Just Another Mom HQ

Just another Mom's guide to a healthy lifestyle

Slow Simmered Italian Beef Ragu with Parpadelle

Today I posted my grain free and Instapot version of this Italian classic but wanted to share with you the original recipe we simmered slowly on Christmas Day.  It was AMAZING!  So grab a 2 1/2 lb chuckroast (preferably grass fed), a pound of parpadelle and let’s do this!

Grab your large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Heat over medium high to high heat.  Cut your roast into 4 equal sized chunks and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle in a couple tablespoons of olive oil.  Sear meat 2 pieces at a time browning on all sides.  Set meat aside and add “sofrito”; diced carrot, celery and onion.  Sauté in the same pan as you seared your meat scraping the bits as you go.  After 3 minutes add in the crushed garlic, herbs and tomato paste. Continue to cook and stir until your tomato paste darkens slightly.  Don’t stop stirring or your tomato paste may burn!

You can just throw everything in the pot and skip browning the meat and sautéing the veggies if you don’t have time, and it will still be awesome , but taking the time for this step adds some really great flavor and depth to your dish and makes it more awesome.

Now deglaze the pan (you do this with the veggies in the pan) with your red wine.  Choose one that you would enjoy drinking. Please don’t use “cooking wine”…Malbec, Cabernet, even a good Chianti would be great.  Carefully add the wine and allow it to simmer a minute or two to evaporate some of the wine.

Everyone in the pool now (except cheese and pasta).  Meat, stock, tomatoes…  Bring to a low simmer and cover.  Keep at a low simmer for 2.5 hours, then remove cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.  Remove meat, shred then add back to pan.

While your sauce is reducing bring a pan of water to boiling, add pasta and a generous pinch of salt. Cook pasta 2-3 minutes shorter than package directions.  Drain pasta reserving one cup of the cooking liquid.

Add pasta and water to sauce and cook for 2-3 more minutes allowing pasta to finish cooking in the sauce.  Check seasoning and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Grab your favorite pasta bowl/plate, pile on the pasta and top with some freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino.  Sit back relax and savor the deliciousness…cheers!

Slow Simmered Italian Beef Ragu with Parpadelle, my take on a classic Italian comfort food.

 

Side Notes-On my quest to make the perfect Beef Ragu I found this beautifully yummy recipe from Pinch of Yum

And this delicious sounding recipe from Whitney Bond

http://whitneybond.com/2014/10/27/slow-cooked-beef-ragu/

Instapot Italian Beef Ragu with Butternut Squash Noodles (squoodles)

Italian Beef Ragu with Butternut Squash Noodles

Happy New Year!!  I am always sad to take down our Christmas tree and decor.  At the same time I prefer my stand up paddle board to my cross country skis so being one step closer to Spring isn’t so bad either!  This year I am hoping to share more recipes and insight with you, including Instapot recipes!  This recipe can definitely be made stove top as is traditional, in a slow cooker or in your Instapot or other pressure cooker.

Traditionally this delicious slow simmered Ragu would be prepared stove top, simmered over several hours.  For Christmas Day I prepared this recipe with a slight variation stovetop (recipe here) and we enjoyed every delicious bite on some chewy delicious parpadelle pasta.  Yes actual gluten loaded pasta…and it was divine.

[amazon text=Amazon&asin=Today in keeping with my more paleo-ish lifestyle I have prepared it with spiralized Butternut Squash.  The earthy sweetness of the squash paired super well with the deep beefy tomato yummyness.  I also grabbed my Instapot for this one as I was rather short on time and it didn’t disappoint!  I chose to leave out the tomato paste that I had used on Christmas in my more traditionally prepared Ragu as sometimes the tomato paste can burn to the bottom of your Instapot.

For the preparation, turn your Instapot on sauté.  Cut your roast into 4 equal size chunks, season with salt and pepper.  Once your Instapot is hot sear 1 or 2 pieces at a time browning on all sides (2-3 minutes a side).  Then set aside.  Next sauté the “sofrito”, carrot, celery and onion in a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper for about 5 minutes to really develop the flavor.  Add garlic, oregano and thyme and continue to sauté for an additional minute or until fragrant.

Deglaze the pan by pouring in 3/4 cup of a good dry red wine, I had a Spanish Tempranillo open so I chose that for my sauce.  Let it simmer for a minute or two or until the liquid reduces just a little.

Pan full of Butternut Squash Noodles

Now add the beef, beef stock, and tomatoes to the veggies and wine. I usually wait until the end to salt as there is salt in the tomatoes and the stock and as it reduces it will concentrate the salt flavor.  Lock cover on Instapot and press manual then adjust to 20 minutes on high pressure.  While your Ragu is cooking grab your spiralized and spiralize your Butternut Squash.  Any pieces that couldn’t be spiralized save for squash fries or squash hash or whatever your desired preparation.  Toss your squash with a tablespoon of olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  You should have plenty of time for this step as it takes a while for your pressure cooker to come to full pressure (up to 15 minutes).

After the 20 minute pressure cook is complete allow to natural release for a minute or so then flip the valve to manual release.  I use my Instapot on my stovetop with a cutting board under it, so I can use my fan to vent steam, etc.  I really don’t want to damage my cupboards while releasing steam or smoke the house up searing meat!  Okay once your steam is all released and you can safely open your pressure cooker turn it off, then back on the sauté high.  Remove meat and shred while the sauce is reduced until it thickens.  Then toss Squash Noodles  (squoodles) into the sauce and let it cook for a minute or two longer.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, pile it on your favorite pasta plate, hit it with a grating of Parmesan or Pecorino and enjoy.

Cheers!

Italian Beef Ragu with Butternut Squash Noodles

PS:  Don’t let the wine you opened go to waste.  If you don’t enjoy drinking it be sure to freeze it in ice cube trays for future recipes.

PPS:  There was an error in the original recipe, I have since reduced the beef broth on the recipe from two cups to one.  Sorry for any inconvenience this caused!

Connect With Me