Short Rib Ragu
Tender short ribs in a tomato red wine sauce with Parmesan mashed potatoes – this hearty Short Rib Ragu is worth the time! Serve it over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, or pasta for the best comfort food dinner ever.
Table of contents
At our house, weeknight cooking is like Rachel Ray, while weekend cooking is more like Julia Child. And today, it’s all about the weekend with this short rib ragu. It takes time, but the results are worth it. Tender shredded short ribs and a savory, rich sauce combine to make the ultimate comfort food dish.
Amazing Short Rib Ragu
So, if you’re looking for a fun and amazingly delicious weekend cooking project, this homemade ragu is for you. But just remember, it can’t be rushed.
The time investment to make this dish is well worth it – one bite of the tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef will make you so happy and so comforted you will try and figure out how to make this a rotating dinner in your weekend line-up.
Ingredients
- Boneless short ribs seasoned with salt and pepper – You can also use bone-in short ribs and pluck the bones out after they are done cooking.
- Vegetable oil – or another neutral high-smoke point oil.
- Diced carrots
- Diced celery
- Diced onion
- Minced garlic
- Tomato paste
- All-purpose flour
- Canned plum tomatoes with juice – For the best flavor, use San Marzano tomatoes.
- Red wine – A dry red wine like cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, or malbec are all good choices.
- Water
- Fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Recipe Highlights
All of the instructions are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post, but here’s a quick overview of the steps:
- Brown: The first step is to sear the short ribs in a large pot. This will create a crust so the ribs are extra delicious. Browning them first also leaves browned bits on the bottom of the pan. They help to flavor the sauce.
- Saute: After you brown the short ribs, saute the vegetables until they’re softened.
- Thicken: To create a rich, thick sauce, add tomato paste to the pot with the softened vegetables along with some flour.
- Deglaze: Next, pour the wine into the pot and scrape up all those delicious browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add the liquids: Add the canned tomatoes and water to the pot and stir. Nestle the browned short ribs in the pot so they are covered by the water. Add the parsley and bring the pot to a strong simmer.
- Braise in the oven: Cover the pot, take it off the stove top, and transfer it to a 350°F oven. Leave it for a few hours or until the short ribs are falling-apart tender.
- Strain: You will need to strain the liquid for a silky smooth sauce. Remove the ribs from the pot and set them on a cutting board. Use a fine mesh strainer and press as much liquid through the strainer. Discard the solids.
- Simmer: Shred the short ribs and add the shredded meat back to the pot. Bring the pot to a simmer on the stove and let it simmer and reduce for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Use a spoon to skim the fat off the surface every so often.
Once the sauce is thick, it’s ready to serve! Or, you can cool it to room temperature and keep it in the refrigerator to warm up later.
How to Serve It
I love short rib ragu with mashed potatoes, but it also pairs great with rice, gnocchi, buttered noodles, or pasta.
If you opt for mashed potatoes, I’ve included a recipe in the recipe card, or try my slow cooker mashed potatoes.
Recipe FAQ
I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker. If you try it, the amount of liquid would need to be reduced, as well as the cooking time.
I discard the veggies before reducing the sauce for a couple of reasons. First, the veggies are cooked for so long that they basically turn to mush, and all of the flavor is extracted. Second, I love a silky, smooth sauce, and the best way to achieve that is to discard the solids.
Other readers have used the veggies in the sauce – instead of straining it, you can use a stick blender to puree the sauce with the vegetables in it. It just depends on the texture you prefer.
I haven’t, but other readers have used it with success! You could also use vegetable broth or chicken broth if you have those on hand.
Yes, you can make it ahead. Once you’ve completed all the steps, let it cool to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for three to four days. You can also store it in the freezer for several months.
I think it tastes even better the next day, so I usually make it a day in advance so the flavors can develop even more. When you warm it up, you may need to add a few splashes of water or wine to thin the sauce because it will thicken up when it’s chilled.
I hope you give this recipe a try soon!
Happy cooking,
More Hearty Comfort Food Recipes
- Short Rib Pappardelle
- Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Ragu
- Slow Cooker Bolognese
- Short Rib Beefaroni
- Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
PrintShort Rib Ragu
This short rib ragu is hearty and comforting. The short ribs are simmered in the oven until they are fall-apart-tender.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Ragu
- 3 pounds boneless short ribs, pat dry with paper towels and seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 carrots, diced
- 2 ribs of celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano plum tomatoes, including juice
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups water
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley
- salt & pepper, to taste
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- 3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional for garnish)
Instructions
How to Make the Ragu
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Add the short ribs and brown them on all sides until the outside is nicely caramelized. I had to do this in 3 batches so the pan wouldn’t be too crowded. Once browned, remove the ribs from the pot and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced carrots, celery, and onion. Cook them for about ten minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste until all of the veggies are coated. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat all of the vegetables. Continue to cook the mixture for another few minutes.
