The Ultimate Slowly Simmered Italian Comfort Food – Braised Short Rib Ragu!
As a true Italian food lover, ragu holds a special place in my heart.
I first fell head-over-heels for ragu while working at a fine dining Italian restaurant in Milwaukee. I begged the chefs to teach me how to make our ragu della casa, served with hand-cut pappardelle, so I could replicate it at home. Fast forward 10+ years, and I still can’t get enough ragu – in fact, it’s one of my specialties!
We’ve shared a number of different well-loved ragu recipes here on PWWB, but today’s is probably my favorite. In my opinion, Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu is the ultimate ragu and this recipe has been tested and perfected over the years to yield irresistible flavor.
The secret lies in developing a rich base of flavor for the sauce by taking the time to 1) sear the short ribs and 2) deeply brown the soffritto veggies on the stovetop for up to 20 to 35 minutes! This step coaxes out all the flavor of the veggies yielding a rich braising liquid.
The tender beef short ribs then braise slowly with the vegetables, aromatic herbs, tomatoes, and a splash of red wine until their fall-apart tender and infused with rich, savory flavor. This hands-off process creates a special home-cooked sauce that’s perfect for tossing with pappardelle and a generous sprinkle of parmesan.
Serve it alongside my go-to Mixed Greens Side Salad and some garlic-lover-approved garlic bread for a well-rounded Italian comfort food feast. It’s cozy enough for a weekend dinner yet special enough for date nights, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day. Italian comfort food doesn’t get better than this!
Easy Ways to Make Your Pasta Dinner Taste As Good As Any Trattoria 🍝
Get 5 days of pasta tips learned from my years in a fine-dining Italian restaurant.
First Thing’s First—What is Ragu?
Ragu is a term used to describe a rich, slowly simmered Italian meat sauce traditionally served with pasta, gnocchi, or polenta. (I’m willing to bet you’re already familiar with one of the most famous ragu sauces, Ragu alla Bolognese!)
Since ragu is meant to showcase a specific meat, it’s a bit more stew-like than other famous Italian pasta sauces like marinara. While you can prepare ragu sauce using many types of meat (or meaty vegetables, like mushrooms), the common thread is that ragu is always super hearty with rich, bold flavor.
Key Ingredients
Like the best Italian dishes, this short rib ragu recipe is all about coaxing big, bold flavor out of relatively humble ingredients, most of which you likely keep stocked in your pantry or fridge.
Beef Short Ribs
If beef short ribs are a new-to-you ingredient, you’re in for such a treat!
There are 2 common cuts of beef short ribs: flanken beef short ribs (long strips cut across the bone) and English-cut beef short ribs (hearty pieces cut along the bone). While flanken short ribs are great for quick-cooking methods, like grilling, English-cut short ribs are a tougher cut. They benefit from cooking low and slow to break down all of the connective tissue in the meat which makes the beef totally fall-apart tender. As such, you’ll often see them in braised dishes, like this beef short rib ragu!
Short Ribs Shopping Tips!
You can find English-cut beef short ribs at most conventional grocery stores with a nice butcher section. Be sure to look for meaty short ribs with nice marbling for maximum flavor. If you can’t find beef short ribs, you can make this ragu recipe using beef chuck roast.
Other key ingredients…
- Soffritto – The Italian holy trinity of onion, carrot, and celery. I like chopping my soffritto by hand for bigger, chunkier pieces of veggies in my ragu sauce, but you can also grate the veggies in a food processor to cut down on active prep time.
- Aromatics – A generous amount of aromatics helps build a boldly flavored sauce. This short rib ragu recipe calls for tons of garlic and loads of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme. The secret ingredient, though, is a parmesan rind, which is a great freezer staple for fall and winter cooking since you can use it to infuse sauces and soups with rich umami flavor.
- Tomatoes – The perfect combination of petite diced San Marzano-style tomatoes, which add flavor and body to the short rib ragu, and tomato paste for its concentrated flavor. DeLallo’s tomato paste tube is my absolute favorite. It’s double concentrated, packing an even bigger punch of flavor.
- Wine – A bold red wine stands up to the rich flavor of the beef short ribs. I always like cooking with Italian wine when I make ragu – Chianti is a great option for this recipe.
Pasta Night Must-Haves
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → How to Make Braised Short Rib Ragu
Cooking this braised short rib ragu is a pretty straightforward process consisting of 3 main steps: browning, deglazing, and simmering.
The process is time-intensive, since the goal is to tenderize a tough cut of meat and pull big flavors out of relatively simple ingredients, but it’s almost entirely hands off!
Coat a large, heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil. Pat the short ribs completely dry with paper towels, and season them well with salt and ground black pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the short ribs to the pot and take your time to sear the short ribs for a few minutes per side, until they’re deeply golden brown. Then remove and set aside. Why? ⇢ Browning leaves browned bits (or fond being the technical French term) on the bottom of the pan, which creates the base flavor upon which the rest of the short rib ragu is built.
Add the carrots, celery, and onion – to the same pot used to brown the short ribs. Cook until deeply browned – borderline caramelized! Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes, until deeply fragrant. In total, this process should take no less than 20-25 minutes – we’re after deep color and flavor, here! Why? ⇢ Again, the soffritto and tomato paste leave browned bits on the bottom of the pot, which translates to big flavor in the braising liquid. Take your time and resist the urge to speed this step up – the results are worth it!
Deglaze the pot by slowly pouring in the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits developed on the bottom of the pan by browning the short ribs and soffritto veggies. Why? ⇢ The wine simmers immediately upon hitting the hot pot, creating steam that releases the browned bits that developed on the bottom. Again, this fond is where all of the flavor is, so you want to scrape it up to incorporate it into the short rib sauce. Then add in the remaining ingredients to build the sauce: fresh herbs, bay leaves, the parmesan rind, tomatoes, and a little beef stock!
Quick Braising Tip! ⇢ Rather than taking the time to chop all the herbs, use kitchen twine to tie them together whole. The herbs infuse all of their flavor into the braised short rib ragu and the twine makes it easy to remove them all at once before serving.
Nestle the browned short ribs into the braising liquid, bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook until the short ribs are fall-apart tender. The braising process will take 2 ½ – 3 hours to break down all of the connective tissue and tenderize the meat. Have patience and your kitchen will be sure to smell like absolute Italian comfort food heaven.
Alternate Cooking Methods
While stovetop braising is our method of choice, you can easily adapt this braised short rib ragu for a few different cooking methods. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for step-by-step guidance on cooking your ragu in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
Serving Suggestions: How to Make Short Rib Ragu Pasta
Once the ragu sauce is simmered to perfection and the beef short ribs are fall-apart tender, it’s time for the best part of making short rib ragu at home—serving it!
I love tossing together braised short rib ragu with pappardelle, a traditional wide-cut egg pasta.
If you prefer short pasta, choose a shape that will capture bits and pieces of the hearty beef short rib ragu for even more delicious bites of pasta. Rigatoni is my all-time favorite, though orecchiette, shellbows, or casarecce with short rib ragu are also great!
Cook your pasta to al dente in generously salted water. Before draining, carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot to reserve some of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta, but do NOT rinse it. Why? ⇢ Rinsing washes the starches off the surface of the pasta, preventing it from absorbing and clinging to the braised short rib ragu sauce.
Meanwhile, stir a little bit of heavy cream and grated parmesan into the ragu. Simmer 1-2 minutes, allowing everything to meld together. Why? ⇢ Cream adds beautiful richness to the ragu. Grated parmesan adds extra flavor and helps tighten up the sauce.
The #1 mistake I see home cooks make when preparing a pasta dish is simply plopping a spoonful of sausage ragu sauce on a plate of cooked pasta. Please don’t do this! For restaurant-worthy results, always simmer your al dente pasta with the ragu sauce before serving. To learn more, check out my complete guide for How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time.
Add the cooked pasta straight into the simmering ragu, tossing to combine well. Adjust as needed so the ragu coats the pasta evenly. If it’s too thick, toss in some of the reserved pasta water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmesan. Cook for a couple minutes more, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the sauce.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
Short rib ragu stores super well—in fact, its flavors develop and get even better the longer it sits! Feel free to prep a batch of sauce ahead of time. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for step-by-step guidance!
I cannot wait for you to try this Short Rib Ragu! If you do, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
Print
Slowly Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10–12 1x
- Category: Pasta Recipes, Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Braise
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Beef short ribs slowly braise until fall-apart tender with simple vegetables, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and red wine, creating a hearty, and boldly flavored ragu. Toss it into pappardelle or any pasta you love or serve it atop polenta or gnocchi. Slowly Braised Short Rib Ragu is the ultimate Italian comfort food meal!
Check the Recipe Notes, below, for Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker and Instant Pot directions, as well as make-ahead and freezing instructions.
