Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu

Beef, bacon and a hidden-veg soffritto, slow cooked until it pulls apart. Toss through penne, spoon over mash or use as a pie filling.

Serves 6Kid-friendly

BeefPorkPastaSlow cookItalian

Ingredients

Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.

Gluten-free
- 500 g Gluten-free penne instead of penne
Cook the gluten-free penne to its packet time and toss it through straight away, as it firms up if left to sit.
Dairy-free
- Leave out the parmesan

Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.

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Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5–7 minutes until softened. (Blitzing the vegetables together first hides them from picky eaters.)
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, then transfer the mixture to your slow cooker or pressure cooker.
In the same pan, increase the heat and sear the beef on all sides until browned. Transfer it to the slow cooker.
Cook the chopped bacon in the pan until golden and slightly crispy, then add it to the slow cooker.
Pour in the passata and chicken stock, then add the tomato paste, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Cook on low for 6–8 hours in a slow cooker, or on the pressure cooker setting for 45–60 minutes, until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily.
Break the beef into smaller pieces with a potato masher.
Cook the pasta according to the packet, then toss it through the ragu, adding a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Serve with grated parmesan.