If you are looking for a nutrient-dense, delicious weeknight recipe or an easy meal prep idea, this slow-roasted chuck roast ragu recipe is for you! It’s rich, decadent, and nutrient-dense with grass-fed beef chuck roast, bone broth, and fresh veggies. This Tuscan ragu recipe is great to be served with pasta or just by itself.
Lately, I have been loving taking some time to meal prep some easy-to-make meals for the week that are high in protein and full of flavor and nutrients, and I have to say, this slow-roasted chuck roast ragu is one for the books! It’s loaded with amazing flavor, high in protein, and fairly simple to make. All you need is a little bit of time and patience, and before you know it, you will have an amazing pot of delicious Tuscan slow-roasted chuck roast ragu for the week.
Why You Will Love This Ragu Recipe:
- Flavorful: This recipe is robust with strong flavors that all complement each other beautifully.
- Nutrient-dense: Made with nutrient-dense bone broth, organic grass-fed beef chuck roast, and fresh veggies and herbs, this ragu recipe is super fresh and packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein.
- Slow-roasted: Because this recipe is slow-roasted, it makes for an easy meal to pop in the oven and go about your day. Slow cooking is also a healthier way of cooking as roasting at a lower heat helps to not disrupt the nutrient profile of the food.
- Tender: Because ragu is slow-roasted at a low heat, the collagen within the fibers of the meat break down and tenderize. When properly slow-roasted, the chuck roast becomes super buttery, soft, and delicious.
- Chuck roast: I like using a chuck roast for this recipe because I love how the meat clings to the pasta when shredded. It also has a decent amount of fat which helps add flavor and tenderize the meat.
- Meal-prep: This ragu recipe is an easy meal-prep idea that is high in protein especially when paired with pasta.
Tips For Making Ragu:
- Slow-roast: This recipe does take time, but luckily that time is mainly on autopilot while it roasts in the oven. Do not skip the roasting time. Slow roasting helps to break down the collagen in the meat, tenderizing the chuck roast. This process will leave you with a very soft, buttery chuck roast.
- Dry-brine: Adding a dry brine to your chuck roast before searing the meat is super helpful for getting a good sear on the beef. It will prevent the beef from sweating in the pot and will add flavor to the dish.
- One pot: This is a one-pot dish. Sautée the veggies in the same pan as the chuck roast. This will add a lot of flavor to the dish, and as you know, we are all about maximizing flavor!
- Caramelize veggies: Many people skip this step when making sauces, not realizing the importance of caramelization. Taking the time to caramelize the veggies adds a ton of flavor to the sauce and a nice sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Top with fresh basil: Topping your ragu with fresh basil is the perfect way to finish off your Tuscan ragu with an element of freshness.
Best Pasta To Serve With Ragu:
Pretty much any pasta will work well with ragu; however, because this ragu has shredded chuck roast, I prefer using pasta that can soak up and cling to all of the delicious sauce and shredded beef. Pastas such as penne, tagliatelle, rigatoni, and pappardelle are all great noodles to serve with this slow-roasted chuck roast ragu recipe.
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Ingredients:
- Grass-fed chuck roast
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Fennel bulb
- Garlic
- Dry red wine (cabernet, chianti or merlot)
- Bone broth
- Tomato paste
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Parmesan rind (optional)
- Heavy Cream
- Basil
- Penne
- Salt
- Olive Oil
Materials Used:
- Dutch oven
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Food Processor (optional)
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Tongs
- Silicone spatula
How to Make Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast Ragu:
Begin by cutting the chuck roast into 4-6 equal cuts. This will help expedite the cooking process.
Next, thoroughly salt the roast on all sides. This process is called dry-brining. In other words, the salt will draw excess moisture out of the roast, allowing the meat to get a nice sear on each side. This will add a lot of rich flavor to the sauce.
Allow the salted roast to rest for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, use a paper towel and pat the chuck roast dry.
Next, preheat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Once the pot is hot, add olive oil.
When the olive oil is hot, add the chuck roast and press it down into the pot. Keep in mind that you are not cooking the roast, but rather searing the exterior of the meat. Cook for around 5 minutes on each side or until it has a crisp sear.
Once the chuck roast is seared on all sides, set it aside to rest on a cutting board while you make the rest of the sauce.
Finely chop up the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and fennel. You can do this by hand; however, if you have a food processor I recommend using the food processor. It will save you a lot of time and effort chopping. It will also give you a finer chop, giving the sauce a nice consistency.
Add the chopped veggies to the same pot the chuck roast was sautéed in. If needed, add more olive oil to prevent the veggies from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Sautée the veggies over medium-low to medium heat for 10-20 minutes until the veggies are slightly caramelized. This simple step adds a lot of flavor.
Once the veggies are caramelized, add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste to the veggies and continue to caramelize for 2-3 more minutes until the tomato paste turns rusty in color.
Next, add 1 cup of dry red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and help tenderize the chuck roast. Take the tongs and scrape the bottom of the pot, getting all of the bits (or fond) off the bottom of the pot.
Cook the wine down for 5-10 minutes until the alcohol is cooked out and the sauce becomes thicker.
In the food processor, blend one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Pulse until the tomatoes are smooth, then add them to the sauce.
Stir everything together.
