Fusilli with a rich beef ragu sauce

by Paul Warburton on 01 October 2010  |  4 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for fusilli with a rich beef ragu sauce - for £1.49 per person!

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Fusilli with a rich beef ragu sauce (Serves 4)

A good ragu is a long, slow and chilled out process. It’s really simple and the flavours that come through in the end should have lots of depth – which can only be achieved by slow cooking. The best way to serve is with pasta, although you can always serve with rice, jacket potato or a massive piece of crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 690g of Tesco value beef stewing steak (£3.44)
• 1 bulb of garlic (30p)
• 2 medium onions (36p)
• 25g of fresh rosemary (79p)
• 1 can of Tesco value chopped tomatoes (33p)
• 500g of Tesco organic Fusilli (75p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, olive oil, dried chilli flakes, tomato puree and 2 beef stock cubes.  

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco where it came to £5.97 - that's £1.49 per head!

Instructions

• Start by preparing all of your ingredients for the ragu. So finely chop the onions, rosemary, 8 cloves of garlic and the beef. Now get a good thick bottomed pan on to a high heat and add a good generous glug of olive oil and get the oil hot. Once the oil is hot add the beef, season well with salt and lots of black pepper and brown all over. This will take about 5 minutes and we’re looking for a really good colour on the beef.
• Once the beef is nicely browned, remove from the pan and set to one side, turn down to a medium heat and add the onions. Cook down the onions for a few minutes until they soften and then add the garlic and rosemary to the pan. Cook for a further 2 minutes and then add the beef (makes sure you add all the juices that have run off onto the plate), along with 5 tablespoons of tomato puree, a pinch of dried chilli flakes, a tin of tomatoes and 560ml of hot beef stock (use 2 stock cubes) – you can also add a really good splash of red wine if you have it at this point. Give all the ingredients a good stir to make sure nothing has caught on the bottom of the pan, bring up to a simmer and then cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a the lowest of heats for the next 2 ½ hours.
• Make sure you stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.
• Cook the pasta in large pan of salted boiling water and serve with the ragu on top along with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan.
• Happy eating!

A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

“Thanks Paul, another great tasting easy recipe. It was my first risotto attempt ever and it was great, I even impressed my in-laws with it. Many thanks...” welshlady

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes:   Toad in the hole with mustard crème fraiche sauce & pickled red cabbage | Pot roasted chicken with paprika, shallots and potatoes | Smoked haddock and leek risotto | Prawn and chilli linguine | Homemade Cornish pasties | Teriyaki chicken legs with coriander and lime noodles | Turkey, mozzarella and sage meatballs with fettuccine and tomato sauce | Lemon and garlic roasted lamb breast, boulangere potatoes and minted peas | Posh macaroni cheese with crispy bacon and oven dried tomatoes | Falafel, roast pepper and feta salad with chilli tomato salsa | Chicken ‘oven baked’ with cream, mushrooms and thyme | Slow roasted pork shoulder ‘Chinese style’ with pak choi | Chilli steak burgers, paprika wedges and homemade coleslaw |Broad bean, halloumi and mint farfalle | My chicken curry, basmati rice and coriander yoghurt | Barbecued whole mackerel and a spicy lime salsa | Moussaka | Pan fried trout fillets with a dill potato salad | Chicken braised with cider and red cabbage (and proper baked potatoes) | Lincolnshire sausages with red onion gravy and thyme and Gouda polenta | Beef enchiladas with a lime sour cream | Slow roasted duck legs and charlotte potatoes with a carrot and cumin salad | Paella | Asparagus and gruyere tart with new potatoes | Haddock fishcakes with radish and watercress salad and lemon crème fraiche dressing | Prawn and pea risotto | Honey roasted gammon and apples with champ | Hot chocolate fondants with crème Chantilly | Shin of beef, kidney and ale pie Tandoori chicken with coconut rice & mint raita | Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta  | Frugal Pancakes | Griddled black pudding, chimichurri mash and caramelised apples  | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice  | Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad & chilli grilled pittas  | Pork, rosemary and white bean ravioli with a chilli tomato sauce  | Sausage & leek casserole with parsley dumpings | Pork, chorizo & cannellini bean stew | Rabbit, bacon & thyme pie | Potato rosti with creamed spinach and poached egg | Pumpkin and sage risotto | Slow braised oxtail with autumn mash | Spiced whole mackerel with chickpea salad | Twice cooked belly pork (with gravy) parsnips and sweet apple red cabbage | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Lemon tart with fresh vanilla mascarpone | Massaman curry |  Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit  |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs |  Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lancashire) hotpot

Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.