Beef Short Rib Ragu

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the beef short ribs ragu recipe in points below:

• Simple ingredients: the ingredients needed are each simple and readily available. If your supermarket doesn't have beef short ribs, you will be able to get them from your local butcher.
• Straightforward and simple: this easy recipe needs only a little prep work and then a long oven bake. Once the ragu is in the oven, you can be hands off until the meat is cooked and the pasta is ready to cook.
• Decadent dining: you might want to make this hearty pasta dish for a family gathering, partner, friend that you haven't seen in a long time or for a special occasion. The connective tissue in the meat breaks down during the cook time resulting in tender, fall apart meat. It really is an impressive looking tasting that is not overly tricky to make, resulting in classic comfort food at its finest 😁.
• Easily adaptable: if you want to switch up the type of pasta used you can. There are a number of tweaks to tailor the dish to your special preferences.
• Freezer friendly: once the ragu is cooked and cooled, portion into containers for easy meals when you don't have the energy or time to cook!

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use olive oil in the initial steps to braise the beef ribs in a pan on the stove.
• Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper for seasoning in the recipe.
• Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced garlic or chunky chopped garlic as you see in the photo above. Whichever is the most convenient for you will do the job!
• Worcestershire sauce: this is known for bringing a little oomph to recipes including this beef short ribs ragu! It is both aromatic and delightful.
• Stock cubes: we use 2 x beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes) which we crush and sprinkle over the top of the dish before placing it into the oven.
• Bay leaves: as above the bay leaves add an extra level of flavor to the dish.
• Tomato paste: thick and rich with tomato flavour!
• Onion: we want to peel and dice half of a large onion.
• Diced tomatoes: plain is what you are looking for with no additional flavors.
• Celery: ends and tips trimmed and then finely sliced.
• Carrot: peeled and diced.
• Passata: the passata helps us to ensure thickness in the short rib ragu sauce. It is made from pureed tomatoes, sometimes called 'tomato puree' and is smooth and rich in tomato flavor.
• Pappardelle: a flat wide and thick pasta, this is commonly used in ragu recipes.
• Beef short ribs: you will be able to get these either from the grocery store or your local butcher. Beef short ribs or beef short fingers are what you are looking for.
• Beef broth: also known as beef stock. This is one of the liquid components of the sauce.
• Red wine: in retrospect I realise I didn't add it to the photo, apologies! We want a heart red wine, but in saying that it does not need to be an expensive one!

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by braising the beef short ribs.

• Brown the short ribs (Photo 1)
• Cook the vegetables (Photo 2)
• Add the passata (Photo 3)
• Then add the diced tomatoes (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Beef Short Rib Ragu

To make the ragu start by browning the beef short ribs. To do this place a large oven proof sauté pan (heavy bottomed pot) on the stove top, turn the heat to high and add the olive oil.

Next use a pair of tongs to place each of the short ribs into the pan and let these brown for 2-3 minutes. Flip to the other side once the 1st side is done and also brown this side. When both sides of the ribs are browned, use the tongs to remove them from the pan and place them onto a paper towel lined plate.

Next, we sauté the aromatics. So add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to the pan and let them cook for 2 minutes till they have softened.

Once they have, add the passata and the diced tomatoes.

• Add the tomato paste (Photo 5)
• Add the Worcestershire sauce (Photo 6)
• Then add the browned short ribs (Photo 7)
• Add the stock cubes (Photo 8)

Next add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce as you see me doing in the photos above.

Then add the braised ribs back to the pan and sprinkle the stock cubes over the top.

• Add the bay leaves (Photo 9)
• Lid on and cook (Photo 10)
• Remove the ribs and add the pasta (Photo 11)
• Add the wine (Photo 12)

Next place the lid on the sauté pan and place it onto the middle shelf of a pre heated oven.

Let the ribs cook in the sauce for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Once this time is up, use oven mitts to remove the pan from the oven and place it onto a heatproof surface.

Then use tongs to take the cook ribs out of the pan and place them onto a chopping board.

With the ribs removed, place the sauté pan on the stove top and turn the temperature to medium high heat.

