Sometimes you want nonna’s incredible ragù (meat sauce), but you don’t want to spend all day cooking.
This is one of my go-to recipes as a mom here in Italy, and I’m sure it will become one of yours too!
It’s an easy ragù recipe that’s relatively hands-off (hey, amazing food requires some prep) and it’s got plenty of vegetables inside the sauce, so you can serve it without any side dishes. Easy!
The main steps are:
- Finely chop vegetables in a food processor.
- Cook veggies, and prep other ingredients while they’re cooking.
- Add meat and cook.
- Add tomato paste and wine.
- Let it simmer for a few hours.
Good To Know: I also like to serve this in mini portions as part of a family aperitivo.
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Easy Ragù Recipe – Step By Step
1. Gather your ingredients and prep your veggies for the food processor. Peel the garlic, cut the onion into large chunks, peel (or don’t) and cut carrots into large pieces, chop the celery (with leaves) into large chunks, and cut the unpeeled zucchini into large chunks.
2. Use the food processor to finely chop the garlic and veggies.
3. Coat the bottom of your pot in olive oil and turn it on medium heat. When it’s hot, add your finely-chopped vegetables. Drizzle some more oil on top of your veggies and add a few grinds of salt and pepper (about ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are transparent and the veggies are cooked.
4. While the veggies are cooking, prep everything else – open the meat packages, open the wine, open the tomato paste, etc.
5. Add the ground meat to the pot and stir. Add a few more grinds of salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the meat and veggies. A couple of minutes later, add the red wine and stir. Cook until the wine has completely evaporated (3-5 minutes).
7. Add the optional Italian seasoning (I use ½ tsp fresh chopped thyme, ½ tsp fresh chopped rosemary, and a whole bay leaf). Add water until it’s above the level of the meat by about ½ inch – you shouldn’t see any ripples on the water’s surface.
8. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 hours.
9. Occasionally check to make sure the water level isn’t too low (it depends on your stove). If you need to, you can add a little bit more water to keep the ragu from burning.
10. Check the seasoning and add more salt as needed. Serve with your choice of pasta, polenta, or rice. Optional: sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Helpful Tips for Making this Easy Italian Ragù
I use this Mutti tomato double concentrate. You can also use regular canned tomato paste.
You don’t need to measure precisely and you can add more veggies if you like (throw in an extra carrot or two or add that last lonely piece of broccoli at the bottom of the fridge).
If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop everything finely. But, this takes a lot more time. Also, my kids seem to like the veggies in this ragù best when they ‘blend in’ and you can’t really tell they’re there.
I use a dutch oven (like this one from Le Creuset) and it ends up tasting better than when I use a stainless steel pot. I usually make a double batch and use both pots and you can taste a difference.
You can use all beef instead of ½ beef and ½ pork. You can also use sausage (remove from the casing) in place of the ground pork.
Let the ragù cook for 3 to 4 hours! Yes, it looks finished after 20 minutes, but as Italians like to say, time is a special ingredient! Luckily, with this ragù, you don’t need to hang out and stir for hours. Just get it cooking and check on it every once in a while (I usually peek every 45-60 minutes).
This freezes well. I usually make a double batch and freeze half.
You can use this ragu as a filling for lasagne.
Use the cooking time at the beginning of the recipe to prep other ingredients (open the wine, etc), wash dishes, and clean up. That way, once the ragù is simmering, you can move on to whatever you have planned next.
I hope you and your family enjoy this easy ragù recipe – buon appetito!
Easy Ragù Recipe (full of Veggies!) for Busy Parents
Delicious, veggie-filled, mostly hands-off Italian ragù that your family will ask you to make on repeat!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic (up to 4 if you love garlic!)
- 2 large carrots
- 2-3 celery stalks and leaves
- 1 zucchini (optional)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tube (130g) tomato double concentrate (or 2 6-oz cans tomato paste)
- 2 c red wine (or 1.5 if you take a few sips)
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- bay leaf (optional)
- tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and prep your veggies for the food processor. Peel the garlic, cut the onion into large chunks, peel (or don't) and cut carrots into large pieces, chop the celery (with leaves) into large chunks, cut the unpeeled zucchini into large chunks.
- Use the food processor to finely chop the garlic and veggies.
- Coat the bottom of your pot in olive oil and turn it on medium heat. When it's hot, add your finely-chopped vegetables. Drizzle some more oil on top of your veggies and add a few grinds of salt and pepper (about ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are transparent and the veggies are cooked.
- While the veggies are cooking, prep everything else - open the meat packages, open the wine, open the tomato paste, etc.
- Add the ground meat to the pot and stir. Add a few more grinds of salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the meat and veggies.
- A couple of minutes later, add the red wine and stir. Cook until the wine has completely evaporated (3-5 minutes)
- Add the optional Italian seasoning (I use ½ tsp fresh chopped thyme, ½ tsp fresh chopped rosemary, and a whole bay leaf). Add water until it's above the level of the meat by about ½ inch - you shouldn't see any ripples on the water's surface.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 hours.
- Occasionally check to make sure the water level isn't too low (it depends on your stove). If you need to, you can add a little bit more water to keep the ragu from burning.
- Check the seasoning and add more salt as needed. Serve with your choice of pasta, polenta, or rice. Optional: sprinkle with freshly-grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
I use this Mutti tomato double concentrate, but you can also use regular canned tomato paste.
You don't need to measure precisely and you can add more veggies if you like (throw in an extra carrot or two or add that last lonely piece of broccoli in the bottom of the fridge).
If you don't have a food processor, you can chop everything finely. But, this takes a lot more time. Also, my kids seem to like the veggies in this ragù best when they 'blend in' and you can't really tell they're there.
I use a dutch oven (like this one from Le Creuset) and it ends up tasting better than when I use a stainless steel pot. I usually make a double batch and use both pots and you can taste a difference.
You can use all beef instead of ½ beef and ½ pork. You can also use sausage (remove from the casing) in place of the ground pork.
This freezes well. I usually make a double batch and freeze half.
You can use this ragu as a filling for lasagne.
