Beef Ragu Fettuccine
A simple, classic, family friendly pasta dish that's so easy and perfect for calorie counting diets or plans like Weight Watchers!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories445
- Carbs44g
- Protein24g
- Fat15g
- Saturates8g
- Sugars3g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Everybody needs a classic meaty pasta dish in their cooking repertoire! Ragu is an Italian word for a meat based sauce that’s served with pasta, so in this case the clue is in the name! Tender chunks of beef, tangy tomato sauce and tons of flavour, this dish is perfect for popping in the slow cooker for a hearty dinner that’s super easy.
We’ve also finely diced plenty of nutrient packed veggies in this recipe, which is great for fussy eaters: sometimes smaller chunks make it easier to “hide” those pesky carrots from unsuspecting family! You may also see a surprising ingredient in there too: pearl barley. Pearl barley is such an underrated grain because it’s super cheap and a great way of adding texture and fibre, which will help keep you fuller for longer.
What diets is this Beef Ragu Fettuccine recipe suitable for?
This Beef Ragu Fettuccine is suitable for dairy free diets.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Beef Ragu Fettuccine?
All of the ingredients are easily available in supermarkets, woohoo!
We have used a special bit of kit though, an Instant Pot. It’s like a like a slow cooker/pressure cooker hybrid, and it’s probably one of our favourite and most-used kitchen gadgets. This Beef Ragu Fettuccine will take 30 minutes in the pressure cooker compared with 5 or 6 hours in the slow cooker!
If you’ve never heard of it you can check it out over on Amazon. Imagine the best slow cooker in the world, then times that by a hundred. There’s not much that it can’t do!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker don’t worry, there’s a slow cooker method in the instructions below.
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‘Did it in the slow cooker, I freeze the second half without the pasta. The smell when we arrived home was amazing 😋’
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The Instant Pot is basically a super slow cooker with a whole heap of other functions. It’s the safest pressure cooker out there – and you can have pulled pork cooked in just an hour! Yes, an hour! They’re available on Amazon, and if you follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter we’ll let you know whenever it’s on offer.
We like to cook this in a slow cooker too. You can pick up slow cookers in most large supermarkets, or online from Amazon.
How many calories are in this Beef Ragu Fettuccine?
There are 445 calories in this Beef Ragu Fettuccine, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
This Beef Ragu Fettuccine is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
In the Instant Pot
Step 1
Place a large pan of water onto the hob to boil for the pasta.
Step 2
Spray the Instant Pot with a little low calorie cooking spray, then add the beef, press the Sauté button and brown the meat – this will take a few minutes. Once browned, add the veg and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
Step 3
Press the Off button and add the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot. Click the Manual button and adjust the time to 30 minutes, ensuring the venting valve is closed.
Step 4
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, use the Quick Pressure Release method, drain the pasta (when cooked) and stir into the ragu.
Step 5
Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan, if you like (remember to add extra calories or points it if using it!)
In the slow cooker
Step 1
Spray a frying pan with a little low calorie cooking spray, then sauté the meat until browned – this will take a few minutes. Once browned, add the veg and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
Step 2
Tip the contents of the pan into the slow cooker then add all the remaining ingredients (apart from the pasta).
Step 3
Set to medium-high and allow to cook for 5 to 6 hours or until the meat starts to break up.
Step 4
Place a large pan of water onto the hob to boil for the pasta.
Step 5
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, then drain the pasta (when cooked) and stir into the ragu.
What can you serve with this Beef Ragu Fettuccine?
This recipe is a complete meal, so you don’t you don’t have to serve it with anything other than a side salad.
You can of course, leave out the pasta and serve the Beef Ragu Fettuccine with mash potato or rice. However, this is a great alternative if, like me, disaster strikes, there are no potatoes and you just cannot face another supermarket trip!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
Can you cook this Beef Ragu Fettuccine any other way?
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The beef ragu for this recipe was made in the Instant Pot!
The Instant Pot has become my favourite kitchen gadget, which I wouldn’t be without. Being able to cook delicious stews, curries and rice (and much more) within minutes is something of a revelation.
If you’re worried about it being too technical, don’t be – it’s so simple to use!
I cooked the pasta separately from the Beef Ragu as I didn’t want it to be over cooked as the meat needed longer, but with a bit of jiggery pokery there’s no reason why you couldn’t do this in one pot.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker……you can make it in a slow cooker too. It will take around 5 – 6 hours on medium/high. The instructions are in the recipe card below.
