This braised short rib pasta sauce is made with hearty fresh veggies and rich red wine. The ribs are slow-cooked until they fall off the bone. The cooking liquid is strained to create a deeply decadent and silky sauce. Toss it with some pasta (homemade, if you have it) and hunker down on the couch.
By popular demand, I’m sharing one of my favorite meals I’ve made in a while: braised short rib pasta sauce. Save this for heartwarming, soul-satisfying weekend cooking throughout the Fall and Winter months. Meaty and rich short ribs cook down in a flavor-packed combination of veggies and red wine. The veggies and wine (along with some parsley) will be the base of the sauce, and we’ll strain it so there is no need to be meticulous with chopping.
After hours in the oven, the short rib meat is fall-off-the-bone fork tender and the braising liquid has reduced to concentrate the flavors even further. We’ll remove the meat from the pot and then strain the liquid into a separate pot where you’ll finish the dish. The strained liquid is your silky, meaty, tomato-y sauce. Into that goes all of our short rib meat, deboned and shredded.
Finally, toss all of that goodness with some al dente pasta and you have a short rib ragu that will feel like a hug. Do not skip grated Parmesan to finish it off! So luxurious. I can’t wait to make this short rib pasta for the rest of the winter.
Braising Short Ribs for Pasta
You can find short ribs at the grocery store more often during the Winter months. They may have boneless or bone-in. Bone-in is preferred for this as it helps generate a thicker sauce and keeps the meat together-ish while it is cooking in the oven. It is important to brown the short ribs first as it helps to seal in the fat.
If you make this recipe, please let me know by sharing on Instagram and tagging me @butterlovescompany! I would love to see what you think, and drool over it!
Xo,
Jenna
If you’re looking for other good winter meals, might I suggest:
Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel
Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in English Style short ribs
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can of peeled whole tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (about a half a bottle, eyeball it)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound pasta of your choice (pappardelle or rigatoni are great choices here)
- Canola Oil or other neutral oil
- Salt + Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring meat to room temperature and then generously coat with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, heat a thin layer of canola oil on medium-high heat. Sear the ribs on each side to brown. It may take about 10 minutes to get them browned on all sides and ends—they will cook fully in the oven so won’t be cooked through at this stage. Remove to a plate, keeping the juices and browned bits in the pan.
- Into the Dutch oven with the beef fat, add the garlic, carrots, and onions and cook until softened. While those cook, crush the canned tomatoes with your hand and then add to the mixture along with the tomato paste and parsley. Stir together and cook until the tomato paste starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to get any browned bits of flavor off. Nestle the reserved short ribs back into the mixture (with the bone side up), and all the pan sauce back into the pot. Add about a 1/2 cup water or beef stock to help with the braising. Cover and transfer to the preheated over for 2½ to 3 hours or until the meat is incredibly tender and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven. Remove the ribs with their meat to a plate. Strain the juices from the Dutch oven into a pot, pressing on the solids to get out any of the concentrated juices from the onions, tomatoes, and carrots.
- Shred the ribs with a fork and dump them into the pot of braising liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to make the pasta. Cook your pasta to al dente and then remove from the pot directly into the other pot with the braising liquid and ribs. Toss to coat with the sauce and meat. Enjoy with a generous grating of Parmesan!
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit.