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Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu is a hands-off Italian sauce with fall-apart beef simmered low for 8–10 hours. Thick, tomato-rich ragu clings to pappardelle (or rigatoni) for a hearty bowl with shaved Parmesan and fresh basil.
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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: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef chuck roast
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
tomato base
  • 2 can (28 oz) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 cup dry red wine (Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots, finely diced
  • 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
to serve
  • 1 Pappardelle or rigatoni, cooked, for serving
  • 1 Fresh basil
  • 1 freshly grated Parmesan

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Brown and season the beef in the slow cooker
  1. Season the beef chuck roast generously with salt and pepper, then place it in the slow cooker.
  2. Add bay leaves to the slow cooker with the beef.
Build the ragu sauce
  1. In a bowl, whisk together crushed San Marzano tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, and sugar.
  2. Pour the tomato-and-wine sauce over the beef and ensure the bay leaves are submerged.
Cook low until fall-apart tender
  1. Cook on low for 8–10 hours until the beef is completely fall-apart tender (stir once if the sauce looks dry on top).
Shred and combine
  1. Remove the beef, shred into large pieces with two forks, then discard the bay leaves.
  2. Return the shredded beef to the sauce and stir to combine.
Serve
  1. Serve the ragu over pappardelle or rigatoni, then garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

Pro tip: For deeper flavor, let the finished ragu rest in the turned-off slow cooker for 10–15 minutes before serving, which thickens the sauce as starches settle. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat Parmesan and pair with whole-wheat pasta to keep the same ragu texture with fewer calories.