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Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu | DadTheFoodie

Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu recipe photograph

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and fry for 5–7 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Transfer it to the slow cooker, draining off excess fat if necessary.
Add the onion, carrots, celery and red pepper to the same pan. Cook for 5 minutes until beginning to soften, then stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute more.
Tip the vegetables into the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, sugar if using, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Stir well.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened. Remove the bay leaf and taste, adding more seasoning if needed.
Cook the pasta separately in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water, then loosen the ragu with a splash if it is thicker than you like.
Serve the ragu over the pasta with grated Parmesan or mature Cheddar. Do not cook the pasta in the slow cooker, as it can become soft and absorb too much sauce.

Equipment needed

Recommended slow-cooker size: 3.5 litre

3.5 litre slow cooker
Large frying pan
Wooden spoon
Large saucepan

Swaps and substitutions

Beef mince → Pork mince or a beef-and-pork mince mixture
Use the same weight and drain excess fat after browning.
Red pepper → 150 g frozen diced peppers
Add them straight to the slow cooker.
Worcestershire sauce → 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Check the label for gluten and reduce the added salt if using soy sauce.
Parmesan or mature Cheddar → A dairy-free hard cheese alternative
Use a suitable alternative if needed.

Storage and leftovers

Freezer friendly: Yes
Batch cooking: Suitable for batch cooking
Storage: Cool the ragu promptly and refrigerate it in a covered container within two hours. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days. Store cooked pasta separately if possible; it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Defrost: Defrost the frozen ragu in the refrigerator overnight. Use within 24 hours of complete defrosting, then reheat in a saucepan until piping hot throughout.
Reheating: Reheat the ragu in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until piping hot throughout. Add a splash of water if needed. Reheat only the portion required and do not reheat more than once.
Leftover ideas: Use leftover ragu in jacket potatoes, spoon it over creamy polenta, or layer it with pasta and cheese for a quick oven-baked pasta dish.

Allergen information

Contains celery and milk if served with Parmesan or Cheddar. Worcestershire sauce may contain fish, so check the label. Stock cubes and soy sauce alternatives may contain gluten or other allergens; check packaging.

Always check ingredient packaging and labels if you or someone you are cooking for has an allergy.

My private notes

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Recipe info

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 300 min
Servings: 6

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Ingredients

Recipe serves 6

Adjust servings

Cooking time may not change in direct proportion to serving size.

1 tablespoon olive oil
500 g beef mince
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
2 tablespoons tomato purée
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
250 ml beef stock, made with 1 stock cube
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar, optional
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
400 g dried spaghetti or other pasta, to serve
25 g finely grated Parmesan or mature Cheddar, to serve

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Slow cooker

Tags: Slow cooker, Beef, Mince, Pasta, Family meals, Freezer friendly, Batch cooking

Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 300 min
Total time: 320 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 500 g beef mince; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 2 carrots, finely diced; 2 sticks celery, finely diced; 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced; 3 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes; 250 ml beef stock, made with 1 stock cube; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon caster sugar, optional; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 400 g dried spaghetti or other pasta, to serve; 25 g finely grated Parmesan or mature Cheddar, to serve

This rich, family-friendly beef mince ragu uses onion, carrot, celery and red pepper for a full-flavoured sauce without complicated ingredients. Serve it with spaghetti, pasta shapes or jacket potatoes, and freeze any extra portions for another meal.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 5 hrs
Total: 5 hr 20 min
Servings: 6

Equipment

Slow-cooker size: 3.5 litre

3.5 litre slow cooker
Large frying pan
Wooden spoon
Large saucepan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
500 g beef mince
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
2 tablespoons tomato purée
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
250 ml beef stock, made with 1 stock cube
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar, optional
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
400 g dried spaghetti or other pasta, to serve
25 g finely grated Parmesan or mature Cheddar, to serve

Substitutions

Beef mince → Pork mince or a beef-and-pork mince mixture (Use the same weight and drain excess fat after browning.)
Red pepper → 150 g frozen diced peppers (Add them straight to the slow cooker.)
Worcestershire sauce → 1 teaspoon soy sauce (Check the label for gluten and reduce the added salt if using soy sauce.)
Parmesan or mature Cheddar → A dairy-free hard cheese alternative (Use a suitable alternative if needed.)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and fry for 5–7 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Transfer it to the slow cooker, draining off excess fat if necessary.
Add the onion, carrots, celery and red pepper to the same pan. Cook for 5 minutes until beginning to soften, then stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute more.
Tip the vegetables into the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, sugar if using, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Stir well.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened. Remove the bay leaf and taste, adding more seasoning if needed.
Cook the pasta separately in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water, then loosen the ragu with a splash if it is thicker than you like.
Serve the ragu over the pasta with grated Parmesan or mature Cheddar. Do not cook the pasta in the slow cooker, as it can become soft and absorb too much sauce.

Storage and leftovers

Freezer friendly: Yes

Suitable for batch cooking

Cool the ragu promptly and refrigerate it in a covered container within two hours. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days. Store cooked pasta separately if possible; it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Defrost: Defrost the frozen ragu in the refrigerator overnight. Use within 24 hours of complete defrosting, then reheat in a saucepan until piping hot throughout.

Reheat the ragu in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until piping hot throughout. Add a splash of water if needed. Reheat only the portion required and do not reheat more than once.

Use leftover ragu in jacket potatoes, spoon it over creamy polenta, or layer it with pasta and cheese for a quick oven-baked pasta dish.

Allergen information

Always check ingredient packaging and labels if you or someone you are cooking for has an allergy.

Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu

Instructions

Equipment needed

Swaps and substitutions

Storage and leftovers

Allergen information

My private notes

Slow Cooker Beef Mince, Red Pepper and Tomato Ragu

Equipment

Ingredients

Substitutions

Instructions

Storage and leftovers

Allergen information

Community comments

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