Ingredients
for the Slowly Braised Short Rib Ragu sauce:
- 4 pounds English cut beef short ribs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- one (1) 0.75-ounce package fresh “poultry herb blend” (or approx. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs fresh sage leaves and 12 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- optional: 1 parmesan rind
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth/stock or water
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for Short Rib Ragu pasta:
- 24 ounces pappardelle or pasta of choice, such as casarecce, bucatini, or gnocchi
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- for serving, as desired: grated parmesan, finely chopped fresh herbs, etc.
Instructions
Braised Short Rib Ragu Sauce:
- Brown the short ribs: Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I use a 5-qt Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Use paper towel to pat the surface of the beef short ribs as dry as possible. Generously season the short ribs with 1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Once the oil in the pot is shimmering hot, carefully add in the seasoned short ribs. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot (which prevents browning). Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the browned short ribs to a plate and set aside. Repeat, as necessary, with the remaining short ribs. Once all of the short ribs are browned, carefully drain off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from the pot. Set aside and discard once cooled. Returning the pot to medium heat.
- Brown the soffritto: Add the soffritto (carrots, onion, and celery) to the same pot used to brown the short ribs, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soffritto is deeply browned, 15-20 minutes.
- Add aromatics. Add the garlic to the pot with the soffritto. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot, stirring to coat the soffritto. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned.
- Deglaze: Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the soffritto.
- Build and simmer the short rib ragu: Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth/stock (or water), and browned short ribs from Step 1. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, or until the short ribs are fall-apart tender. If the ragu begins to reduce too much (i.e. it loses too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more water and/or reduce the heat further.
- Finish the braised short rib ragu: Carefully transfer the short ribs to a plate or cutting board. At this point, you can remove and discard the spent herbs, bay leaves, and parmesan rind from the pot, as well. Use tongs or 2 forks to shred the short ribs into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones as you go. Return the shredded short ribs to the pot with the ragu. Stir to combine. At this point, you can cool and store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage and freezing directions), or proceed with making the short rib ragu pasta (below).
Short Rib Ragu Pasta:
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package directions. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta – do NOT rinse it!
- Finish the short rib ragu sauce: Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, bring the braised short rib ragu up to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Short rib ragu pappardelle: Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the braised short rib ragu sauce, tossing to coat. The short rib ragu should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the ragu needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the ragu.
- Serve: Portion the short rib ragu pappardelle into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and/or crushed red pepper as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Make-Ahead, Storage and Freezing:
- Storage Instructions: Beef short rib ragu sauce stores incredibly well – it’s the type of thing that gets even better as it sits and its flavors have the chance to meld together. To store, prep the sauce through Step 6 of Recipe Directions, above. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Whip up a batch of short rib ragu pasta during the week by reheating the braised short rib ragu in a skillet, and completing the recipe according to “Short Rib Ragu Pasta” Steps 1-4, above.
- Freezing Instructions: Short rib ragu is also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, transfer the cooled short rib ragu sauce to a freezer container (or divide it up between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions). Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen ragu in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Reheat the ragu sauce in a skillet. If the thawed ragu sauce is a little watery at first, simply allow any residual water simmer out. If the thawed ragu sauce is too thick, simply add in a splash of water or stock until your desired consistency is reached. Complete the recipe according to “Short Rib Ragu Pasta” Steps 1-4, above
Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Oven Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-5, above. Rather than braising on the stovetop, transfer the covered pot to a 325 degree F oven. Braise in the oven for 2 ½ – 3 hours, until the beef short ribs are fall-apart tender, then finish the short rib ragu sauce as directed in Step 6 and complete the recipe according to “Short Rib Ragu Pasta” Steps 2-4.
- Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Transfer the soffritto mixture to the slow cooker, along with the aromatics, tomatoes, broth/stock (or water), and browned beef short ribs as directed in Step 5. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the short rib ragu sauce as directed in Step 6 and complete the recipe according to “Short Rib Ragu Ragu Pasta” Steps 2-4, which you can do right in your slow cooker. If your slow cooker has a searing/browning feature, you can use it to cook the entire short rib ragu sauce recipe (Steps 1-6) in the slow cooker.
- Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu: Use your Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting to cook the recipe according to Steps 1-5, above. Cover and seal the pressure cooker and cook on manual high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before carefully flicking the valve to its “venting” position to vent out any residual pressure. If the ragu seems a little too liquidy, feel free to turn on the Sauté setting again, letting the sauce simmer down a little before finishing as directed in Steps 6. Complete the recipe according to “Short Rib Ragu Pasta” Steps 2-4, which you can do right in your pressure cooker pot.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
I followed the recipe exactly, I did it on the stove top, using the exact same size dutch oven and everything. My sauce never reduced because it was covered for the entire 3 hour cook time. The short ribs never became tender and they released a ton of fat into the sauce, so the sauce is super thin and has a half inch layer of oil on top. I followed the step to remove excess oil from the pan before adding the soffritto, this is all from the meat, but my meat was not overly fatty and I had thoroughly browned every side and rendered the fat out during the first part of the recipe. What did I do wrong?
Hi Joanna, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you! We don’t typically see excessive oil with this recipe—did you use English-cut ribs for this recipe?
I did use English cut short ribs. I was able to salvage it by using homemade bread to soak up some of the oil on top and eating it lol. I also remedied the thin sauce by just cooking my pasta in the sauce. The flavor was great, just not sure what happened with all the fat that released into the sauce. I just cut the meat off the bones. I’ll make this recipe again but I think I’ll use a chuck roast to see if that solves my problem.
I’m glad you were able to make it work! If you are going to use a chuck roast, I highly recommend checking out our Slowly Braised Beef Ragu!
In the key ingredient section where you breakdown each ingredient used, you mention using petite diced tomatoes, but the recipe calls for crushed tomatoes. Just confirming before I make it which type, as the texture would be different. I would assume crushed? But just curious then why it says diced petite in that section. Thanks.
Thanks for catching that, Tommy! The crushed tomatoes is correct, and we’ve updated the ingredient breakdown to reflect that. Hope you enjoy this ragu if you try it!
Hi, can this be frozen?
Hi Patricia, this sauce freezes beautifully! You can find full freezing instructions in the Recipe Notes section of the recipe card 🙂
I made this for Christmas Eve. Probably one of the top 3 best meals I’ve made in my life. My whole picky a$$ family raved about it. A true Christmas miracle. Thank you!
We love a meal that pleases even the picky eaters, Amelia! So happy you all enjoyed the ragu!
Hi! Hope you’re having a good start to the new year. I’m planning to make this today. Could I use egg noodles in place of pasta?
Hi Shamiran, you can definitely use whichever noodles you prefer! Hope you enjoy the ragu! 🙂
How do you suggest I use the roast if you can’t find short ribs? Cut the roast in chunks or braise it whole?
Hi Shelby, you’ll want to cut the roast into chunks. I’d recommend checking out our Slowly Braised Beef Ragu for more guidance! And be sure to report back on how it turns out for you! 🙂
This recipe is delicious and easy! I did not have all the herbs on hand and it was still very good. Making it again for New Year’s Day! It will be on repeat many times!
So happy to hear this ragu will be a repeat recipe for you, Lulu! It’s such a good one! Happy New Year! 🙂
made this for christmas eve dinner and wow! was such a show stopper and everyone was asking us for the recipe!
It’s just soooo good!! Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
This is a top shelf, five star, 💯 recipe. Took a risk and made it for a group on Christmas Eve and there was barely a leftover. Followed the recipe exactly – which I rarely do – with the exception of using a slow cooker that has a browning feature. I even used gluten-free pasta, and it was still divine. Bravo!
So thrilled to hear the ragu was a hit for your Christmas Eve, Season! Thanks for trusting us with such a special meal! 🙂
Did you use bone in short ribs, usually English are cut away from the bone.
Hi Susan, we use English-cut short ribs for this recipe 🙂
Incredible deep flavor for such an easy recipe. I used an Instant Pot to cut down on the time, and had to sub rigatoni for the pasta because that’s what the tiny grocery store had, and the results were perfect.
So happy to hear the ragu turned out great for you even with the adaptations, Joy!! 🙂
We made this last night with fresh homemade papparadelle and it was incredible. It was just for 2 of us so I just cooled and froze what we didn’t need before adding the cream and Parmesan. The house smelt amazing. Already looking forward to thawing the leftovers. 10/10 thank you!
Homemade pappardelle sounds absolutely delicious, Emma! Love being excited about leftovers 🙂
The recipe calls for 14oz crushed tomatoes but the photos show a 28oz can. Just wanted to double check the correct amount?!
Hi Kelsey! Yes, 14oz is correct!! Larger cans just tend to be easier to find 🙂 Hope you give a ragu a try soon!