This rustic Italian Beef Ragu requires minimum skill or effort as it is made easily in a slow cooker. The rich and chunky ragu is packed with vibrant flavour and is so satisfying to eat. Use it with pasta or in lasagna and freeze the rest!
I am going to admit openly that I am not a big fan of crock pots. Mine doesn’t get used very often, mostly because I enjoy the cooking process and am too much of a control freak to let the slow cooker take over.
I also find meals cooked in a crock pot taste too similar to each other. They taste like stew. I like stew but not every day of the week.
I am however, a HUGE fan of tender, melt-in-your-mouth, big and bold flavour meat. And if a slow cooker has to take the centre stage for this to happen, so be it. I suppose I can share the limelight…for one day.
Have you ever had a really tasty and satisfying Italian beef ragu at your favourite Italian restaurant? I am talking about rich and satisfying meat based tomato sauce that’s been cooked for hours allowing for deep flavours to build and blend into a beautiful medley.
I really love rustic dishes that look scruffy and taste earthy. While this may not exactly be food art it is a beautiful sight nonetheless. And I can’t even begin to describe how tender and flavourful this ragu is!
Truth is, not all incredible food needs to be high cuisine. Sometimes all we need is kick-ass flavour to turn dinner into something special.
And this ragu has heaps of flavour, with savoury beef, sweet and acidic tomatoes and rich red wine. Truly this is the king of pasta sauces!
INGREDIENTS
1.5-2 kg /3-4lbs beef roast the cheapest cut will do
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 sprigs handful each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme stems discarded and leaves finely chopped
1 small red onion peeled and finely chopped