Turning leftovers into new dishes is both fun and economical. I saved both the broth, or consomé, and the meat from my most recent batch of beef birria and turned it into an Italian beef ragù! Since the beef is already flavorful and tender, and the consomé is already rich and full of flavor, this ragù comes together relatively quickly and easily.

I started by roasting garlic. This step is not mandatory, but as someone who loves garlic, I highly recommend. Roasting the garlic yields a sweeter, less pungent garlic flavor and aroma. I often roast several heads at a time to use throughout the week!

Next, sauté the mirepoix of diced onions and carrots. If skipping the roasted garlic, add in a few cloves of minced garlic. After sautéing for about 7 minutes, deglaze the pan with red wine.

Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, some dried herbs, and beef consomé and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Especially when using canned tomatoes, the longer the mix simmers the better. Once thickened, add the leftover shredded birria meat and squeeze in the roasted garlic, letting simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with polenta, pappardelle, bread or another carb that can stand up to the rich, stick-to-your-ribs ragù. Top with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Birria Ragù

Recipe by Daniel HartCourse: DinnerCuisine: Italian, Mexican, Fusion, LeftoversDifficulty: easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs leftover birria meat

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 1 head garlic (optional)

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 28 oz can tomato sauce

• 2 cups leftover birria consomé

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp dried parsley

• 2 tsp dried basil

• salt and pepper to taste

• polenta or pappardelle, grated parmesan, and fresh parsley to serve

Directions

• Optional Roasted Garlic
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove the very top, or pointy side, of the garlic bulb to expose its cloves.
• Place garlic bulb in the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle on 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Place in the oven for about 1 hour, or until very fragrant and golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
• Ragù
• In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.
• Add carrots, onions, and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant, about 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, reduce heat to medium and deglaze the pan with red wine. Cook off alcohol for another 5 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, consomé, and dried herbs and cover, letting simmer for at least 30 minutes.
• Add in leftover beef and the optional roasted garlic and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and prepare polenta, pappardelle, etc. for serving.

Notes

• If skipping the roasted garlic, I strongly recommend adding 5 cloves of minced garlic in with the onions and carrots.