Shortcut Vegetable Ragu is a healthy, veggie-packed pasta recipe that goes from fridge to table in just 30 minutes. This weeknight-friendly recipe is perfect for busy nights!
“If I could give this recipe 10 stars, I would! It’s easy, delicious and everyone loves it. … This has been a favorite in our family for years!”
One dish (besides hot dogs) that I can always count on my crew to devour at dinnertime is spaghetti and meat sauce. Rain or shine, summer or winter – it’s always a win.
In my never-ending quest to get my family to eat more vegetables, I decided to sneak a bunch of ’em into my go-to meat sauce to see if they would notice.
Happily, they did not.
Vegetable Ragu has all the familiar flavors of spaghetti and meat sauce, and is PACKED with healthy ingredients!
What is Ragu?
Ragu is an Italian pasta sauce made from simmering big hunks of meat with vegetables, herbs, wine, and sometimes milk or cream until it becomes thick and rich. It’s a perfect slow-cooked Sunday supper, and I happen to have an EXCELLENT recipe.
My shortcut Vegetable Ragu is the busy weeknight version!
Fresh vegetables including carrots, celery, and mushrooms are cooked with onions and garlic, high-quality marinara sauce, chicken stock, fresh basil, and ground beef to create a crowd-pleasing pasta sauce that goes from fridge to table in just 30 minutes.
Serve with cooked pasta and dinner’s done!
Wine and Dairy-Free Ragu
Although ragu is traditionally made with both wine and dairy, I nix both in this weeknight-friendly version of ragu, and don’t miss them.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItMake-Ahead + Freezer-Friendly
Vegetable Ragu gets better as it sits in the fridge, so feel free to make the recipe ahead of time. It also freezes beautifully, so you can double or triple the recipe then freeze for later.
- To make-ahead: Cool then scoop the sauce into a glass storage container with a lid (plastic will stain) and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove.
- To freeze: Cool then scoop the cooked ragu into a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge then reheat in a pot on the stove.
Pair with Gluten-Free Focaccia
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prep and soften the vegetables.
Start by mincing fresh vegetables in a food processor, which saves a ton of time. If you don’t have a food processor, mince the vegetables finely.
To the bowl of your food processor, add onion and garlic then pulse until they’re finely minced.
Add the mixture to a large skillet over medium heat with extra virgin olive oil then saute until tender, 5 minutes.
Next, add carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the food processor then process until the vegetables are finely chopped.
Finely chopping the vegetables ensures they soften quickly and kind of melt into the sauce.
Add the vegetables to the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender, 5-7 more minutes.
Step 2: Add the ground beef.
Add ground beef to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, then saute until it’s no longer pink, breaking the ground beef up as it cooks.
Step 3: Add the liquids, then simmer.
Time for the star of the dish – a jar of high-quality, store-bought marinara sauce, which will make your Ragu taste slow cooked in a fraction of the time.
Be sure to use a high-quality marinara sauce like Gino’s (regional), Rao’s, or Bove’s. This is no time for Prego or, ironically, Ragu brand tomato sauce!
Simmer the marinara sauce with a splash of chicken broth for 10 minutes with the lid partially on top, then stir in chopped fresh basil. Love the pop of fresh flavor the basil brings to the dish.
Toss the ragu with cooked spaghetti and dinner’s done. I hope you love this easy, tasty way to healthify spaghetti night – enjoy!
More Easy Italian Recipes
- Pasta Pomodoro
- Gluten Free Meatballs
- Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Chicken Meatballs
- Italian Rice Ball Skillet
- Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
- Pastina Soup (aka Italian Penicillin)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large carrot, peeled then roughly chopped
- 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
- 4 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb ground beef
- 24 oz high-quality marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 lb spaghetti
Directions
- To a food processor, add the onion and garlic then pulse until minced, or finely mince by hand. Heat the oil in a large skillet with high sides over medium heat then add the onions and garlic and saute until softened, 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the food processor then pulse until minced, or finely mince by hand. Add to the skillet then turn the heat up to medium-high. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper then saute until tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up finely as it cooks. Add the marinara sauce and chicken broth to the skillet then stir to combine, turn the heat down to medium, place a lid partially on top, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in fresh basil then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the spaghetti and cook until it's all dente. Drain then scoop into bowls, top with the vegetable ragu, and then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Hi Kristen, I recently came across your blog. I was recently do with gluten intolerance, my question for you, since we’re both lucky enough to be Iowans, are you able to find large gf sections in your Hy-Vee or Fareway stores? I’m in Marion with small selections of certified gf food.
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to try this but am so glad you mentioned it in your post recently. IT IS DELICIOUS! Made it last night for dinner and am excited for the leftovers for lunch today. I used sweet Italian turkey sausage for the meat and Gino’s marinara (<-good call on that) and it was delectable. And I felt so good about devouring it because it was so veggie heavy! I've been on an IGE recipe roll lately so have decided that coming soon, I'm going to do a whole week where I make nothing but your recipes. I'll report back on that. Thanks again for such great recipes!
Hi. Great looking recipe. I just wanted to let you know that I remembered what you had once mentioned, about adding minced (sautéed) shrooms to extend your ground beef and now I religiously do it. It saves money, gives the food more vitamins, and is less calories (an issue for me and the hubs). In fact, my typical ratio is about 1/2 meat (usually ground turkey) and 1/2 shrooms. Thanks for the great idea!
I’m making this now (for maybe the 10th time)…it’s going to simmer away until dinner tonight. I keep coming back to this recipe because it’s simple but so good! I added some of the remaining tomatoes from our summer garden as well as a glug of red wine this time. Otherwise I make it as directed.
I made this tonight for the 2nd time now and my fiance and I just love it. SO good and easy to make! I can’t wait to have the leftovers in my lunch tomorrow :)
So glad to hear, Kerri – it’s one of our favorites too! :)
Where do you purchase Gino’s marinara sauce?
Hi Lois! It’s locally made here in central Iowa and you can get it at HyVee and Fareway stores!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! Couldn’t have been easier or better. My husband and I devoured it – made a half portion and it still came out perfectly. Thank you so much for this winner – definitely will make again :)
So glad to hear!! We make it every week too!
Kristin, this is one of the tastiest things I’ve made off a food blog–yours or any other! The only thing I did differently was add a little swirl of balsamic vinegar, once the pasta was in my bowl. Delicious.
We have ragu at least once a month at our house. It’s so delicious I have to stop myself from making it every week.
This is so super yummy. My little girls love`t I will put this precipe in my favorit recipe area. Thanks!
i made this tonight and doubled the recipe so i could freeze for the future. all i can say is…this is so super yummy. it doesn’t taste at all like a jar of store bought sauce. i’ll definite add this to the menu rotation. thanks!
I have made this recipe twice in 3 days and it is just short of amazing. Served with macaroni instead of spaghetti to make it sort of goulash-y. Delish! THANK YOU!
I definitely am craving a massive bowl of this hearty pasta right now – it looks incredibly comforting and delicious!