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Italian

Beef Ragu with Pappardelle

Ground beef and crushed tomatoes simmer into a thick sauce for wide noodles. A little milk softens the tomato acidity.

Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 hr
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
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Pappardelle noodles topped with thick beef ragu and grated cheese

Why you’ll love it

  • Milk rounds out the tomato sauce without cream.
  • Long simmer concentrates flavor from simple pantry items.
  • Wide noodles hold the chunky sauce well.
  • Scales easily for leftovers or guests.

Ingredients

Servings6

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, and celery 8 minutes until soft.

  2. 2

    Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add ground beef and break it up until browned.

  3. 3

    Stir in crushed tomatoes, milk, oregano, and salt. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring often.

  4. 4

    Meanwhile boil pappardelle in salted water until al dente; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.

  5. 5

    Toss pasta with ragu, adding splash of pasta water if needed to loosen.

  6. 6

    Serve with Parmesan.

Pro tips

  • Dice the soffritto small so it melts into the sauce.
  • Simmer until a spoon leaves a trail on the bottom of the pot.
  • Salt the pasta water well so the noodles season themselves.

Easy substitutions

pappardelle
tagliatelle or rigatoni
whole milk
half-and-half
ground beef
half beef and half ground pork

Storage and reheating

Storage

Store sauce and pasta separately in the fridge up to 4 days.

Reheating

Warm sauce on the stove; loosen with water, then toss with reheated pasta.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
490
Protein
28 g
Carbs
52 g
Fat
18 g
Fiber
5 g

Budget friendly · Stovetop

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients