I’ll be honest, I totally went out on a limb with this one. Beef ragu over pappardelle is one of my favorite dishes to order at restaurants, so I wanted to give it a try at home and felt like the crock pot was the best way to cook it. Not to mention, I’m always up for a good reason to use the crock pot. 😉
I was very hesitant about the combination of the mushroom soup + sour cream + tomatoes (creating a stroganoff/ragu type sauce), but I am happy to say we all LOVED the outcome! I will definitely make this again.
If you are preparing meals in advance for yourself or to bring to a new mama, this sauce would be great to make and freeze. I would divide it into 3rds or 4ths (once cooled) and freeze in separate ziplocks bags. Such a easy thing to pull out and thaw and toss over any pasta.
Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1lb pappardella pasta
1lb beef for stew
2T butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Trader Joe’s- it’s seasonal, so I stock up when they have it!)
1- 28oz can San Marzano peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup Beef Stock
1 cup Sour Cream
(Optional: Corn starch + water to thicken sauce)
Parmesan
Directions:
Line the crockpot with a crock pot liner. Trust me- they will change your life, and you will thank me when your cleanup takes one minute.
Lay beef and butter in the bottom of the crock pot. Cover with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add onions, mushrooms, carrots, soup, tomatoes, and stock on top.
Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Break apart beef and tomatoes with two forks. Add in sour cream and stir. If you’d like for the sauce to be thicker, mix a little corn starch and water together until it’s smooth (I used 1T of starch + water), and add in a little at a time. Add additional salt and pepper as needed.
Cook pappardelle pasta to al dente. Optional: add a little butter once drained and before adding sauce. Spoon sauce on top and garnish with fresh parmesan.
