Beef ragu in a large casserole pot

Beef ragu

Name: Beef ragu
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 800g good-quality lean beef mince; 4 star anise; 4 whole cloves; 2 tbsp olive oil; 200g smoked cubed pancetta or bacon lardons; 2 onions finely chopped; 2 carrots finely chopped; 2 celery sticks finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves finely grated; 300g button mushrooms thickly sliced; 2 tbsp dried oregano; 4 bay leaves; 1 tbsp golden caster sugar; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 200ml red wine; 75ml red wine vinegar; 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; 1 beef stock pot or cube

Tom Kerridge

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Serves 8

More effort

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 2 hrs and 10 mins

A star rating of 3.2 out of 5.5 ratingsRate

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Make a big batch of Tom Kerridge's beef ragu sauce for later use. It freezes so well and can be turned into lots of different meals at a later date

Freezable

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

800g good-quality lean beef mince
4 star anise
4 whole cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
200g smoked cubed pancetta

or bacon lardons
2 onions

finely chopped
2 carrots

finely chopped
2 celery sticks

finely chopped
4 garlic cloves

finely grated
300g button mushrooms

thickly sliced
2 tbsp dried oregano
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml red wine
75ml red wine vinegar
3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 beef stock pot

or cube

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal873
fat52g
saturates13g
carbs60g
sugars8g
fibre3g
protein41g
salt2.4g

Method

step 1

Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the mince in a shallow roasting tin, break it up and put in the oven for 5 mins. Remove the mince and give it a stir, then nestle in the star anise and cloves (tie them up in a piece of muslin cloth first, if you prefer) and roast for another 10 mins. Give it another stir, then roast for another 30-40 mins until deep brown and crispy, stirring and scraping it off the bottom of the pan a few times if needed. Set aside.
step 2

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the pancetta for 8-10 mins until crispy and browned on all sides. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 8-10 mins until the veg has softened. Stir through the mushrooms, oregano and bay leaves, then scatter over the sugar and squeeze in the tomato purée. Stir well, then pour in the wine and vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until reduced by about a third.
step 3

Tip in the tomatoes, then a can of water. Add the stock pot or cube, give everything another good stir and bring to a simmer again. Scrape in the roasted mince and spice bag, season, then turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for about 1 hr 30 mins until thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning. The sauce will taste even better if left to cool completely and chilled for a day or two before reheating. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan, if you like. Can be chilled for up to three days or frozen for three months – defrost fully before reheating over low to medium heat until piping hot.

5 more ideas

Lasagne

Make a white sauce by melting 100g butter in a pan. Stir in 80g flour, then gradually pour in 800ml milk. Layer 12-14 lasagne sheets and half of the ragu in a baking dish, then top with the white sauce and some grated mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling at the edges.

Cottage pie

Crumble another stock cube through half a batch of the ragu, then tip into a dish. Cover with mash, sprinkle with grated cheddar and bake at 210C/190C fan/ gas 7 for 30 mins.

Taco topping

Spice the mince with ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika and garlic granules before you roast it for a moreish taco filling.

Mix it up

This recipe also works with lamb or venison mince.

Slower or faster

Once the sauce is assembled, you can cook it in a pressure cooker on medium for 30 mins or in a slow cooker on low for 8 hrs.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2022

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Overall rating

A star rating of 3.2 out of 5.5 ratings

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