When deciding your weekly meals, planning quick, easy and healthy dinners can be challenging. While many of us are comfortable consuming the same breakfast or lunch a few times a week, dinner is one meal that's constantly changing. When choosing a dinner recipe, cravings, weather, timing and available ingredients are all deciding factors. Luckily, several recipes can be made to satisfy all of your dietary needs—polenta being one of them. Easy to prepare, when paired with a hearty sauce like beef ragu, polenta is a savory and mouth watering dish that everyone will enjoy. Follow the Beef Ragu with Polenta Recipe below to leave a lasting impression on your guests and their taste buds the next time you make dinner.
Beef Ragu with Polenta
When making any recipe, it's essential to know about the ingredients you are working with. Before preparing this Beef Ragu with Polenta recipe, take a moment to review the ingredients below to ensure that you have everything needed to make it a success. And don’t forget to read up on the polenta nutrition facts, especially if you haven’t worked with polenta before.
What Is Ragu?
Though many people consider ragu a tomato sauce, ragu is actually a meat-based Italian sauce in which a small amount of tomato sauce is added. Common meats that are used to create ragu are veal, beef, lamb, pork and even fish. Ragu contains more meat and minced elements than traditional tomato sauce and is typically made by combining wine, beef broth and milk to enrich the flavor.
What Is Polenta?
Polenta, a dish that originated in Northern Italy, is now a popular menu item worldwide. Most commonly made from coarsely ground yellow corn, polenta is simple, versatile and satisfying—all of which make it a star ingredient in several recipes. Though polenta only requires a few ingredients (water, salt, butter, pepper), it can be combined with a wide variety of foods like short ribs and pork. Additionally, polenta can also be worked into baked goods like polenta croutons and polenta cake.
Beef Ragu Recipe
Eager to try making ragu from scratch? This recipe will help you get started. Continue scrolling for step-by-step instructions to make homemade ragu.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
2 lb Chuck Roast
Pinch of Kosher salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
1 yellow Onion
5 cloves of Garlic
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1/4 cup Red Wine
28 oz Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1/4 cup Water
3 sprigs of Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Parmesan, for serving
Freshly chopped parsley, for serving
Directions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper, and sear in batches until all sides have browned. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove the seared chuck roast from the pan and place it into a large bowl.
- Heat the remaining oil over medium heat and add onion. Cook the onion until it's soft (6 minutes).
- Add garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and continue to cook until fragrant—about 1 minute more.
- Add tomato paste and cook until the mixture has darkened in color.
- Deglaze the sauce with wine, stirring and scraping up any brown bits.
- Add peeled tomatoes, water, thyme, bay leaf, balsamic vinegar and seared chuck roast—season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir the ragu and reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the ragu allowing it to simmer, occasionally stirring until the meat can easily be shredded. This process will take 2-2 ½ hours.
- Using a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes and meat and remove the bay leaf.
- Serve over a large plate of Basic Italian Polenta and top with parmesan.
Basic Italian Polenta
Try your hand at making authentic Italian polenta and follow the recipe below. You can create a polenta that pairs perfectly with the ragu recipe above with just four ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 cups Yellow Corn Polenta
- 6 cups Water
- ½ cup grated Cheese, like Parmesan, Romano, Fontina or Monterey Jack
Directions
- Prepare the ragu sauce above and set it to the side.
- Place a large and deep pan over high heat, bringing water and sea salt to boil.
- Gradually stir in the polenta and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, frequently stirring to prevent sticking.
- Continue simmering the polenta until the mixture is very thick (about 30 minutes).
- Stir in butter, and add additional salt to taste.
- Oil a deep, medium-sized bowl and spoon in the polenta, allowing it to sit for 10 minutes.
- Invert the bowl of polenta onto a flat plate where it will unmold and hold its shape.
- Cut the polenta into thick slices and top with your homemade ragu sauce and freshly grated cheese.
Benefits of Cooking with Polenta
If you've cooked with polenta before, you likely know just how valuable this ingredient is. There are several benefits when cooking with polenta. Here are a few of the most notable.
Polenta Is Versatile
Polenta has a very mild, slightly sweet taste that can be combined with several flavors. Use polenta to create a delicious dessert or a savory dinner. This ingredient's versatility makes it easy to add to just about any recipe.
Polenta Cooks Quickly
Compared to other popular dinner dishes, polenta cooks relatively quickly. By combining it with other quick-cooking ingredients, you can easily create an extravagant dinner in under an hour. It's ideal for a cozy night in or as a platter for your next dinner party. This is one recipe that you won't have to spend all day making.
Polenta-Based Recipes
Wondering what other delicious dishes you can create with polenta? Here are a few of our favorites to get you started.
Aztec Amaranth Polenta with Red Bean Corn and Chile Ragout
Though pronounced the same, ragu and ragout are two completely different meals. While ragus are typically made with shredded or minced meat, a ragout is a slowly simmered French-style dish that can also include seafood or vegetable,. In this recipe, Organic Amaranth Grain and Gluten Free Yellow Corn Polenta are combined with a variety of vegetables to create a hearty and warming dish that all of your dinner guests will love. Loaded with whole-grain goodness, this Aztec Amaranth Polenta with Red Bean Corn and Chile Ragout is gluten free, high fiber, lactose free, soy free and vegan.
Cheesy Polenta Casserole with Gorgonzola
Craving something cheesy, creamy and filling? This Cheesy Polenta Casserole with Gorgonzola is just the dish for you! Made with our Yellow Corn Polenta, this dish adds yellow and green onions, black pepper, eggs, parmesan and gorgonzola to create a casserole that's sure to satisfy everyone's taste buds. Plus, the entire recipe can be made in under 45 minutes and yields 20 servings. It's an easy way to feed a crowd, especially when you're searching for a gluten free dinner option.
Polenta Croutons
Spice up your favorite salad recipe and make croutons from scratch. Easy to make at home, adding homemade croutons to your recipe is sure to take any dish to the next level. To make these Polenta Croutons, begin by prepping the polenta on the stovetop with fresh cracked pepper, gruyere cheese and a dash of butter. Once it starts to cool, slice it into bite-sized pieces, toss it in olive oil and breadcrumbs, and bake until crispy and golden brown. Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, these croutons are best served at room temperature.
Now that you know how to create a delicious beef ragu with polenta, it's time you put your cooking skills to the test. Start by following the steps above, and adjust the recipe to your liking. Ideal for a family dinner night or when serving a table full of guests, this is one recipe that will not disappoint. If you'd like to explore other recipes created with polenta after making this beef ragu, choose from one of the ones listed above or search our online recipe book for inspiration. We're sure that no matter what you cook up, it's bound to be delicious. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, have a happy and healthy day!
Do you enjoy cooking with polenta? We'd love to hear about the recipes you've created with this tasty ingredient. Share your favorite polenta-based dishes with us in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you.
