Leftover Prime Rib Ragù
Turn leftover prime rib into another meal by making it into a rich homemade ragù that can be served with pasta & gnocchi, on burgers or in a lasagne!
If you’ve got leftover prime rib from Thanksgiving, this easy homemade ragù is a great way to turn it into another meal! Here, we’re slow cooking chunks of leftover roast beef in a rich red wine sauce until it’s pull apart tender then shredding it up. There’s plenty of garlic, fresh herbs & veg in there as well for a whole load of flavour!
So this recipe makes enough ragù to serve 8 people, with pasta/gnocchi. If you’ve got less leftover beef than the recipes uses, it can easily be halved to make a smaller amount. I used my ragù to make 2 different dishes. A really simple gnocchi ragù topped with parmesan & chives and a lasagne inspired pizza with roasted garlic bechamel, ricotta & mozzarella! What I’m trying to say, is that it’s really versatile & you’ll easily get another meal (or 2!) out of Thanksgiving leftovers.
For more dinner inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of main course recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade pasta, to slow cooked stews, pies, steaks & more. If you’re looking for more leftover roast beef recipes, you should check out my chimichurri roast beef hash or my gravy dipped roast beef sliders!
What You’ll Need
- Leftover Prime Rib – For this ragù, you’ll need 800 grams of leftover prime rib. Ideally your beef have been left as a large piece (not sliced) so that we can chop it into chunks. I used leftovers from my slow roasted prime rib!
- Veg – We’re making a soffritto for this sauce with white onions, carrots, celery & garlic.
- Herbs – I added some fresh rosemary & thyme to my ragù, plus a bay leaf as well. To make it easier to remove, we’re going to be tying sprigs of rosemary & thyme together with twine (this is optional though!).
- Beef Stock – You can use a homemade stock or a good quality stock pot/cube dissolved in hot water. I had some leftover Guinness & bone marrow gravy so I used this but thinned it out with some water.
- Red Wine – You’ll need a large glass of wine for this sauce. It’s best to use a wine that you’d drink but don’t worry about using something expensive.
- Tinned Tomatoes – A good quality tin of tomatoes is best for homemade ragù. You can use chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Though you’ll need to break plum tomatoes up with a spoon as you cook them.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce adds a deeper, savoury to our ragù.
- Vinegar – A small amount of balsamic vinegar in the sauce cuts through the richness from the beef & sauce.
How To Make Leftover Prime Rib Ragù
This homemade ragù is made the same way as a normal one, except we’re using leftover roast beef instead of raw stewing beef. Here, we make a rich red wine & beef sauce then slow cook chunks of leftover prime rib in it, until it’s fall apart tender…
- Sear Roast Beef
First, we need to chop our leftover roast beef into 1 inch chunks. Then we’re going to set a large pan over a medium-high heat, add in a splash of veg oil then once hot, fry the beef until well seared all over. - Cook Veg
Once the beef is seared, we use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat & oil in the pan. We then add diced onion, carrot & celery into the pan & cook for 5 minutes or so, until soft. Some grated garlic is then added in & cooked for another 30 seconds. - Deglaze Pan
Now we need to deglaze the pan, to get all that flavour off the bottom of the pan! To do this, we stir tomato paste into the veg, cook for a couple of minutes then pour in red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, to release all the browned, crispy bits. - Add Stock
Next, we reduce the red wine by about two thirds then add in beef stock, a tin of chopped tomatoes, some fresh herbs & the seared beef. - Simmer
Once the beef’s been added into the sauce, we need to cover the pan then simmer the sauce over a gentle heat until the beef is tender enough to shred. This will take around 2-2½ hours. To test the beef, lift a piece out of the sauce then use 2 forks to see if you can pull it apart easily. - Shred Beef & Reduce Sauce
Now that the beef is cooked, we use a slotted spoon to lift it out of the sauce & onto the tray. The sauce then needs to cook over a medium heat for another 20 minutes or so, until it has reduced by half. Whilst the sauce is reducing, we can shred the beef up, into bitesize chunks.
