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Slow-Cooker Beef Ragu with Pappardelle

Like you wandered into a Tuscan grandmother’s kitchen, but she’s secretly been binging TV all day and let the slow-cooker do the work. Fork-tender beef tangled in ribbons of pappardelle, swimming in a rich tomato-broth sauce that tastes like you spent hours fussing (you didn’t).
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ –3 lbs cheap beef cut like chuck roast or beef shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (pantry hero)
  • 1 cup boxed beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional, for a gentle kick
  • 2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 lb pappardelle pasta fresh or dried
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for serving
  • Optional: chopped parsley or basil for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Load it up: Place beef in slow-cooker. Scatter onion and garlic over top.
  • Pour the magic: Add crushed tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, balsamic, oregano, basil, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir slightly around the meat — no need to be thorough.
  • Walk away: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4) until beef is fall-apart tender.
  • Shred + simmer: Remove beef to a cutting board, shred with two forks, then stir it back into the sauce. Let it mingle on “warm” while you cook pasta.
  • Pasta finale: Boil pappardelle in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain, and toss noodles with a ladle of sauce to coat.
  • Serve like you meant it: Divide pasta into bowls, heap on the ragu, and finish with Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Notes

Cheap cut = flavor win: Chuck roast or shoulder thrives with slow-cooking — the longer it goes, the silkier it gets.
• Sub swaps: Short on beef? Try pork shoulder. No pappardelle? Any wide noodle will do.
• Toddler tweak: Chop noodles into bite-size pieces before serving, skip the pepper flakes.
• Lazy luxury: Tastes like a Sunday dinner, but you could be in sweats the whole time.