Slow Cooked Braised Beef Ragu With Polenta

This recipe for slow cooked braised beef ragu with polenta is the perfect comfort dinner for a cold fall night! Round roast beef is slow cooked until it falls apart, in a mixture of san Marzano tomatoes, red wine and lots of delicious seasonings and spices!

Slow cooked braised beef ragu with polenta is one of those recipes you want on hand for those cold fall nights, where you want something warm, cozy and comforting!

This is a throw everything in a crockpot, or in some cases like mine, a dutch oven. Cover it and let it cook all day.

So easy, and so flavorful. It also makes a lot, so you will feed your entire family, plus may have more for leftovers!

Ok, so polenta may be one of those foods where you may have heard of it, but never tried it. Or, you have tried it and absolutely hated it. OR, you may absolutely love it!

I used to hate it. But that was completely my fault, because I didn’t know how to cook it correctly. I didn’t know what to add to it to add goos flavoring, or to make it that perfect, creamy consistency.

You can also cook polenta so it’s more solid, rather than creamy. Which I like both ways, but for this recipe it’s better to make it creamy.

What is polenta?

Im glad you asked! Polenta is simply just yellow cornmeal, boiled with water until it’s a thicker porridge like consistency. You can add salt, butter, cheese, whatever you’d like really to add flavor and creaminess.

Polenta by itself is also a great gluten free option to replace pasta!

Like I said, polenta can be cooked to a more solid consistency. You can also sauté it to crisp it up a bit, which is my favorite!

Check out this recipe of mine for polenta with gorgonzola and honey! https://thehungrylyoness.com/polenta-with-gorgonzola-and-honey/

If you make this recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

Slow Cooked Braised Beef Ragu With Polenta

This recipe for slow cooked braised beef ragu with polenta is the perfect comfort dinner for a cold fall night! Round roast beef is slow cooked until it falls apart, in a mixture of san Marzano tomatoes, red wine and lots of delicious seasonings and spices! 

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course crockpot, Dinner, slow cooker

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• slow cooker
• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

  

For The Braised Beef Ragu

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 lbs. beef round roast
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 28 oz. cans of whole san Marzano tomatoes, drained of liquid
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• black pepper to taste

For The Polenta

• 6 cups water
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1¾ cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

Make The Braised Beef Ragu

• In a crockpot OR dutch oven (see note) place round roast, along with the rest of ingredients for the ragu.

  note* I used a dutch oven because I was home all day while this cooked. If you would prefer using a crockpot, that works just as well too!
• If using crockpot, cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. If using a dutch oven, cover and let simmer for 7-8 hours.

For Polenta

• When the braised beef ragu is done, make the polenta.
• In a large pot, add 6 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Add salt and cornmeal, whisking mixture constantly for 2-3 minutes.
• Take off heat and add butter, and parmesan cheese. Mix until everything is incorporated and butter has melted.
• Serve polenta with braised beef ragu on top.
• Enjoy!

Keyword braised beef, dinner, dutch oven, fall recipes, polenta, slow cooker