Description
This Oven Baked Beef Ragu is a hearty, flavorful Italian-inspired dish featuring tender slow-cooked beef simmered with aromatic vegetables and pasta sauce. Perfectly baked in a casserole dish, it yields a rich sauce ideal for serving over your favorite pasta, garnished with fresh Parmesan and basil for an authentic, comforting meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 celery sticks, diced
- 750g gravy or casserole beef, chopped
- 400g pasta sauce
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/2 cup water (used to rinse pasta sauce jar)
To Serve
- 400g pasta, cooked
- Grated Parmesan
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 170°C fan bake to prepare for slow cooking the ragu.
- Sauté Vegetables: In a large cast iron casserole dish, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften.
- Brown the Beef: Push the vegetables to the side of the dish and add the chopped beef. Brown the beef for a few minutes to develop flavor, then stir everything together.
- Add Sauce and Liquids: Pour the 400g pasta sauce into the dish. Use half a cup of water to rinse out the remaining sauce from the jar and add it as well. Mix thoroughly. Then pour in the cup of beef stock and stir again.
- Simmer and Bake Covered: Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stovetop, then cover the casserole dish with a lid and transfer it into the preheated oven.
- First Bake Period: Bake covered for 90 minutes to allow the beef to tenderize and flavors to meld.
- Final Bake Uncovered: Remove the lid and stir the mixture, then bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, until the beef is super tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve: Spoon the rich beef ragu over freshly cooked pasta and top with grated Parmesan and fresh basil to finish.
Notes
- The onion, celery, and carrots can be finely chopped using a food processor to save prep time and achieve a finer texture.
- For the beef stock, an oxo cube dissolved in one cup of boiling water was used to add depth to the sauce.
- This recipe can also be adapted for the slow cooker: cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Any pasta type works well with this ragu, but thicker pastas like pappardelle or rigatoni complement the chunky sauce best.
