasta
My Easy Ragu Sauce is good over any kind of pasta youve got on hand spaghetti, fettucine, or even macaroni. It would also be a great sauce to use if youre making lasagna.
However, my new favorite way to serve Easy Ragu Sauce is over a plate of pre-made cheese ravioli. You can find some ready to go in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets. Frozen raviolis will work too. I like to keep a couple of bags in the freezer for dinnertime emergencies.
Just pop the raviolis into boiling water, cook, drain, and then top with a generous helping of Easy Ragu Sauce. In about thirty minutes, from start to finish, youll have a delicious dinner that tastes like Nonna spent all day in the kitchen!
Ready to give my Easy Ragu Sauce a try? Heres the recipe.
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped into medium-sized chunks
- 12 T olive oil
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 2 t. minced garlic
- 2 t. dried Italian seasoning
- 1 lb ground meat beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
- 1 t. salt
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- ¾ cup red wine
Recommended Reading: Lowest Carb Bbq Sauce
Top Tips For Making The Very Best Beef Ragu
- Dont rush the soffritto or you wont get the real depth of flavour.
- Make sure to use 50/50 ground beef and pork.
- Use high-quality passata as cheaper brands can be very acidic.
- Use a red wine thats good enough to drink and never use cooking wine.
- Try to use the highest quality beef stockor broth you can find if not homemade. This sauce is super simple so high-quality ingredients are important.
- If serving the traditional way with tagliatelle pasta then boil the pasta then add it straight into the ragu and toss to coat before serving.
Raos Homemade Sensitive Formula Marinara Sauce
This marinara was formulated without onions or garlic for those who suffer from gastric distress or are following a low FODMAP diet, have IBS, or have many food sensitivities. If you dont suffer from any of these ailments, dont bother with this sauce. Its high in calories and high in fateven if its the healthy kind, it should still be eaten in moderation.
Read Also: Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Recipes
How To Make Bolognese Sauce At Home
An authentic bolognese sauce is actually a quite simple recipe, it just takes time! And one ingredient that can be tough to find abroad, but that I describe below.
When you will have made your ragu bolognese, you can put it into the freezer in small boxes and use it for quick but soooo Italian dinners with your guests. Amazing as a sauce for tagliatelle or gramigna, it can be used to prepare true bolognese lasagne. It will be great with almost any kind of pasta, but never smooth one, otherwise ragù will stay on the plate just like with spaghetti.
If you have learned something new just PIN THIS!
But now lets go with my step-by-step guide to your first authentic bolognese sauce!
- 1pinchsaltaccording to taste
How To Make Jar Spaghetti Sauce Taste Homemade
If you either dont have time or dont feel like making spaghetti sauce from scratch, youll want to pull out the old reliable jar spaghetti sauce for your dinner. Jar spaghetti sauce is very good. It has already been cooked and simmered with delicious ingredients. It is made in different varieties too! Some spaghetti sauces come in garlic flavor, some basil flavored. There are jar spaghetti sauces with cheese flavors and wine too. You have many options for what flavor spaghetti sauce you want when it comes to jar spaghetti sauce.
But if you want to add even more flavor to your jar spaghetti sauce, youll want to learn how to spice up spaghetti sauce to make it taste homemade.
There are several different things that you can do to your jar spaghetti sauce to make it taste better. One of the things I have been doing for years is adding veggies to it! One of the things I have always done is to cook the ground beef in chopped onions and freshly chopped garlic. Adding some veggies will add a bunch of delicious flavors to your spaghetti sauce. You can also add things like different types of stock or wine to add flavor as well. If you normally eat your spaghetti with just the sauce and no meat, adding meat to the sauce will make all the difference.
Recommended Reading: Rao’s Alfredo Sauce Costco
Can You Freeze Ragu Sauce
Ragu is definitely freezer-friendly, making it a great choice to use when making freezer meals. Add the ragu sauce to a make-ahead lasagna, or just store a batch in freezer-safe containers.
Note: Before freezing the sauce, be sure that it is completely cool. If you skip this important step, you risk ice crystals forming on the sauce. Trust us nobody wants to eat ragu with freezer burn.
Once the sauce is frozen, it should keep well for up to 3 months.
Newmans Own Organics Marinara
Dont worry about the higher-than-average sugar content for a no-sugar-added sauce. The sugar comes from au-natural sources like tomatoes and pureed carrots. You wont be Googling how to get rid of bloating after this sauce. Even though they dont mention anything about low-sodium, this organic marinara is actually a great option for those looking to cut back on salt.
Don’t Miss: Is Rao’s Pizza Sauce Gluten Free
How To Make Our Simple Ground Beef Rag Recipe
This ragù sauce will become one of those things you can do without looking at a recipe. Youll be able to grab the ingredients you need without thinking about it, and youll be able to throw it together at a moment’s notice. If you have kids that are old enough to be curious about cooking, this is a great one to teach themits easy and nearly foolproof in a way thats perfect for building confidence in the kitchen! Heres the TLDR of how to make this super easy ragù recipe:
Sauté carrots, celery and onions.
A few minutes later, add the garlic.
A minute later, add the ground meat. Sauté.
Six minutes later, stir in the tomatoes, spices and stock.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
EAT! Over your favorite pasta, ideally.
My Confession About Ragu
I must confess that despite my grandma was making every summer several jars of ragu meat sauce that she was freezing for the cold winter months, I never got into the hang of replicating her recipe, until a later time. Her Ragu was always part of a rich Sunday meal over gnocchi or in lasagne, rigorously homemade. I started making beef ragu 10 years ago and it is related to my very first few months of dating Robert, who later became my husband. I invited Rob for dinner as it is part of the Italian culture to share a homecooked meal. For me, it was very important sharing this aspect.
