Get ready to impress with this Short Rib Ragu. It's made with beef short ribs that are pan-seared and then simmered in a rich and savory tomato sauce until they are tender enough to fall off the bone. Serve over fresh pappardelle and enjoy every bite of this unbelievably delicious meat sauce.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs. Slow cooking these short ribs for 3 ½ hours allows them to become incredibly tender and literally fall off the bone. This type of perfection can't be rushed!
- Short prep time. Although this short rib ragu does have a long simmer time, this recipe only requires about 25 minutes of hands-on time. The dutch oven will do the rest of the work for you.
- The flavor gets even better over time. If you love making my Instant Pot Chicken Chili or Easy No Bean Turkey Chili for meal prep, you will absolutely love this short rib ragu. Just like chili, the flavor continues to deepen and develop over time. This recipe is one of my favorite recipes to make on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy all week long.
- Perfect for the holidays. The best recipe for Christmas dinner, Valentine's day, celebrating birthdays, and more! When served over fresh pappardelle, it makes the ultimate, elevated dish.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Short ribs - I used English-style beef short ribs. This cut of short ribs contains one bone per cut. For best results, opt for the thickest-cut short ribs. Thinner cuts tend to be fattier.
- Crushed tomatoes - Note that crushed tomatoes are different than tomato sauce and tomato puree. The chunky texture adds body to the sauce and is quite thick - similar to the consistency of my Ground Turkey Spaghetti or Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce Recipe. If desired, use a can with no salt added for a lower sodium sauce.
- Red wine - Wine is used to deglaze the pot and boost the flavor. All of the alcohol cooks off, but the flavor remains and helps balance the acidity in the crushed tomatoes.
- Beef broth - Beef broth is the deepest flavor of broth you can use. Its richness compliments the flavor of short ribs and makes the ultimate comfort food ragu or bolognese. Give it a try in my Dutch Oven Red Wine Braised Pot Roast next!
- Herbs - I highly recommend fresh herbs over dry here. They're more aromatic and will add a more earthy flavor to the bolognese meat sauce.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Brown the short ribs. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the dry, seasoned short ribs into the pot and cook on each side for 3 minutes. Once browned, transfer the short ribs to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the aromatics. Drain all but 1-2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot, then add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in tomato paste. Add in the tomato paste and allow this to brown for about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and carefully scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add short ribs back to the pot. Add the browned short ribs back to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes, herbs, bay leaves, parmesan rind and beef broth. Stir to combine and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer for 3 hours. Reduce the heat to low, cover the dutch oven and simmer until the short ribs are tender and easily fall off the bone, about 3 hours. Transfer the short ribs to a plate and remove the herbs, bay leaves and parmesan rind from the pot.
- Shred the short ribs. Use two forks to shred the short ribs and discard the bones. Add them back to the pot, season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
- Serve. Serve over pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
💭Recipe FAQs
Why are my short ribs chewy?
The most likely cause is too short of a cook time. If not, it's possible that you purchased a low-quality cut of meat. If the short ribs have a thick fat cap on the top, they likely won't become very tender. It may be helpful to ask the butcher to help you choose the best cut of meat for the dish.
Should short ribs be covered in liquid?
For best results, the short ribs should be covered halfway with liquid. This will allow the short ribs to braise best and make a thick and creamy sauce. If the short ribs are fully submerged, the ragu will be too thin and lacking in flavor.
How do you thicken short rib sauce?
Once you shred the short ribs and stir the meat back into the sauce, it should be quite thick. However, if yours seems on the thinner side, stir in a cornstarch slurry (mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water) over low heat and stir until your desired consistency is reached.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Don't skip the sear. The first step in this recipe is searing the short ribs. It may be tempting to skip knowing that the meat is going to simmer for hours, but this helps the meat develop a nice crust and makes for a deeper flavored sauce.
- Pat the short ribs dry! It is difficult to get a good sear on ribs that are too moist. For this reason, patting the short ribs completely dry before seasoning generously and searing is key!
- Take care to finely dice the aromatics. The last thing you want is large chunks of carrot or celery in your ragu. Finely and evenly dice to ensure these flavors blend seamlessly into the sauce.
- Save some for the freezer! This meat sauce freezes extremely well. If your family won't eat all 8 servings, stash half in the freezer for later quick and easy meals. Check out my tips on how to properly store pasta!
🥗Serving
Serving beef short rib ragu over pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta with tons of freshly grated parmesan is my all-time favorite way to enjoy this rich meat sauce.
If you'd like to pair it with a simple side dish, I'd recommend a light vegetable side dish such as Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans or Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts.
My Easy Oven Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce would make an excellent appetizer and try my Cranberry Oatmeal Bars for dessert!
More Pasta Recipes You May Like
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Dutch Oven Short Rib Ragu
Get ready to impress with this Short Rib Ragu. It's made with beef short ribs that are pan-seared and then simmered in a rich and savory tomato sauce until they are tender enough to fall off the bone. Serve over fresh pappardelle and enjoy every bite of this unbelievably delicious meat sauce.
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Servings: Servings
Calories: 275.91kcal
Equipment
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 3 celery stalks, peeled and finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil or medium-high heat. Pat dry the short ribs with paper towels and season generously with Kosher salt and black pepper on all sides.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the short ribs and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until browned. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- Carefully drain all but about 1-2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir until slightly softened about 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Next, add in the tomato paste and allow this to brown for about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and carefully scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the short ribs back to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes, herbs, bay leaves, parmesan rind and beef broth. Stir to combine and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and easily fall off the bone. Transfer the short ribs to a plate and remove the herbs, bay leaves and parmesan rind from the pot.
- Use two forks to shred the short ribs and discard the bones. Add them back to the pot, season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
- Serve over pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Don't skip the sear. The first step in this recipe is searing the short ribs. It may be tempting to skip knowing that the meat is going to simmer for hours, but this helps the meat develop a nice crust and makes for a deeper flavored sauce.
- Pat the short ribs dry! It is difficult to get a good sear on ribs that are too moist. For this reason, patting the short ribs completely dry before seasoning generously and searing is key!
- Take care to finely dice the aromatics. The last thing you want is large chunks of carrot or celery in your ragu. Finely and evenly dice to ensure these flavors blend seamlessly into the sauce.
- Save some for the freezer! This meat sauce freezes extremely well. If your family won't eat all 8 servings, stash half in the freezer for later quick and easy meals.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 275.91kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.51g | Protein: 24.16g | Fat: 16.24g | Saturated Fat: 5.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.85g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.02g | Cholesterol: 73.26mg | Sodium: 193.9mg | Potassium: 473.38mg | Fiber: 0.15g | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 38.11IU | Vitamin C: 1.53mg | Calcium: 17.82mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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