Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

Savory slow cooker beef ragu is so simple to get cooking! Perfect for those busy days when you still want a bowl of hearty, delicious comfort food but don’t have a lot of time.

I love having a few “back pocket” dinner recipes up my sleeve, like Slow Cooker Pot Roast or Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken or even Maple Glazed Pork Chops.

These are the types of recipes that I can make when my meal plan goes awry, for whatever reason. Maybe basketball practice ran late, or I forgot about that after-school meeting, or my husband used up the last of the potatoes for a breakfast hash.

Whatever the reason, having a few recipes to rely on – ones that YOU KNOW taste good, and YOU KNOW your family will like, and YOU KNOW you can make work with whatever you have – these are the recipes that we busy frugal mamas survive on.

Well friends, your back pocket list just grew by one – let me introduce you to slow cooker beef ragu!

SLOW COOKER BEEF RAGU

It seems like every time I make a slow cooker beef recipe, its sauce is either broth or au jus. That means you either add broth to the recipe or the meal makes its own juices as it cooks.

There’s nothing wrong with either of these, but when the husband asks why you made the same thing again for dinner – and yet you know very well that you made an entirely different recipe – something has to change.

That’s where slow cooker beef ragu comes into play. We’re still using beef, but that’s where the similarities end. This slow cooker beef ragu recipe is:

• Tomato-based. High-fives for breaking free from the au jus (at least for one night)!
• Light on vegetables. I’m not saying don’t serve slow cooker beef ragu with vegetables, because I think every dinner should be AT LEAST half veggies!! (my personal opinion). But I am saying that the purpose of this recipe isn’t to provide tons of vegetables in the sauce. There’s just enough to create an awesome flavor, but that’s it.
• Pantry-friendly. Seriously, I dare you to read the ingredient list and NOT find everything you need in your pantry right now. For real. I dare you.
• Affordable. We’re using the budget-friendly beef chuck roast here – the same roast we’ve grown to appreciate in our beloved Pot Roast.
• Easy. If you can use a can opener, you qualify to make this recipe. Add some spices from the cabinet and that’s as complicated as it gets.
• Freezer-friendly. It’s incredibly helpful to have a few meal components ready to go in the freezer (i.e. Brown Rice, cooked Black Beans, Chicken Stock, etc.), but it’s even BETTER when you have an entire meal ready to go, and this beef ragu is easy to prep and freeze ahead of time.

I’ve made this ragu beef recipe countless times these past few months, partially because I was making sure it was legit for you guys (which it is), but also because IT’S JUST SO GOOD!

Not only is this a back-pocket meal, but it’s one of those meals that you’ll go back to over and over again because it’s beyond versatile.

BEEF RAGU RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Aside from a chuck roast, you probably have all of these beef ragu recipe ingredients in your kitchen right now. And if you DO have a chuck roast, you’re set to make this for dinner tonight!

• Chuck roast
• Canned crushed tomatoes
• Chopped carrots
• Mushrooms
• Spices: bay leaves, dried thyme, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic

DON’T HAVE CHUCK ROAST?

Try flank steak. Or sirloin. Or any other steak or roast you find on sale. Chuck roast is one of the fattier cuts of meat, so it melts right into the sauce as it cooks. But since we are slow cooking the meat for this beef ragu, even leaner cuts have time to get nice and tender.

You could even use leftover shredded beef from another meal if needed. You’ll just need to turn down the cooking time so you don’t overcook the meat.

I usually get my chuck roasts from Butcher Box. Butcher Box delivers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised and organic chicken, and heritage pork directly to your front door each month. You can read my honest review of Butcher Box here, and how to make Butcher Box worth the cost here.

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HOW TO MAKE BEEF RAGU IN SLOW COOKER

Beef ragu in the slow cooker is so easy!

Step 1. Add all the ingredients except the beef into the slow cooker and stir them together.

Step 2. Add the roast, nestling it in the sauce.

Step 3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the beef with two forks. Serve with pappardelle pasta or potatoes and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes. Add your favorite vegetable side dishes or a salad and you’re set for dinner!

TO SERVE WITH RAGU BEEF RECIPE

We’ve made this ragu beef recipe over pasta as pictured, but also with:

• Roasted Potatoes
• Baked Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brown Rice
• Cauliflower Rice

I told you we’ve had it a lot!

Spaghetti Squash would be good too, and so would Mashed Potatoes!

One of the core principles of my course Grocery Budget Bootcamp is using what you have, like picking whichever base for beef ragu we happen to have at the moment. Luckily, it tastes good no matter what! Grocery Budget Bootcamp is currently closed for enrollment, but for even more tips on lowering your grocery bill, check out the FREE Fight Inflation Workshop. These three video sessions focus on saving money on groceries NOW – despite the rising cost of food. Find out more here.

WHAT ABOUT VEGGIES AND SIDES?

Broccoli and mashed cauliflower immediately come to mind. We love both Pan-Roasted Broccoli and Oven-Roasted Broccoli, and this is my favorite recipe for Creamy Mashed Cauliflower.

This Costco Copycat Sweet Kale Salad would be good, and although it’s not a vegetable, No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread would be AMAZING to mop up the extra sauce.

If you really want to add more veggies to the sauce, you totally can! A medium yellow onion, chopped tomatoes, a couple cloves garlic, and celery would be good additions. A touch of fresh basil wouldn’t hurt either!

FREEZER-FRIENDLY BEEF RAGU

I mentioned earlier that this slow cooker beef ragu recipe is freezer-friendly, so let me explain how to make that happen without taking up tons of time.

First, plan on making this slow cooker beef ragu for dinner sometime this week. When you shop for ingredients (make sure to shop your kitchen first, before going to the store!), make sure you have double of everything.

You’ll likely be getting this ready early in the morning since this slow cooker beef ragu recipe takes 8-10 hours to cook (on low), so as you’re dumping and measuring everything into the slow cooker, dump and measure a second portion into a gallon plastic bag.

Literally, do each step twice.

• Put the roast in the slow cooker. Put the roast in the bag.
• Open the crushed tomatoes and pour on top. Open the crushed tomatoes and pour them into the bag.
• Measure the seasonings for the slow cooker. Measure the seasonings for the bag.

By the way, these bag holders make it SUPER easy to fill when you’re working in the kitchen by yourself. No more trying to finagle holding a bag open while pouring sauce everywhere but inside the bag, LOL!

If you REALLY want to be on your game, double the side dishes you’re making for tonight and freeze them for whenever you make the slow cooker beef ragu later. Mashed potatoes and mashed cauliflower freeze well, and brown rice and cauliflower rice do too.

When you’re ready to make slow cooker beef ragu for dinner, simply thaw it in the fridge overnight (along with your side dishes!).

Dump it in the slow cooker in the morning. Let it cook all day and serve when you get home. That’s it!

BEEF RAGU FAQS

MORE YUMMY FREEZER RECIPES

Need more ideas for freezer dump recipes? Check out my One Hour Freezer Cooking Dump Dinner Recipes. Or try one of these freezer-friendly slow cooker favorites:

• The Very Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Chicken Shawarma
• Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Lasagna