We need to take the herbs out of the sauce now as well. But they can be thrown away. - To Finish
To finish the ragù, we add Worcestershire sauce & balsamic vinegar into the sauce then stir in the shredded beef. We season the sauce to taste with salt & pepper then cook for another couple of minutes to let the flavours meld together. The ragù is now ready & can be used straight away. Or for the best flavour, let it chill in the fridge overnight then reheat the next day!
Serving Suggestions
Leftover prime rib ragù can be used just like a regular ragù! I served mine with potato gnocchi, grated parmesan & a sprinkle of finely chopped chives. You could serve it with pasta (pappardelle is best!), use it in a lasagne, on a pizza or on top of a burger!
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook ragù in an Aga, use the boiling plate to sear the beef, to cook the veg & to deglaze the pan. Move over to the simmering plate once you’ve added in the stock & tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes then cook on the floor of the simmering oven until tender (around 3 hours). Reduce the sauce on the boiling plate.
Yes, other types of roast beef can be used to make ragù. Instead of prime rib, you could use leftover topside, brisket or feather blade. It’s best to use a cut of beef that’s full of fat so that it won’t dry out as it slow cooks (don’t use fillet!).
Leftover roast beef ragù needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. It’s best to let ragù chill in the fridge overnight before serving, as this improves the flavour!
Yes homemade ragù can be frozen & it will keep in the freezer for several months. Make sure to store it in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn. It’s best to defrost ragù before reheating it.
More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Roasted Garlic Lasagne (Deep Dish)
- Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
- Beef Burritos
- Gnocchi Alla Vodka With Burrata
- Black Garlic Roasted Picanha (Beef Rump Cap)
- Leftover Roast Beef, Potato & Egg Hash With Chimichurri
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Leftover Prime Rib Ragù
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
Ragù
- 800 g Leftover Roasted Prime Rib (See Notes)
- 2 White Onions
- 2 Large Carrots
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 250 ml Red Wine
- 750 ml Beef Stock
- 400 g Tinned Tomatoes (1 Tin)
- A Few Sprigs Of Fresh Rosemary & Thyme (Tied Together)
- 1 Bay Leaf
To Finish
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
Ragù
- First, chop the leftover prime rib into 1 inch chunks then set to one side.
- Peel & finely dice the onions & carrots. Dice the celery as well but there's no need to peel – just make sure they're clean. Grate the garlic now as well but set to one side.
- Next, set a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two. Once hot, add in the chunks of prime rib then cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until well seared.Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. If needed, sear the beef in batches.
- Once seared, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium then add in the diced onion, carrot & celery, along with a pinch of salt then cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Make sure to stir the veg frequently. When the veg is cooked, add in the grated garlic then cook for another 30 seconds.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste, cook for a minute then pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon/spatula to deglaze.
- Let the red wine reduce by about two thirds then add in the beef stock, tin of tomatoes & herbs. Add the seared beef back in then season the sauce with salt & pepper.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid then gently simmer the ragù for 2-2½ hours until the beef is tender. You need to be able to shred it easily.To test the beef, lift a piece out of the sauce then use 2 forks to see if you can pull it apart.
- Once the beef is ready, use a slotted spoon to lift it out of the sauce & onto a tray. Set this aside for now. Take the herbs out of the sauce now as well; they can be discarded!
To Finish
- Turn the heat back up to medium then bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thick & has reduced by around 50%.
- Whilst the sauce is reducing, shred the beef into bitesize pieces (not too small!). You can do this with forks or by hand (wear food safe gloves).
- Once the sauce has reduced, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar & the shredded beef. Cook for another couple of minutes, to let the flavours meld together then season to taste with salt & pepper.
- The ragù can be served straight away or you can leave it to cool then store in the fridge for up to 3 days & reheat to serve. It will taste even better if you let it chill in the fridge overnight!See the notes section (or the post above) for some serving suggestions!
Unfortunately I cannot do tomatoes. Any suggestions for a substitute?
To make the ragu without tomatoes, you could replace them with extra beef stock. You could also try using white wine instead of red, to make a white ragu. This is the same as a classic ragu/bolognese but contains no tomatoes!