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    Home » Recipes » Mains & Sides

    Feb 7, 2021 · Modified: Nov 25, 2022 by Harriet

    Slow Cooked Beef And Pork Ragu

    Jump to recipe card

    Made from scratch this slow cooker beef and pork ragu is rich in flavour and very easy to make. Prepared with a few simple ingredients this ragu requires minimal effort to make the best pasta sauce ever.

    Beef and pork ragu on pasta.
    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe:
    • What is Pork Ragu?
    • 🥘 Ingredients In This Recipe
    • 🍳 Step By Step Instructions
    • ✏️ Recipe Notes
    • 🥗 Serving Suggestions
    • 📝 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🍲 More Easy Recipes
    • 📋 Recipe Card

    🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe:

    • This recipe uses a combination of minced beef and minced pork. We choose to use a combination of meat because we like the flavour. It is also a way to reduce the strong flavour and smell that you can get with pork sometimes.
    • Beef and pork ragu is a fantastic comfort food that can be enjoyed all year round.
    • If you are looking for a budget friendly family meal that is healthy and hearty, give this recipe a try.
    • This recipe is excellent for freezer meal prep because, it is freezes and reheats very well.
    • This ragu is gluten free, sugar free and dairy free.

    What is Pork Ragu?

    Pork ragu is a slow cooked braised pork that is often served with pasta. It can be made with boneless pork shoulder, pork shoulder on the bone and even with ground meat.

    There are several ways of cooking braised pork ragu. Some recipes will use a Dutch oven and start with cooking it on the stove, then finish with a long slow cook in the oven.

    Other recipes will have you cook the ragu in a pot over a medium flame, then reduce the heat and continue cooking until the meat becomes fall apart tender.

    Then there are recipes that make the use of a slow cooker. Some recipes will be dump and go and others will need a little precooking before it’s placed in the slow cooker – which is what this recipe is.

    Why we like using the slow cooker

    We love using the slow cooker it works out cheaper to run than your oven, especially if it is electric. It’s also virtually hands free when compared to the stove top cooking, where you need to come back and occasionally stir.

    If fact after some initial precooking and after it’s in the slow cooker, you can just walk away and let it do its own thing and come back when it done.

    🥘 Ingredients In This Recipe

    The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

    Image showing the ingredients needed to make beef and pork ragu.

    Bacon – adds flavor and seasoning to the sauce. Choose lean bacon or trim away the excess to cut down on the fat.

    Ground Beef and Pork - if you can choose lean ground pork and ground beef, to make a sauce that is not greasy and heavy.

    Onion, carrot, and celery - these vegetables add flavor and bulk to the sauce. If you have fussy young children you can “hide” the vegetables by grating the carrot and finely chopping the celery and onion.

    Beef stock – for convenience we just make some up with stock cubes.

    Canned tomato and tomato paste – add richness to the sauce because they have been cooked for a long time to bring out a rich tomato flavor.

    Red wine – adds flavor and also helps to make the meat tender. You do not need an expensive wine for this recipe.

    🍳 Step By Step Instructions

    Step 1 – Remove the excess fat from the bacon and cut it into small dice. Heat the oil in a large frying pan add the bacon and cook until it turns brown. This can take about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.

    Sauteed vegetables in a skillet.

    Step 2 – Turn down the heat and add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, cook for about 5 minutes more or until the vegetables are soft. Occasionally stir the mixture as it cooks.

    Sauteed vegetables and ground beef and pork in a skillet.

    Step 3 – Next add the ground pork and ground beef and turn the heat back to high and cook. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into tiny pieces. Cook until the meat has turned from pink to brown.

    Wine being poured into cooked meat.

    Step 4 – Pour in the wine and add the tomato paste, continue to cook on high for about 2-3 minutes.

    Meat and vegetables in a slow cooker bowl.

    Step 5 – Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.

    Stock being poured over ingredients in a slow cooker.

    Step 6 – Add the diced tomatoes, stock, oregano, and bay leaf.

    Pork ragu in slow cooker.

    Step 7 – Stir well, cover with a lid and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

    Pork ragu in a serving bowl.

    Step 8 – When ready, taste the beef and pork ragu for seasoning and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. Serve hot over pasta.

    ✏️ Recipe Notes

    Use all pork – If you don’t like the idea of combining two different types of meat replace the ground beef with ground pork.

    Make a pork shoulder ragu – you can replace the ground meat with an equal amount of shoulder pork. Remove the excess fat from the shoulder pork and cut it into about 4 - 6 large pieces.

    Season the pork with a little salt, brown the meat in a hot pan with a little oil, transfer the meat to the slow cooker.

    Cook the bacon and the vegetables as outlined in the recipe and cook for 5 minutes more.

    Next, add the wine and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally then transfer the tomato sauce to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients.

    Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender.

