Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Pappardelle
The story of this Beef Ragu with Pappardelle started when Dana went up to a party in Brooklyn a couple of months ago. The party was just around the corner from a pasta shop. Looking through the shop she spotted some of the best looking pappardelle around. She had to buy it. Once she got home I was excited to try it out. I wanted to make something to utilize the pasta to its fullest potential. So I decided to make the ultimate comfort food, a Ragu! To make it easy on me, I braised the beef in a slow cooker. Set it and forget it. It does not get any easier than that.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Pappardelle
Step 1: Dice 1 medium onion, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks and 4 cloves of garlic. Place into a slow cooker.
Step 2: Cut the beef roast into large chunks. Cut around the hard fat and remove. If you are lucky to have no fat, there is no need to cut up the roast.
Step 3: Place the beef into the slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.
Step 4: Add 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 6 oz can of tomato paste.
Step 5: Finally add 1 cup of red wine. We love Avalon Cabernet. It is a nicely balanced wine that is perfect for a table wine. We buy it by the case. You should definitely try it.
Step 6: Cook on low for 8 hours.
Step 7: Remove the beef and shred with a couple of forks. Return the beef to the slow cooker and mix well with the remaining juices.
Step 8: Cook your desired amount of Pappardelle according to the package instructions.
Step 9: Once cooked, drain the water. Then add a couple ladles of the beef ragu to the pappardelle and mix. Keep adding the ragu to the pappardelle until you have your preferred ratio of ragu to pappardelle.
Step 10: Place the ragu and pappardelle onto a plate and then top with freshly grated Parmesan.
The best part of this meal is that you can cook just as much pasta as you need. Then refrigerate the remaining ragu. Then make fresh pasta for the leftovers. Nobody will even know that you are having leftovers this way!
