Ground beef tomato ragu is a straightforward meat sauce with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomatoes, and dried herbs. A short covered simmer brings the ingredients together without claiming the long traditional preparation of a regional Bolognese. It uses beef for a clearly specified version.
The sauce makes four portions for separately cooked pasta. Dicing the firm vegetables finely helps them soften during the stated schedule. The recipe includes optional pasta and Parmesan measures for serving without treating them as sauce ingredients that disappear into the pot.
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Why This Recipe Works
Onion, carrot, and celery add small tender pieces and mild sweetness around the beef. Ground beef tomato ragu benefits from softening them before meat is added, rather than leaving large crunchy carrot chunks in a short-cooked sauce. Garlic enters later so it does not scorch while the vegetables soften.
Tomato paste adds concentration while broth supplies enough moisture for simmering. A mostly covered pot keeps the sauce from drying too quickly. If it finishes looser than preferred, a few uncovered minutes reduce excess liquid without adding an unlisted flour thickener.
Ingredients for Ground Beef Tomato Ragu
Use five hundred grams ground beef, roughly one pound and two ounces. One medium onion, one medium carrot, and one celery stalk should be finely diced. Use a fourteen-ounce can diced tomatoes, approximately four hundred grams, including its juices.
For ground beef tomato ragu, measure two tablespoons each olive oil and tomato paste, one cup beef broth, and a teaspoon each dried oregano and basil. Optional serving ingredients are twelve ounces dry pasta cooked separately and a quarter cup grated Parmesan. Extra salt depends on the broth and tomatoes.
Meat Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1 medium carrot (finely diced)
- 1 stalk celery (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 500 g ground beef (approximately 1 pound 2 ounces)
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained; approximately 400 grams)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 0–¼ cup water (only if sauce dries early; add 1–2 tablespoons at a time)
Optional Serving
- 12 oz dry pasta (optional; boil separately according to package)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
How to Make Ground Beef Tomato Ragu
Warm oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, and celery for five to seven minutes until beginning to soften, then stir in garlic briefly. Increase the heat slightly, add beef, and break it into small crumbles while cooking to 160°F. Drain excess fat if needed.
Stir in tomato paste for about a minute, then add diced tomatoes with their juice, broth, oregano, and basil. Bring ground beef tomato ragu to a gentle simmer, reduce heat, and partially cover. Cook about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally from the bottom.
Check a carrot piece for tenderness and assess the sauce. Extend gently if vegetables are firm. If too watery, uncover for a few minutes; if drying early, lower heat and add one or two tablespoons water at a time, up to a quarter cup. Taste before seasoning and serve over separately prepared pasta.
How to Serve
Use ground beef tomato ragu for four pasta portions, dividing the meat and vegetables evenly. Optional Parmesan is added at the table. Prepare pasta according to its package while the sauce finishes so it can be drained close to serving.
The sauce can also accompany a separately prepared vegetable base, but that changes the serving plan rather than the sauce formula. No wine, milk, or cream is required in this simple tomato-and-broth version.
Storage
Refrigerate ground beef tomato ragu within two hours in shallow covered containers at 40°F or below. Use within three to four days. Storing sauce separately from pasta can make reheating easier and prevent noodles from taking up all its liquid.
Freeze cooled sauce for up to three months for quality, allowing room for expansion. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat to at least 165°F, stirring and bringing the sauce to a simmer so the center and edges warm evenly.
The FDA safe food handling guidance explains prompt refrigeration and temperature checks for perishable foods.
Tips and Variations
For ground beef tomato ragu, use small vegetable dice and give them their initial softening time. Browning only the meat cannot compensate for thick pieces of raw carrot in the finished sauce. A broad pot also reduces splashing compared with a narrow overfilled saucepan.
Choose one meat rather than alternating vaguely between beef and pork halfway through the instructions. This written version specifies beef and its temperature. Other meats require their own handling checks, and ground poultry is not governed by the same minimum temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ground beef tomato ragu a long traditional Bolognese?
It is a simple short-simmered beef tomato sauce described by its ingredients and method.
Should diced tomatoes be drained?
No. Add the can and its juices to supply the stated sauce liquid.
How finely are vegetables cut?
Use small dice so carrot and celery soften during the approximately thirty-minute simmer.
What if the sauce is too watery?
Finish uncovered briefly, stirring, until it reaches the texture you prefer.
Does the pasta cook in the sauce?
No. The optional dry pasta is boiled separately according to its package.
More Recipes to Try
- Turkey Bolognese with Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- Long-Simmered Beef Taco Soup with Black Beans and Corn
- Sloppy Joe Casserole with Cheddar Drop Biscuits
- Creamy Steak Pepper Skillet with Provolone and Onion
Ground Beef Tomato Ragu with Carrot, Celery and Herbs
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 500 g ground beef approximately 1 pound 2 ounces
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes undrained; approximately 400 grams
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 0–¼ cup water only if sauce dries early; add 1–2 tablespoons at a time
Optional Serving
- 12 oz dry pasta optional; boil separately according to package
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wide saucepan. Soften finely diced onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef and cook in small crumbles until 160°F, draining excess fat if necessary. Stir tomato paste through for 1 minute.
- Add undrained diced tomatoes, broth, oregano, and basil. Simmer gently, partially covered, about 30 minutes, stirring periodically, until vegetables are tender.
- If thin, simmer uncovered briefly. If drying too quickly, lower heat and add conditional water 1–2 tablespoons at a time, up to ¼ cup. Taste salt and pepper and serve in 4 portions with optional separately cooked pasta and Parmesan.