Leaving in Dubai for less than a year, I still had a nostalgic feeling towards Paris, where I previously lived. So I decided to cook risotto with a French twist: zucchini, leek, mushrooms, and goat cheeseI was so convinced he would have loved it that I did not know what was expecting me. One of Robs distinctive traits is its honesty, he always says politely what he thinkswell he did not like at all my risotto! He simply commented that the lack of meat, made the meal not exactly suitable a man. Very sad and humiliated, I luckily had a second chance and this time the menu was contemplating homemade pasta with beef ragu at his first bite he smiled and so I knew he liked it. Since then this classic Italian beef ragu recipe became part of our meal rotation.
Don’t Miss: Best Raos Sauce
Easy Ragu From Basic Ingredients
Weve been trying to limit our trips to the grocery store. That means I have to rely on pantry and refrigerator staples more than I used to. And oftentimes, whats already in my home just has to make do.
My Easy Ragu Sauce is a recipe that was born out of necessity. I ended up throwing it together in a moment of dinner desperation, grabbing whatever I had on hand. However, it was a big hit with my family a REALLY big hit!
The Easy Ragu Sauce that came together accidentally is now one of my prepared on purpose go-to recipes. Ive made it three times in the last three weeks. Its earned praise and empty plates on every single occasion.
How Do You Season Store Bought Alfredo Sauce
Season the Sauce
The first step most people take is to add salt and pepper. You can keep it basic, or even mix up these seasonings by adding freshly cracked pepper or peppercorns instead of basic black pepper from a jar. Or, change the variety of pepper that you use by swapping white pepper for ordinary black pepper.
You May Like: Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipes
You May Like: Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe
How Do You Heat Up Ragu Sauce
Simply pour the sauce into a small saucepan while youre going about boiling your pasta. Let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce gently bubbles. Keep the simmer going for about 10 minutes or so, until youve noticed that the sauce has reduced and thickened a little, but is still saucy.
When You Cant Go Out
In previous years, the solution to this problem was simple. Wed just go out to dinner more often. But since most restaurants near me are closed right now, thats not really possible. And no matter how much I try to talk them out of it, my family still wants dinner every night!
I really do love to cook. If youve been following this blog for any amount of time, you probably figured that out. But theres a difference between pouring my creative energy into preparing a special meal every now and then and having to facing the five oclock dinner conundrum every single night.
We actually do order in twice a week Id never meet my deadline otherwise. But right now I am still faced with a lot more basic, dinnertime cooking than is usually the case. Also, before all this, at least half my cooking was for me alone. If I felt like cooking, I did. If I felt like having popcorn for dinner, that worked too.
Now there are three people to feed and theyre not going anywhere. I know Im not the only one who is getting a little tired of trying to come up with three meals a day, every day. This is even more of a challenge if youre trying to limit trips to the store, or your market isnt as well-stocked as it used to be.
Read Also: Texas Pete Chili Sauce Recipes
How To Serve Or Use Your Beef Ragu
With pasta – I love to serve ragu with pappardelle pasta. I just love the pairing of hearty noodles with the hearty sauce. Tagliatelle or fettuccine would also be a good noodle to try.
Over polenta – spoon the flavourful ragu over polenta.
In lasagna – replace your usual ground beef meat sauce with this beef ragu for a hearty twist.
Make an Italian-style Shepherd’s Pie – again, replace the typical ground beef filling of Shepherd’s pie with beef ragù. Top with Parmesan-flavoured mashed potatoes and bake!
Tip: Does Your Family Like Their Sauce Spicy Add A Tsp Of Chili Flakes While The Sauce Is Simmering
So there you have itnow you will have sauce for a few meals. Making this on a weekend is the best idea because it takes a bit to make as you can see but once it is done you have sauce ready to go anytime for a quick weeknight meal. Thaw in the fridge the night before or warm up on law in a medium covered pot while the pasta is cooking!
Don’t Miss: Texas Pete Hot Sauce Recipe
Why You Will Love This Classic Italian Ragu Recipe
This recipe screams comfort food at its best.
It is a recipe that you can cook in batches, freeze and then use it for those busy weeknights.
It is great for your Sunday meal and it will make you feel like you are in the Italian countryside
A classic Italian Ragu sauce is great with dry or fresh homemade pasta
Everyone will LOVE this recipe and I hope it will become your GO TO RECIPE for an AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE
Printable Recipe: Homemade Pasta Sauce For People Who Like Ragu
Recommended Reading: Texas Pete Wing Sauce Recipes
How To Make The Best Braised Beef Rag:
What is Fond? Fond is the stuff that sticks to your pan once youve browned the meat. Deglazing is the technique where an acidic element is added to pick up all the browned bits left in a pan. You can use the fond to make a sauce once you introduce liquids to the pan.
Ragu Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ragu spaghetti sauce made with ground meat
This ground meat sauce is a delicioushearty ragu pasta spaghetti sauce that is comforting and delicious! The key to making a delicious minced meat sauce recipe is low and slow cooking according to my Italian neighbor.
SO YUM! A comforting meat sauce with al dente spaghetti is something I have always loved.
Contrary to what I grew up knowing, an authentic Italian meat sauce is the true meaning of Ragu and not just the pasta sauce company. I am definitely thankful for some amazing neighbors who knew real Italian food and shared their ways with me growing up, because this is a go-to in our home.
Recommended Reading: Lee Kum Kee Plum Sauce
