This delicious Beef and Mushroom Ragu cooks low and slow, making it perfect for lazy winter weekends. Full of flavour with minimal effort.
This is such a versatile dinner recipe. Toss it with some chunky pasta like Rigatoni, serve it over rice or even bake it in a lasagne. It makes excellent leftovers too – make a double batch and eat like a king all week, or stock up your freezer. It’s hearty, full of flavour and healthy too – filled with delicious veggies.
Slow Cooked
It does take a little while to cook, but I personally love that on a lazy Sunday. You can prep everything at lunchtime, throw it in the oven and then enjoy your afternoon knowing that there is a delicious dinner waiting for you. The fact that the recipe calls for one glass of wine also means its a great excuse to pour yourself a glass!
Tips & Substitutions
- If you want to cook this recipe in a Crock Pot or Slow Cooker then follow the instructions up until it goes in to the preheated oven. Instead, transfer to your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- If you cannot use alcohol, substitute the red wine for extra beef stock
- Mushroom haters feel free to swap them out for extra carrots or even some diced red pepper.
- Stores well covered in the fridge for 2 days.
- Can be easily frozen – portion into individual servings to freeze. Defrost thoroughly and add a splash of water when reheating in a sauce pan.
If you are looking for another pasta dish then check out my Bacon Mushroom Carbonara or Cauliflower and Bacon Pasta.
Want more comfort food recipes? Try this Simple Sausage and Bean Casserole or Chicken, Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew.
I hope you enjoy this Beef and Mushroom Ragu – please leave me comment if you try it!
Beef and Mushroom Ragu
Equipment
- Lidded casserole pan/dutch oven
Ingredients
- 400 gram braising or stewing beef, cut into half inch chunks may be sold as 'diced beef' in some supermarkets
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 150 ml red wine
- 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml beef stock made with 1 stock cube
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 250 gram chestnut or button mushrooms, halved and sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Optional, To Serve
- 500 gram pasta – ideally rigatoni, penne or pappardelle
- fresh chopped parsley
- grated parmesan or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160oc/320 Fahrenheit/gas 3
- Heat the oil in a lidded casserole dish or dutch oven over medium to high heat.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper then add to the pan and brown on all sides.
- Add the onions and cook until they start to soften – keep stirring and be careful to not let anything burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the garlic, carrots and celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes before you stir in the tomato paste and oregano.
- Add the bay leaves then pour over the wine. Let it simmer and bubble slightly for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the tin of tomatoes and the stock, stir well, bring to the boil then put the lid on and put in the preheated oven.
- Cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking and stirring a couple of times. You may need to add a splash of water if the sauce is looking a bit thick.
- Add the mushrooms. If you want a less chunky sauce you can use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to gently break up the pieces of beef – they should be lovely and soft. Stir well, then cook for another hour.
- Serve with your choice of pasta (rigatoni is my favourite) garnished with some grated cheese and fresh chopped parsley. You could also serve over rice, polenta, mashed potato or with fresh crusty bread.
- This recipe will easily sauce a standard 500g/1lb packet of pasta – just cook to package instructions then toss with the ragu. You can also portion it out and freeze or store in the fridge for up to 2 days. You may need to add a splash of water when reheating – some reserved cooking water from your pasta works best.
Nutrition
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