A classic Italian beef ragu that's easy and packed full of flavour! This ground beef ragu is made using only a few simple ingredients and can be used in so many ways. Toss it with fresh tagliatelle pasta, make it into lasagne with bechamel sauce or use it as a filling for homemade ravioli for a truly authentic Italian meal. Find step by step photos and instructions below.
Classic beef ragu is one of my all-time favourite Italian foods, it's very simple, easy to put together and incredibly delicious!
It can simmer away on a Sunday afternoon while you relax and sip on a glass of wine before tossing it with your favourite pasta. Proper comfort food that's made to be enjoyed with the whole family.
The Difference between Ragu and Bolognese
Ragu depending on where you are in the world is a meat-based sauce usually consisting of finely chopped vegetables, ground meat and cooked in a liquid such as wine, tomatoes or stock.
There are hundreds of different types of ragu all containing different meats or vegetables like our Venetian Duck Ragu (perfect for special occasions) and our Sausage Ragu which is super easy!
Bolognese on the other hand actually means something originating from Bologna, Emilia Romagna and their classic ragu alla bolognese (ragu from Bologna) has been a little lost in translation over the years.
It's very similar to this one although is often made with white wine and sometimes milk which is thought to tenderise the meat.
It's also traditionally served with tagliatelle pasta and never spaghetti which is why you'll hear Italians say that Spaghetti Bolognese doesn't exist.
Slow Cooked Beef Ragu
This Italian ragu is slow-cooked because it needs time to develop all the incredible flavours BUT it's not as time-consuming as you may think.
Because this classic beef ragu recipe is made with ground beef and pork it doesn't need as much time as a big chunk of meat would to break down and tenderise.
This ragu needs a minimum of 2.5 hours cooking time so you can easily make it only a few hours before serving it.
That being said the longer it has to simmer the better the flavour will be, just remember that you'll need to keep topping up with water or stock to stop it reducing too much.
How To Make Beef Ragu - Step By Step
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.
How To Make Il Soffritto
Finely chop equal amounts of carrot, white onion and celery. To make Italian beef ragu, I use 1 carrot, 1 celery stick and 1 white onion.
Saute the chopped veggies in a large pan with a little olive oil. The key is to saute the veg slowly on a low/medium heat so they soften and release all the delicious flavours without browning or burning (around 7-8 minutes, photo 1)
Once the vegetables are soft add the ground beef and pork (mince) to the pan and brown then add the red wine and continue to cook until the wine has reduced by half.
Once the wine has reduced add the tomato passata/pureed tomatoes and half of the beef stock. Stir the sauce and let it simmer on a low heat for 2 and a half hours topping up the rest of the stock as it reduces.
Tip: Remeber to check on the ragu every now and then to stir it and add extra stock or water if needed.
How to get the BEST Flavour
An important tip about making this classic recipe is to make sure you use equal amounts of beef and pork.
Beef is a lean meat whereas pork is much sweeter and fattier and adds a tonne of extra flavour to a ragu.
Trust me, when you try using 50% beef and pork instead of all beef you'll notice a huge difference in flavour and that's exactly how it's made in Italy.
Ways to Use Beef Ragu & Serving Suggestions
This authentic beef ragu is perfect tossed with tagliatelle pasta (or any pasta of choice) made into a classic lasagne with a cheesy white sauce or stuffed into cannelloni or ravioli (simply replace the original fillings in these recipes for ragu).
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!
How to Store Leftover Beef Ragu
Like most stews or slow cooked sauces, they taste even better the next day because the flavours have had a long time to develop.
You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You may need to loosen it by adding a little water or stock when reheating and make sure it's piping hot all the way through before serving.
You can also freeze this beef ragu, it freezes perfectly and it's a great way for prepping ahead.
Just freeze in suitable containers then thaw completely before reheating.
Top Tips for Making the Very Best Beef Ragu
- Don't rush the soffritto or you won't get the real depth of flavour.
- Make sure to use 50/50 ground beef and pork.
- Use high-quality passata (sieved tomatoes) as cheaper brands can be very acidic.
- Use a red wine that's good enough to drink and never use cooking wine.
- Try to use the highest quality beef stock or 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.
More Authentic Italian Recipes To Try;
- Pici and Tuscan sausage ragu
- Venetian Duck Ragu with Pappardelle
- Easy Sausage Ragu With Ricotta Gnocchi
- Pizzoccheri Pasta with Potatoes and Cabbage
- Farfalle Pasta with Pancetta, Chili and Garlic
- Malfade Pasta with Butter and Parmesan
- Tuscan Bean Stew with Sausages
If you've tried this Italian Beef Ragu or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
📖 Full Recipe
Italian Beef Ragu
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 1 white onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 8.8 oz 250g ground beef (mince) (250g)
- 8.8 oz 250g ground pork (mince) (250g)
- 2 cups sieved tomatoes (passata) (470g)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup (230ml) red wine (240ml)
- 4 cups beef stock (1 litre)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and sweat the vegetables gently in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft add the ground beef and pork and cook until browned.
- If there is a lot of excess fat in the pan, drain some out. Add the red wine and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced by half add the passata, tomato paste and half of the beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir the sauce then add the bay leaf. Let it simmer on a low heat for 2 and a half hours topping up with the rest of the stock as it reduces.
- Tip: Remeber to check on the ragu every now and then to stir it and add extra stock or water if needed.Â
- To serve with pasta add cooked pasta into the ragu and toss or use as desired.
Notes
- Don't rush the soffritto or you won't get the real depth of flavour.
- Make sure to use 50/50 ground beef and pork.
- Use high-quality passata (sieved tomatoes) as cheaper brands can be very acidic.
- Use a red wine that's good enough to drink and never use cooking wine.
- Try to use the highest quality beef stock or 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.
- Leftover can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheated. You may need to loosen with extra water or stock.
- You can also freeze this ragu just thaw completely before reheating.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Steve
Awesome, but trying to figure out the best way to do beef stock. Do you make yours if so can you lay out the recipe? I used a very good store bought stock but it reduced down to be very salty.
Do you buy low salt stock? If you make homemade stock is it low salt?
Emily
Hi Steve, I do use store bought stock but I use low sodium otherwise the stock can be quite salty.
Alan
Am I correct in assuming the Ragu is simmered without a lid on the pan? We always cover the pan when making such dishes.
Emily
Hi Alan, yes it's simmered uncovered for it to reduce and concentrate in flavour 🙂
Wendy
I have made this dish now many times. I usually quadruple it. When adding the liquid, at first it looks like I’ve drowned the meat and it will never be good, but a few hours later magic occurs and it turns into the best meat sauce I’ve ever made. Everybody loves it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Dawson
This recipe delivers a lot of flavor for such a limited number of ingredients. Everyone in my home loved it, kids included. I’m definitely saving this! Thank you for sharing this!
Emily
That's so great to hear, I'm happy you and your family enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the review it's much appreciated!
Gilbert
In your video it shows you adding tomato paste to the Ragu. There is no tomato paste listed in the ingredient list or in the photos. Is this a oversight or is it completely not needed. I made this this past weekend as written and it was incredibly delicious. I will make this more often . Thank you for the recipe !😋
Emily
Thanks for noticing that Gilbert, I've added the tomato paste to the ingredients. It doesn't make a dramatic change to the flavour so it's fine with or without it. So happy you enjoyed it!