Easy Ground Beef & Mushroom Ragu Sauce
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Nov 2, 2015 (last updated Oct 28, 2024) 
This delicious ragu is made with ground beef, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste for a hearty beef & mushroom pasta sauce. It tastes like it has been simmering all day, but takes less than 30 minutes to make stovetop.
5 star review
“My picky eater kids (and husband) had no idea there were mushrooms in this and they really liked it. They still don’t know because I want them to eat it again 🙂 Very delicious!”
– Stacey
Ground Beef & Mushroom Pasta Sauce in Under 30-Minutes
There are few meals more satisfying to my family than pasta served with a hearty sauce! And I’m happy to oblige since I can add plenty of veggies to the sauce, and get dinner on the table quickly & easy, especially if you’re in a dinner rut, this easy mushroom and beef ragu is great place to start.
I’m a big fan of 30-minute recipes, which is why I created this mushroom and beef ragu recipe to be ready in just a few minutes, while still tasting like it’s been simmering away all day. It’s also made with simple, real ingredients, and is super versatile. It can be served over pasta, spaghetti or polenta for a simple, satisfying weeknight dinner.
Process & Tips
Like my go-to tomato cream sauce, this ragu sauce recipe has minimal prep steps to help you get dinner done fast. Simply sauté your chopped veggies, brown the beef, add the tomatoes, tomato paste and spices and let simmer. And before you know it you’ll have a delicious, flavorful, beef ragu recipe to serve over top any pasta or veggie noodle you like.
My biggest tip is to chop the onion and mushrooms very, very finely so the texture is less noticeable when cooked with the beef. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to chop the onions and mushrooms into very fine pieces. This method is a great choice for children who have a difficult time with the texture of vegetables, since they cook down nicely into the sauce.
Then just serve over spaghetti or any other shape of pasta you like. It also works great for a low carb option, like ladling it over zoodles or cooked spaghetti squash, as well as a combination of the two – so a mixture of half pasta and half zoodle / spaghetti squash for an extra veggie boost. You can even use any leftover sauce to make an easy lasagna!
Storing & Freezing
Homemade tomato sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, in a sealed container. This sauce also freezes beautifully, either in a gallon ziplock bag, or individually in mason jars. You can store it in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to 2-3 months.
Ingredients & Substitution Tips
Ground beef: The type of ground beef is up to you, either a 95% lean ground beef or traditional 80% lean ground beef will work. The extra fat from an 80% lean ground beef will lend extra flavor and be more tender. If you prefer not to use red meat, dark meat ground turkey makes a great substitute.
Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, often called baby bellas. Portobello mushrooms will also work well.
Tomato paste: Don’t skip the tomato paste, it’s what allows the sauce to thicken up.
Crushed tomatoes: The crushed tomatoes add lots of delicious flavor and moisture without watering down your sauce.
Garlic: I love the flavor of fresh garlic in this recipe. But you can also use granulated garlic powder in it’s place if you prefer.
Olive oil: I like the flavor of olive oil best in this recipe. But any neutral oil will work in this soup, such as avocado oil, vegetable oil or canola.
If you’re looking for more easy pasta sauce recipes you’ll also love this easy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce and this Pesto Rosso recipe too!
More Ground Beef Recipes
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
Easy Ground Beef & Mushroom Ragu Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, very finely chopped
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, mushroom, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions and mushrooms are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, beef, ¼ teaspoon salt, and the Italian seasoning. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and ½ teaspoon salt, stirring to combine. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Makes enough for 1-pound of cooked pasta or spaghetti.
- This sauce will thicken up even more when allowed to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- For more ingredients & substitutions, see blog post above.
I made this last night over polenta and it was amazing! I used fire roasted crushed tomatoes, the sauce turned out very flavorful and i have enough sauce leftover for a second dinner!
Laura, mmmm, you’re version sounds amazing! Definitely making this with fire roasted tomatoes next time. 🙂
Made this for dinner last night. Yum! Thanks, Robyn, for the ways in which you share your gifts and how that blesses others!
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Louise! 🙂
My picky eater kids (and husband) had no idea there were mushrooms in this and they really liked it. They still don’t know because I want them to eat it again 🙂 Very delicious!
Stacey, yay, so happy to hear you and your crew enjoyed this one! My fam is the same way–not mushroom fans, but they devour this recipe. I definitely call that a win. Thanks for the rating and review!