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wide whole-wheat noodles coated in red tomato ragu with visible tender shredded beef strands and tiny cooked vegetables in one plain bowl, with no grated cheese or garnish
Melissa Hart

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

Shredded beef ragu needs a cut that can stand a long simmer, then separate into strands when you pull it through the tomato sauce. Trim the round before it goes in and let the onion, carrot and celery soften underneath it; a smaller serving of whole-wheat pasta is enough when the sauce brings this much meat, and toss the noodles with their share of sauce instead of putting a dry mound beside it and asking the diner to fix the texture. Estimated calories: about 450 per serving, including everything listed.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs lean beef top round trimmed and cut into 3 large pieces
  • 1 can 28 oz no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 8 oz dry whole-wheat pappardelle or wide whole-wheat noodles

Method
 

  1. Stir tomatoes, broth, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oil, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle beef pieces into the sauce.
  2. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours until the beef reaches at least 145°F and shreds easily with two forks.
  3. Lift beef onto a plate, pull into short strands and return to the sauce, discarding any obvious remaining fat.
  4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to the package until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and drain.
  5. Toss noodles with the beef sauce, adding reserved cooking water a tablespoon at a time only if needed to loosen it.
  6. Divide evenly among 6 bowls, distributing the meat as well as the pasta.