    Use two forks to shred the meat into small pieces and mix into the tomato sauce.

    Taste the pork shoulder ragu for seasoning and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Serve with pappardelle pasta or pasta of your choice.

    🥗 Serving Suggestions

    Turn this beef and pork ragu into an extra special meal make your own homemade pasta. It's not as hard as you think and homemade is so much better than store-bought.

    📝 Frequently Asked Questions

    Can you freeze ragu?

    Yes, this beef and pork ragu can be frozen. For convenience and for easy dinners, portion the ragu into individual serves (or family size serves). Allow the mixture to come to room temperature, then place into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to three months.

    How many calories are in pork ragu?

    Per serving this beef and pork ragu recipe has about 329 calories.

    🍲 More Easy Recipes

    If you like this you might also like to try our slow cooker Bolognese sauce. It’s another easy Italian ragu that is great for serving with pasta.

    This recipe is made with ground beef and is richer in taste because milk is added to the sauce.

    You might also like this easy 3 ingredient pork chops or this easy recipe slow cooker for Chinese chicken and sweet corn soup, or this slow cooker baked egg custard.

    Beef and pork ragu with grated parmesan cheese.

    If you make this beef and pork ragu recipe, I did love to know! Please come back and leave a comment below and tell me how it went.


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    📋 Recipe Card

    Beef and pork ragu with pasta.

    Slow Cooker Ground Beef and Pork Ragu

    This is a simple slow cooker ragu recipe is made with a combination of ground beef and pork. It’s a rich and thick pasta sauce that’s full of flavour. It can be used in so many ways. Serve it with pasta, make it into a lasagne, use it as a pie filling and even as a pizza topping or to make calzones.
    Print Recipe
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    Prep Time : 30 mins
    Slow cooking time : 8 hours
    Total Time : 8 hrs 30 mins
    Cuisine: : Italian
    Course : Mains
    Servings : 8 servings
    Calories : 329 : kcal

    EQUIPMENT

    • Large frying pan/skillet
    • Slow cooker

    INGREDIENTS

    • 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
    • 100 grams (3.5 ounces) bacon diced
    • 200 grams (7 ounces, 1 medium) onion diced
    • 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
    • 75 grams (2.6 ounces, 1 medium) carrot chopped
    • 50 grams (1.76 ounces, 1 stalk/rib) celery stalk diced
    • 250 grams (8.8 ounces) pork mince
    • 250 grams (8.8 ounces) lean beef mince
    • ½ cup red wine
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 x 400 grams (14 ounces) can diced tomatoes
    • 1 ¼ cup beef stock
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 bay leaf
    • Salt and pepper
    Tap button to prevent your screen from going dark while cooking.

    INSTRUCTIONS

    • Heat oil in a deep saucepan. Add the bacon and fry over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.
    • Reduce the heat slightly and add the onion garlic, carrot and celery and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.
    • Add the ground pork and beef, turn the heat to high and cook. As you cook the meat break it into tiny pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. For about 10 minutes or until the meat has turned from pink to brown.
    • Pour in the wine and cook on high for about 2-3 minutes, to cook of the alcohol. Season the mixture to taste with salt.
    • Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
    • Stir in the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, stock, oregano and bay leaf. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
    • Before serving taste the ragu and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
    • Serve with pasta.

    Notes

    This recipe makes about 1.25 kg (2.75 pounds) sauce.
    ***
    Use all pork – If you don’t like the idea of combining two different meats replace the ground beef with ground pork.
    ***
    Make a pork shoulder ragu – you can replace the ground meat with and equal amount of shoulder pork. Remove the excess fat from the shoulder pork and cut it into about 4 - 6 large pieces.
    Season the pork with a little salt, brown the meat in hot pan with a little oil, transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
    Cook the bacon and the vegetables as outlined in the recipe and cook for 5 minutes more.
    Next, add the wine and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally then transfer the tomato sauce to slow cooker with the remaining ingredients.
    Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender.
    Use two forks to shred the meat into small pieces and mix into the tomato sauce.
    Taste the pork shoulder ragu for seasoning and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
    Serve with pappardelle pasta or pasta of your choice.
    Nutrition Facts
    Slow Cooker Ground Beef and Pork Ragu
    Serving Size
     
    157 grams is about
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    329
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    26
    g
    40
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    12
    g
    75
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    54
    mg
    18
    %
    Sodium
     
    248
    mg
    11
    %
    Potassium
     
    505
    mg
    14
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    7
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    4
    g
    4
    %
    Protein
     
    14
    g
    28
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1714
    IU
    34
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    9
    mg
    11
    %
    Calcium
     
    42
    mg
    4
    %
    Iron
     
    2
    mg
    11
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Nutrition Disclosure

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    Hi, I'm Harriet! The face and photographer behind Recipe Pocket. I am a mother of two who is a cook by day and blogger by night.

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