Dinner · From Adam's kitchen

Sunday Sauce Ragu

Name: Sunday Sauce Ragu
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 305 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 oz pancetta; ½ yellow onion, diced; 2-3 leeks, finely chopped; 3 carrots, finely chopped; 4 stalks celery, finely chopped; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; 2 lb ground beef (90/10 or 85/15); ¼ cup tomato paste; 1½ cups red wine; 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced; 3 cups good chicken stock; 3 cans (about 28 oz each) crushed or chopped tomatoes (Bianco di Napoli); 2 bay leaves; ¼-½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg (optional); 1-2 old Parmesan rinds (optional); ¼ cup balsamic vinegar; 2 tsp sugar; Salt and pepper

A Dutch oven meat ragù, braised low and slow in the oven for 4 hours. It makes plenty, so have it for dinner and freeze the rest for an easy future meal.

Freezer-friendly
Make-ahead
Sunday project

Serves: 8
Skill: Intermediate
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 285 min
Total: 305 min

Sunday sauce ragu simmering in a blue Dutch oven

Equipment

Dutch oven (6-7 quart). No Dutch oven? Use any large, heavy pot with a lid. If it is not oven-safe, simmer on the stovetop over low heat with the lid slightly open for about 3-4 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes so the bottom does not scorch.
Wooden spoon, the best tool for breaking up the beef and scraping up the browned bits.
Microplane, for the nutmeg (no microplane? Use ¼ tsp pre-ground nutmeg).

Ingredients

Base

4 oz pancetta
½ yellow onion, diced
2-3 leeks, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 lb ground beef (90/10 or 85/15)
¼ cup tomato paste
1½ cups red wine
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced

Braise

3 cups good chicken stock
3 cans (about 28 oz each) crushed or chopped tomatoes (Bianco di Napoli)
2 bay leaves
¼-½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg (optional)
1-2 old Parmesan rinds (optional)

To finish

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

Method

Heads up
Plan about 5 hours. Most of that is hands-off oven time. Chop the whole sofrito (onion, leeks, carrots, celery) before you start, and heat the oven to 300°F.
Render the pancetta (8-10 min)
Cook the pancetta in the Dutch oven over medium heat.
Ready whenThe fat has melted out and the pancetta is brown and crispy. Scoop it out and leave the fat in the pot.
Cook the sofrito (5-10 min)
Add the onion, leeks, carrots, and celery to the fat. Season with salt and pepper.
Ready whenSoft and melding together. Scoop it out.
Brown the beef (10-15 min)
Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon.
Ready whenAll the water has cooked off and you see a dark crust on the meat and brown bits (called fond) stuck to the bottom of the pot.
WhyThat browning is where the deep, savory flavor comes from. Be patient here.
Toast the tomato paste (1-2 min)
Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly.
Deglaze with wine (5-8 min)
Pour in the wine and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom.
Ready whenThe wine has cooked down until it is almost gone.
Bring it together (5 min)
Add the vegetables and pancetta back in, along with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir about 5 minutes.
Ready whenThe garlic smells fragrant.
Add the liquids (10 min)
Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a rolling boil. Add the bay leaves, nutmeg, and Parmesan rinds.
Braise (4 hr)
Cover and move the pot to the 300°F oven for about 4 hours.
Finish (last hour)
Around hour 3, stir in the balsamic vinegar and sugar, and cook the final hour with the lid off so it thickens.
Ready whenThe sauce is thick, rich, and a deep brick red.
Season and serve (5 min)
Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rinds. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Toss with a wide pasta like pappardelle or rigatoni, or spoon over polenta. Homemade potato gnocchi is a great match.

Make it cheffy

Finish the pasta in the sauce

How

Cook the pasta 1-2 minutes short of the package time. Save 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Add the pasta to a pan of warm ragù with a splash of pasta water and toss over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Why

The pasta soaks up the sauce, and the starchy water helps it cling to every noodle.

Swaps

Sauce too thin at the end? Simmer uncovered on the stovetop, stirring often, until it thickens.
Too acidic? Add sugar a pinch at a time.

Make ahead & storage

Make ahead

Make it on a weekend and freeze in portions.

Storage

Fridge up to 3-4 days. Freezer up to 3-4 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat over medium-low on the stovetop until steaming, with a splash of water if it is thick.

Macros per serving

Estimate

Calories: about 425
Protein: about 33 g
Carbs: about 34 g
Fat: about 19 g

Per serving (1 of 8), pasta not included; the whole batch is about 3,400 calories, 265 g protein, 275 g carbs, 153 g fat. Based on 90/10 ground beef. The wine is left out because most of it cooks off.

Back to the recipe box

Sunday Sauce Ragu

Method

Heads up

Render the pancetta (8-10 min)

Cook the sofrito (5-10 min)

Brown the beef (10-15 min)

Toast the tomato paste (1-2 min)

Deglaze with wine (5-8 min)

Bring it together (5 min)

Add the liquids (10 min)

Braise (4 hr)

Finish (last hour)

Season and serve (5 min)