This beef short rib ragu is one of the most extravagant pasta dishes you could make! It’s filled with rich flavor from braised short ribs cooked in a red wine sauce for hours until tender and falling off the bone. The ragu is then tossed with Parmigiano Reggiano and ribbon-shaped pappardelle pasta. You will blow your guests away with this incredible dish!
One of my all-time favorite pasta dishes is my classic Ragu alla Bolognese, served with pappardelle pasta. So it should come as no surprise that this beautiful ragu made it to my website! It’s similar but different, but just as delicious and wonderful. It is a pasta dish that sings with flavor and is made with so much love!
A “ragu” is a hearty meat sauce served with pasta that is generally cooked low and slowly to develop intense, complex flavors. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this recipe.
Using flavors from aromatics, red wine, San Marzano tomatoes, and Parmigiano Reggiano, these ingredients transform into a richly flavored ragu that truly rivals my favorite classic Italian bolognese!
This restaurant-worthy dish is perfect for any fancy occasion, date night at home, or Sunday dinner with your family. I promise you everyone will love it!
Ingredients
Short ribs (bone-in)—This cut is from the brisket area of the cow and has a bone (which will infuse the sauce with even more flavor) and a good percentage of fat. Short ribs are meant for slow-cooking recipes such as this one!
Red wine—a dry red, such as a cabernet sauvignon, will add robust flavor to the whole dish. See the notes below for other wines you can use!
San Marzano Tomatoes—or regular plum tomatoes work well. They add a beautiful tomato flavor to the whole sauce!
Tomato paste – a generous amount is used to richen and thicken the sauce.
Soffritto—Any ragu has a soffritto base using yellow onion, celery, and carrots! We also use fresh garlic to add more flavor.
Beef broth—or any stock or broth you have will work! This will add more liquid to the dish and prevent it from drying out.
Rosemary – is used to infuse flavor into the ragu while it braises in the oven.
Parmigiano Reggiano (and the rind) – the freshly grated cheese is used for serving at the end, and the Parmigiano rind infuses rich flavor into the ragu.
Pappardelle—this wide-shaped noodle is the perfect vessel for serving with ragu! You could also use tagliatelle, which is about half the width of pappardelle and works just as well.
How to Make it
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1
Dry and season the beef. First pat the short ribs down with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
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2
Brown the short ribs. Heat a large Dutch Oven pot for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. The pan should be hot but not burning. Then sear the short ribs for several minutes on all sides, until it gets a nice browned sear. Repeat for all the short ribs in batches.
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3
Saute the soffritto. Once the short ribs are finished searing, in the same pan, add the tablespoon of cooking oil and the celery, carrot, and onion with a generous pinch of salt. Cook for about 5-8 minutes on a medium to low heat. This is just to soften the vegetables, there should be no browning on the edges. Then add the minced garlic for 30-60 seconds.
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4
Add the tomato paste. Once the vegetables are done, add the 3 oz of tomato paste and cook it with the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
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5
Add the wine and stock. Then add the 1 1/2 cups of red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes with the vegetables and paste. The alcohol will cook off in the oven, so there is no need to cook it longer.
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5
Add remaining ingredients and braise. Then add the crushed tomatoes with juices, rosemary sprigs, and Parmigiano rind with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Then tuck the short ribs into the sauce, stir, and then bring everything to a simmer to heat the pot. Then cover the pot with a fitted lid and braise in the oven at 300F for 3 hours. Halfway through stir the short ribs.
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7
Discard the bones and parm rind. When the ragu is finished, use tongs to discard the bones and meat into a large bowl or cutting board and let them cool down before continuing. Discard the parmesan rind and herb sprigs from the ragu.
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8
Remove the fat and bones. Use tongs or clean hands and a knife to remove the fat from the meat. Shred the beef into smaller pieces and add it back to the pot of ragu, and finish all the short ribs like this. Stir the shredded short ribs into the sauce, cover, and keep warm.
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9
Cook the pasta and serve. Cook the pasta in a well salted pot of boiling water until the pappardelle until al dente according to the package instructions. When finished, reserve 2 cups of pasta water and drain the remaining pasta water. Toss the cooked pasta with the ragu, Parmigianno, fresh basil, and pasta water as needed. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Drying the short ribs gets a perfect sear. Ensure you thoroughly pat the short ribs dry from any moisture in the package, then season them. This will allow them to get a nice sear in the pan.
Sear the short ribs well. To get great flavor out of the short ribs, you want to get a nice sear on them. Keep the pot heated well when searing them, but be careful not to burn them.
Dice the soffritto/vegetables small. You don’t want hearty chunks of vegetables in a ragu. I recommend dicing them small using a chef’s knife, or you can pulse everything a few times in a food processor.
Pasta water is key if the dish gets too dry. The best way to resurrect a dried-up pasta dish is with hot, starchy pasta water. Always save more pasta water than you need because the dish eats up much of the water as you toss everything together. And if the dish cools down and you need to reheat it, pasta water will do the trick.