Add in 2 cups of bone broth and salt and bring the sauce to a simmer. I like using homemade bone broth. Click here to get the recipe.
Add the chuck roast and the juices from the roast back into the sauce.
Top with fresh sage, rosemary, and dried bay leaves.
This is optional, but I like adding a parmesan rind as well to bring more flavor into the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 275° F.
Bake the sauce for 5 hours with the lid ajar. This helps break down the collagen in the meat and creates a very tender and buttery chuck roast that is easy to shred.
Once the sauce is done roasting, remove the herbs, parmesan rind, and chuck roast from the Dutch oven and place the roast onto a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the roast.
Once shredded, add the meat back into the sauce and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese.
Stir everything together.
Serve over your favorite pasta and top with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.
FAQ:
- Can I use white wine instead of red wine? Yes, I recommend using a dry white wine, such as a chardonnay. Using white wine will make the sauce a little bit lighter, less rich, in taste, but still delicious!
- Can I use spaghetti? Definitely! You can use any pasta that you prefer.
- Can I use ground beef instead? 100%! The cooking time will be shorter as you will not need to slow-cook the meat. I recommend checking out my spaghetti bolognese recipe if you want to sub ground beef instead.
- Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh herbs? Absolutely! Keep in mind that dried herbs are a little bit stronger so I would maybe add half of a teaspoon of dried herbs and see how it tastes. Feel free to add more or less though depending on taste.
My Favorite Meal-Prep Recipes:
- Slow-Cooked Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Best Slow-Cooked Pot Roast
- Healthy Basil Chicken Fried Rice
- Ultimate Spaghetti Bolognese
- Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you would consider coming back to the site to give it a 5-star rating and tag me on Instagram or Facebook! Thanks so much 🙂
Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast Ragu Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor (optional)
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
- 3.24 lbs. grass-fed chuck roast
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 fennel bulb
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine (Merlot or Cabernet)
- 2 cups bone broth
- 28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 bunch fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil (for garnish)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt (plus extra for dry brine)
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the chuck roast into 4-6 equal cuts. This will help expedite the cooking process.
- Next, thoroughly salt the roast on all sides and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. I like to use Celtic sea salt as it is a little bit coarser and high in magnesium. This process is called dry-brining. In other words, the salt will draw excess moisture out of the roast, allowing the meat to get a nice sear later on. Getting a good sear on the meat adds a lot of additional flavor to the sauce.
- After 20 minutes, use a paper towel and pat the chuck roast dry.
- Next, preheat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Once the pot is hot, add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is hot, add the chuck roast and press it down into the pot. Keep in mind that you are not cooking the roast, but rather searing the exterior of the meat. Cook for around 5 minutes on each side.
- Once the chuck roast is seared on all sides, set it aside to rest on a cutting board while you make the rest of the sauce.
- Finely chop up the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and fennel. You can do this by hand; however, if you have a food processor I recommend using the food processor. It will save you a lot of time and effort chopping. It will also give you a finer chop, giving the sauce a nice consistency.
- Add the chopped veggies to the same pot the chuck roast was sautéed in.
- Sautée the veggies over medium-low to medium heat for 10-20 minutes until the veggies are slightly caramelized. This simple step adds a lot of flavor.
- Once the veggies are caramelized, add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste to the veggies and continue to caramelize for 2-3 more minutes until the tomato paste turns rusty in color.
- Next, add 1 cup of dry red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and help tenderize the chuck roast. Take your tongs and scrape the bottom of the pot, getting all of the bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Cook the wine down for 5-10 minutes until the alcohol is cooked out and the sauce becomes thicker.
- In the food processor, blend one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Pulse until the tomatoes are smooth, then add them to the sauce. Stir everything together.
- Add in 2 cups of bone broth and salt and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add the chuck roast and the juices from the roast back into the sauce.
- Add fresh sage, rosemary, and dried bay leaves.
- This is optional, but I like adding a parmesan rind as well to bring more flavor into the sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 275° F.
- Bake the sauce for 5 hours with the lid ajar. This helps break down the collagen in the meat and creates a very tender and buttery chuck roast that is easy to shred.
- Once the sauce is done roasting, remove the chuck roast from the Dutch oven onto a cutting board. Using two forks, begin shredding the roast.
- Once shredded, add the meat back into the sauce and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese.
- Serve over your favorite pasta and top with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Tips For Making:
- Slow-roast: This recipe does take time, but luckily that time is mainly on autopilot while it roasts in the oven. Do not skip the roasting time. Slow roasting helps to break down the collagen in the meat, tenderizing the chuck roast and leaving you with a very soft, buttery chuck roast.
- Dry-brine: Adding a dry brine to your chuck roast before searing the meat is super helpful for getting a good sear on the beef. It will prevent the beef from sweating in the pot and will add flavor to the dish.
- One pot: This is a one-pot dish. Sautée the veggies in the same pan as the chuck roast. This is going to add a lot of flavor to the dish, and as you know, we are all about maximizing flavor!
- Caramelize veggies: Many people skip this step when making sauces, not realizing the importance of caramelization. Taking the time to caramelize the veggies adds a ton of flavor to the sauce and a nice sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Top with fresh basil: Topping your ragu with fresh basil is the perfect way to finish off your Tuscan ragu with an element of freshness.