- Pour in the wine and increase the heat until the pot begins to simmer. Deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with the spatula to pull up all of the browned bits.
- Next, add the tomatoes and all of the juice from the can. Pour in 2 cups of water and stir. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the tomatoes.
- Add the short ribs back to the pot. Be sure they are completely covered by the liquid. If needed, add more water to ensure they are covered. Toss in the parsley (no need to chop it) and stir.
- Bring the pot to a strong simmer (increase the heat if needed) and then cover it, remove it from the heat, and transfer it to the preheated oven. Let it simmer in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or until the beef is fork-tender and shreds easily. For me, it usually takes about 2 1/2 hours – start checking yours at the 2-hour mark.
- Once the beef is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the short ribs from the pot and set them aside. Using a fine mesh strainer, carefully strain the liquid into a large sauce pot. Press on the solids to extract all of the liquid before discarding them.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat. You want the sauce to thicken and reduce, which will take at least 30 minutes or so. While the sauce is reducing, periodically skim the surface to remove the fat.
- While the sauce reduces, shred the short ribs. Once the sauce is thickened, add the shredded meat and stir.
How to Make the Mashed Potatoes
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them until they are fork-tender (time may vary based on the size of your potato pieces.)
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the cooking pot. Add in the butter and, using a potato masher, mash the potatoes with the butter. Add the sour cream and Parmesan cheese and stir well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve the ragu on top of the parmesan mashed potatoes. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
Make it Ahead! You can make the ragu up to one day in advance. Just follow the recipe steps and once you’ve reduced the sauce and added the ribs back in, let it cool and then keep it in the refrigerator. Heat it up in a saucepan on the stove before you serve it. You can thin the sauce with a splash of red wine, water, or beef stock if needed. I don’t recommend making the potatoes ahead – do those the day of!
Side Dish Tips: You can make the Parmesan mashed potatoes while the sauce reduces or make crock pot mashed potatoes to save space on the stove. I also love this ragu tossed with pasta or served over buttered egg noodles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 1210
- Sugar: 7.8g
- Sodium: 490.5mg
- Fat: 122.9g
- Saturated Fat: 47.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 45.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2g
- Fiber: 6.5g
- Protein: 41.2g
- Cholesterol: 205.9mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post updated from the archives. First published in March 2015.
Made for dinner tonight and didn’t care for. Taste was not what we were hoping for. Big waste of expensive ingredients
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it –
Hi, can this be frozen?
Yes, I think it will freeze well!
The only kind of short ribs I could find are the flanken ones. Do you think those will work? Will cooking time change ost likely?
They should work fine!
Great recipe for a Superbowl Sunday! Did bone-in short ribs and did beef stock instead if water plus added italian seasoning and a bay leaf. Added sauteed mushrooms and peas at the end. A definite win!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is sooooo flavorful and delicious! My whole fam is obsessed. I added a few more veg and seasoning. Incredible!
Please don’t discard the veggies. Such a waste! I blended the “discarded” veggies into a delicious sauce that I will use over pasta with baked chicken, for a completely second meal. Overall, we loved the dish.
We don’t eat pork so I subbed in a turkey tenderloin. I did it in a crockpot — skipped browning and just added everything to the pot at once; halved the liquids & used white instead of red wine — DELICIOUS. Will definitely make again and am going to try with red wine this time. But love the EASE of this one!!
Love that this worked for you! Thanks for letting me know.
3 Yukon gold potatoes for 6 servings? Or do you mean 3 lbs?
It’s 3 potatoes which is about one pound give or take. I think this is plenty given how rich the whole meal is, but you could always make a double batch.
i can’t imagine anyone not liking this recipe. it’s delicious every time. i serve it over rigatoni and use chuck roast cut into 2 inch thick strips. also using pinot noir adds a bit of sweetness. 100% recommend putting the mirepoix in a blender when its finished and adding back to the sauce with a sprinkle of sugar (if it’s too acidic) before adding the meat back in. shred some aged parmesan on top and viola, incredible. my husband goes nuts every time i make it.
Would you need to increase cooking time if you are increasing the amount. I was planning on making this for a dinner party and want to double it. Thanks!
I haven’t tried doubling the recipe, but I don’t think you’ll need adjust the cooking time.