Next add the dried pappardelle pasta to the pan and pour in both the red wine and beef stock.

Let the pasta cook in the sauce for around 20-25 minutes. During this time use a knife, fork and cutting board to shred the beef from the ribs and discard the bones.

• Add the beef stock to the pan (Photo 13)
• Then shred the meat from the ribs (Photo 14)
• Add the shredded meat back to the pan (Photo 15)
• Heat through and garnish (Photo 16)

Next add the shredded meat back to the pan with the (now cooked) pasta and gently stir until the ragu is consistenly mixed.

Allow the meat to heat through, then garnish the pasta with cracked black pepper and parmesan cheese. Then call loudly 'dinner is ready!' and have everyone come to the table ready to eat 😉👌.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

If you are a pasta and garlic bread kind of person, try the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Pizza Bread, Turkish Garlic Bread or Garlic Ciabatta on the side.

For a lighter side, try a small serving of the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Panzanella Salad or the Fresh Herb Salad.

To get an idea of how polenta would work with the dish, you can check out the Meatballs With Polenta, Lamb Osso Bucco or the Pork Osso Bucco.

For potato sides try the Potato And Broccoli Bake, Potato And Onion Bake, Potato And Ham Bake or the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake.

At the end of the day, this short rib ragu is a very filling and satisfying dish so you might also find the ragu enough with nothing on the side or as an added extra. This decision my friend is up to you!

For wine pairings, a chilled glass of rose will go down nicely, as will a crisp pinot gris or hearty red wine like a pinot noir 😉👍.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftover ragu in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftovers need to be reheated before being consumed.

How to Freeze

Allow the dish to fully cool. Once it has, portion it into air tight containers. Then place them into the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat

Let portions of frozen ragu fully thaw. Once they have, place them into a bowl in the microwave an cover with cling wrap. Reheat on high for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• Short ribs with pappardelle are a dream come true However, tagliatelle, fettuccine or linguine are other pasta types that will work with the recipe if you are looking for an alternative to the pappardelle. Your favorite pasta can be used too if you wish to try this.
• Or for a non pasta pairing, trying serving the ragu over cooked creamy polenta.
• Crushed tomatoes can be used in place of the diced tomatoes if you only have them or want to use them.
• For garnishing the pasta you can use either parmesan cheese or pecorino romano.
• You can also use either chopped flat leaf basil or a few basil leaves for pops of colour if you wish too.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Browning the ribs before oven baking them helps to lock in their flavor. So we don't want to skip this step!
• When the ribs have cooked for 2 hours and 30 minutes they should fall off the bone, with little effort. If the meat doesn't return it to the oven for another 15 minutes.
• If you want to cook the pasta separately before adding to the sauce you can. Simple boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Then reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before using a colander over the sink to drain and discard the rest of the water.
• If you do the above option, you can choose to use only 1 tin of the diced tomatoes and add the wine and stock in its place (optional).
• The bay leaves need to be removed before serving. I find it easiest to do this after removing the ribs from the pan before adding the pasta 😁👌.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What cuts of beef are best for Ragu?

Beef short ribs or chuck roast are both great options for making ragu.

What to serve with short rib ragu?

Pappardelle or polenta are great serving suggestions to pair with short rib ragu.

Are beef short ribs worth it?

Yes! Beef short ribs whilst on the higher end of the price range for cuts of meat are so very worth. When cooked for a long time the results are tender, melt in your mouth meat that falls off the rib bones.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Din, dins! Making dinner can the most satisfying and enjoyable thing you do all day! To achieve this it helps if you have a variety of recipes up your sleeve offering different proteins, cook times and methods. Here are some ideas to choose from:

• Chicken Pesto Linguine
• Thai Minced Pork
• Chorizo Pasta Bake
• Shrimp And Chicken Fried Rice
• Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Chorizo and Prawn Linguine
• Herb Crusted Rack Of Lamb
• Chorizo Fried Rice
• Ham Fettuccine Alfredo
• Greek Leg Of Lamb

It is time to get our short ribs on my friend! You can also find all of my family favorite or dinner recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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