How to Freeze and Store Leftovers
Freezing ragu. Leftover ragu freezes wonderfully. Cool it completely before storing it in a freezer-friendly bag, remove the air, and lay it flat. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Keep leftovers fresh. Leftover ragu and pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating. I like to reheat it on the stovetop with pasta water or water to loosen the dish. Add more cheese and fresh herbs; it tastes as good as the previous day.
Instead of short ribs. If you can’t find short ribs available, you can swap it for chuck roast (cut into cubes) or stew meat!
Types of wine you can use. I like to use a dry red such as cabernet sauvignon, but you can also use merlot, cabernet franc, or a cab/merlot blend.
No wine. If you prefer not to use alcohol in this recipe, you can swap it out for more beef stock. Just keep in mind this recipe will be missing a larger flavor component without the wine, but will still be delicious!
Other herbs you can use. Instead of fresh rosemary sprigs, you can use thyme sprigs and/or fresh bay leaves.
More Italian Meat Sauces
Ragu Alla Bolognese with Pappardelle Pasta – this is my all-time favorite Italian pasta dish. This sauce primarily focuses on the meat rather than being a tomato-focused sauce. If you’re looking for a classic Italian meat sauce with rich flavors, look no further than our classic bolognese sauce.
Italian Meat Sauce – this is a meat sauce with lots of tomatoes and rich flavors from red wine, sausage, and beef! Perfect for serving with pasta or layering with any Italian dish.
What to Serve it With
Rosemary Garlic Bread is our top side dish to serve with this ragu! The rosemary and garlic pair beautifully with the flavors in this dish. And who doesn’t love a good crusty homemade bread?
Apple Walnut Salad is also a favorite of mine with this dish! It’s seasonal and perfect for serving alongside a comforting ragu, complementing the flavors beautifully.
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts are one of my favorite vegetable side dishes! They’re simple to prepare and compliment the flavors of this dish so well.
Instead of pasta, ragu also pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes or polentta!
Beef Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 – 4 pounds Bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 Tablespoon cooking olive oil
- 1 medium to large yellow onion, diced small
- 2 large carrots, diced small
- 2 large celery stalks, diced small
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine, Cabernet sauvignon or franc, merlot, or cab/merlot blend.
- 1/2 cup beef stock/broth
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano plum tomatoes (with the juices), crushed with your hands
- 1 Parmigiano Reggiano rind
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary or thyme
- 1 lb dry pappardelle noodles
- 2 cups pasta water, You might not need all of it, but it's better to reserve more than not have enough.
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving with the pasta
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil, *optional for serving
Instructions
- Season the short ribs, then sear. Heat a Dutch Oven pot for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. While the pot is being heated, pat the short ribs dry with paper towels, then season with salt and black pepper on all sides. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil into the pan, then brown the short ribs on all sides for 2-3 minutes (the deeper the sear, the better the flavor). Do this in batches if all the short ribs don't fit. Place the finished seared short ribs on a separate plate or pan. Note: keep the heat on medium, but lower it if it gets too hot, you don't want the bottom of the pan to burn.
- Cook the soffritto. Once the short ribs are done, use the same pot you used for the short ribs to cook the diced onion, carrots, and celery with a generous pinch of salt for 5-8 minutes. If the pan needs more oil, add a little more, but it generally shouldn't need more. Keep the heat on low to medium heat. This process is to soften the vegetables not brown them. Add the garlic and cook with the vegetables for 30-60 seconds.
- Cook the tomato paste, then add the wine. Once the vegetables are done, add the 3 oz of tomato paste and cook it with the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Then add the 1 1/2 cups of red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. The alcohol will cook off in the oven, so there is no need to cook it longer.
- Add remaining ingredients and braise. Then add the tomatoes with juices, rosemary sprigs, and Parmigiano rind with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Then tuck the short ribs into the sauce, stir, and then bring everything to a gentle simmer. Shut the heat off, cover the pot with a fitted lid, and braise the ragu in the oven at 300F for 3 hours. Halfway through, stir the ribs around in the pot to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- After braising. Once the ragu is finished in the oven, carefully transfer the short ribs into a large bowl or cutting board and let them cool down before continuing. Discard the parmesan rind, herb sprigs, and all the bones that have seperated from the meat. Use tongs or clean hands to remove the bone and fat from the meat. Shred the beef into smaller pieces, add it back to the ragu pot, and finish all the short ribs like this. Stir the shredded short ribs into the sauce, cover, and keep warm. Note: you can also ladle off any extra fat that comes to the top of the dish if you'd prefer.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, then cook the pappardelle until al dente according to the package instructions (stir the pasta once you add it to prevent sticking). When finished, reserve 2 cups of pasta water (you might not need it all, but it's always good to have more than you need). Drain the remaining pasta water.
- Serve the ragu with the pasta. Toss the drained pasta with a generous ladle or two of ragu sauce, 1/2 cup at a time of hot pasta water, and 1 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Toss together until everything is combined. If the pasta needs more liquid, add it until the consistency is just right. Serve with fresh basil and more Parmigiano, and enjoy!
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