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