Poor Man’s Shredded Beef Ragu

Boneless short ribs slow cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with pasta or roasted vegetables. The perfect hearty and delicious meal the whole family will enjoy.

Ragú is one of those dishes that’s so good, you find yourself dancing as you eat. This version is no different. You may be wondering why I’m calling this Poor Man’s Shredded Beef Ragu. Well, I didn’t have all the ingredients needed for a traditional ragú, so I improvised a bit. It turned out so delicious, I had to share with you.

If you follow me on social media or Instagram, you know I am participating in the September Whole30. This will be my 3rd full round of Whole30 and it’s a bit easier but I also know what’s coming. I know I’m going to most likely wake up tomorrow with a headache and some light cravings, and then by day 11, I may want to eat all the cheese I see on a pizza on my tv screen. But, it’s all worth it because I know the end result. I know the reward! The feeling of success and hard work to improve my relationship with food, my body, and my overall health.

For maximum flavor, I decided to use boneless grass-fed beef short ribs. I asked my butcher to trim off some of the fat, but leave some on to intensify the flavors and keep the meat tender and juicy. Season the short ribs with a generous amount of salt and black pepper on all sides.

Sear the short ribs on all sides for a few minutes at a time until it develops a rich brown crust.

Make the sauce in the saucepan you just seared the meat in. Then return the meat to the sauce and cook low and slow until the meat is tender and fall apart delicious.

Poor Man’s Shredded Beef Ragu

WHOLE30 || PALEO || KETO

This is exactly why I feel it’s so important to make your meals exciting and fun. I really enjoy creating meals and recipes with tons of rich and exciting flavors. This way I’m excited and happy about my meals and I don’t feel deprived. A perfect example of this is this poor man’s shredded beef ragu. It’s packed with big flavors and is nothing short of delicious. It’s also very versatile and goes well with just about every vegetable and good carb.

One thing you will love about Ragu is it’s not a tomato-based sauce. It’s a meat-based sauce so the possibilities are endless. Although our recipe is for beef Ragu, you can also make pork, chicken, lamb, fish or even vegetable ragú.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to serving this Ragu. I can serve it over zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, breakfast potatoes, eggs, over a salad packed with roasted veggies and many more.

Try serving without Sweet Potato Noodles for a hearty, delicious and cozy meal.

Let’s get cooking

Poor Man’s Shredded Beef Ragu

Boneless short ribs slow cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with pasta or roasted vegetables. The perfect hearty and delicious meal the whole family will enjoy.

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Boneless short ribs slow cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with pasta or roasted vegetables. The perfect hearty and delicious meal the whole family will enjoy.

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Prep Time:10 mins

Cook Time:1 hr 35 mins

Total Time:1 hr 45 mins

Yields:6 Serves

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Ingredients

4
cloves garlic
14.5
ounce can dice fire-roasted tomatoes
1.5
lbs. boneless short ribs, with fat trimmed
sea salt
cracked black pepper
2
tbsp. avocado oil
1
onion, diced
3.5
ounces shiitake or portobello mushrooms, diced
1
tbsp. tomato paste
1/4
cup bone broth
1
tsp. fish sauce*
1/4
tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Before you start cooking, add the diced tomatoes and garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until the tomatoes and garlic are puréed. Set aside and move on to the next step.
Begin by seasoning the short ribs thoroughly with salt and pepper. Then, heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the short ribs and lower the heat to medium-high. Sear the ribs on all sides until brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the ribs from the pan and set them aside.
To the same pot, add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are tender, about 5-7minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and add the tomato paste. Continue to sauté for a couple of minutes to cook the tomato paste. Now, add the bone broth to deglaze the pan. Sauté until the broth reduces a bit. Then, pour in the tomato and garlic mixture, fish sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Return the meat to the sauce, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the ribs are fall-apart tender (if after an hour the meat is still hard to pull apart, continue to cook for about half an hour). Remove the ribs from the pot, shred and return to the sauce. Taste, and season with a little more salt if necessary. Continue to simmer uncovered for about 15 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve atop zucchini noodles, spaghetti, or roasted vegetables.

Notes

* The fish sauce is just meant to add flavor. you aren’t going to taste it at all. However, You can replace the fish sauce with coconut aminos, or Worcestershire sauce. If you are using Worcestershire sauce and you’re doing a Whole30, make sure the ingredients are Whole30 compliant.