How long can you keep this Beef Ragu Fettuccine in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of this in the fridge for approximately 2 or 3 days.
Can you freeze this Beef Ragu Fettuccine?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it has cooled right down.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer! Unless you fancy mystery food for dinner!
How do I reheat Beef Ragu Fettuccine?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat until it’s steaming hot all the way through before serving.
From frozen: Always defrost leftovers completely, either in the fridge or in the microwave, before reheating. Cooked food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer should be reheated and eaten within 24 hours of fully defrosting.
Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave making sure the dish is steaming hot all the way through before serving.
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Beef Ragu Fettuccine
A simple, classic, family friendly pasta dish that's so easy and perfect for calorie counting diets or plans like Weight Watchers!
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 445
- Carbs 44G
Instructions
In the Instant Pot
- Place a large pan of water onto the hob to boil for the pasta
- Spray the Instant Pot with a little low calorie cooking spray, then add the beef, press the Sauté button and brown the meat - this will take a few minutes. Once browned, add the veg and sauté for a further 2 minutes
- Press the Off button and add the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot. Click the Manual button and adjust the time to 30 minutes, ensuring the venting valve is closed
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, use the Quick Pressure Release method, drain the pasta (when cooked) and stir into the ragu
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan (remember to add extra calories or points it if using it!)
In the Slow Cooker
- Spray a frying pan with a little low calorie cooking spray, then sauté the meat until browned - this will take a few minutes. Once browned, add the veg and saute for a further 2 minutes
- Tip the contents of the pan into the slow cooker then add all the remaining ingredients (apart from the pasta)
- Set to medium-high and allow to cook for 5 to 6 hours or until the meat starts to break up
- Place a large pan of water onto the hob to boil for the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, then drain the pasta (when cooked) and stir into the ragu
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109 comments
See what others have to say
JessicaSaturday 14th October 2023
I dont have any pearl barley, would this make a difference?
SharonFriday 20th October 2023
Hi Jessica, the pearl barley will help to thicken the Beef Ragu. If you leave it out, you may need tho cook the mixture for a little longer for it to reduce and thicken. Another member of our community has suggested using lentils instead of pearl barley and said it worked well. Hope this helps!
Marlene RevieWednesday 20th September 2023
Made this yesterday and loved it, thanks.
Substitute a Leek for the courgette as I didn’t have one, but absolutely yummy.
SharonFriday 13th October 2023
Hi Marlene, we’re so pleased to hear you loved our Beef Ragu Fettuccine! Thanks for sharing your for using leek instead of courgette.
Susan GoodfellowMonday 26th April 2021
How much does actually one portion of these meals measure/ weigh as it states 445 calories per portion, but doesn’t state the weight of one portion.
HollyTuesday 27th April 2021
Hi Susan, We work out our recipes on the serving size not by weight. To work out your own weight of a serving you would need to make the finished dish and divide servings, as the weight will vary due to variation of ingredients and water content it’s not something we can do as an exact measure. If you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page on the website there is a little arrow by servings and you can alter up or down to serve more or less people. Hope that helps!
DeanaFriday 5th March 2021
Would it be ok to add mince to this recipe instead of beef chunks. I have a fussy 5 year old that didn’t like the beef but loved the sauce and pasta!
SharonFriday 5th March 2021
Hi Deana, we haven’t tried this recipe with minced beef but it should work fine. Minced beef will take less time to cook than chunks of beef, so you could try shortening the cooking time. Hope this helps.
VictoriaWednesday 17th February 2021
Hi there,
My slow cooker only has low or high setting. Which would be best to use for the beef ragu?
Thanks.
SharonWednesday 17th February 2021
Hi Victoria, it would be best to use the high setting and follow the timings in the recipe.Thanks for your question.
CarlaFriday 8th January 2021
Hi
Can you do this in the oven, if so for how long and would you just bung all ingredients into the casserole pot.
Many thanks
SharonFriday 8th January 2021
Hi Carla, we haven’t tested this recipe in the oven but it should work fine. Brown the meat in a frying pan, then add the vegetables and saute them for 2 minutes. Place the browned meat and vegetables in a casserole dish and add the remaining ingredients.Cover with a lid and cook at 150ºC – 160ºC for about 3 hours, checking occasionally to make sure it doesn’t dry out, adding a little water if needed. Enjoy the recipe!
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