Quick & Comforting – Beef Ragu with Pasta

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What screams comfort food more than a bowl of pasta, smothered in a beef ragu, topped with shavings of fresh parmesan?

This beef ragu is simple and most of the ingredients are common pantry items. Garlic, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, red pepper flakes, ground beef are a few of the ingredients. I do like to use Italian tomatoes like San Marzano. If you aren’t familiar with San Marzano, here is a link that explains why they are such a good tomato to buy for a recipe like this: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/best-canned-tomatoes-san…

While this recipe calls for anchovies, you can omit them, but honestly, they make this beef ragu. You may think you don’t like them but anchovies just dissolve into the sauce, you don’t even know they are there!

I used fettucini with this beef ragu because it is wider than regular spaghetti and I wanted a thicker pasta with this sauce. Pappardelle pasta would be beautiful with this ragu, but you really can use any noodle you desire or that is your favorite.

Quick & Comforting – Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

Serve this delicious beef ragu with pasta with an Italian Salad or the salad of your choice, and garlic bread. If you’d like a vegetable side dish my garlicky sauteed spinach would be the perfect addition to the meal:https://the2spoons.com/garlicky-sauteed-spinach-red-pepper-flakes/

Quick & Comforting – Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive oil plus more for drizzling
• 1 Medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 Anchovy filets (optional) Anchovies add so much! You won’t know they’re in the ragu
• 2 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 Ib Ground beef, pork or lamb
• 1 28oz Crushed tomatoes I use Italian San Marzano
• 12 Oz Cooked fettuccine or other pasta
• Parmigiana Reggiana Cheese shavings, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano grated
• Fresh thyme parsley for serving

Instructions

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a pinch of red-pepper flakes and anchovies, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to toast the spices and melt the anchovies.

  Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally so it has a chance to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.

  Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir beef until the fat starts to soften and the meat begins to break down. Continue to cook, stirring rather frequently until the beef begins to brown and sizzle in its own fat, 5 to 8 minutes.

  Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and swirl around to get all the remaining tomato, then add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper if needed and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until sauce is thickened and insanely flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.

  Serve sauce mixed into and over pasta with plenty of parmigiana reggiana shavings or Parmesan cheese Or Pecorino Romano for grating over the top, scattered with a handful of crushed parsley. 

Notes

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