Beef Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta
Updated Jul 22, 2025, Published Nov 03, 2021
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This is the best Italian-style braised beef short rib ragu. It makes for the ultimate Italian comfort food meal and is perfect for cozy winter nights! It only requires 15 minutes of prep time, and then simmers while you can read a book near the fire. It’s a classic dish that you’ll want to make again and again.
If you love showstopping, melt-in-your mouth meat dinners, you’ll love these recipes for Cooking Steak in a Pan, Easy Tender Lamb Shoulder Chops, and Cooking a Small Prime Rib Roast.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This beef short rib ragu is richly flavored from slow-cooked short ribs, finely diced vegetables, herbs, garlic, shallots, and red wine. Let it simmer on the stove while you relax (or make your own Authentic Homemade Pappardelle Pasta Recipe) and wait for the most fantastic dinner!
Cooking this braised beef short rib ragu is a straightforward process consisting of 3 main steps: browning, deglazing, and simmering. The process is time-intensive, but requires low effort. Set a timer and take a nap, and your best-ever Italian beef short rib ragu will be ready.
Made With Amore,
Ingredients for Beef Short Rib Ragu
Curious what ingredients you’ll need to make this amazing Italian dinner? Get these key ingredients, along with a few others, and you’ll be ready to cook up this beef short rib ragu sauce!
- Beef Short Ribs: I suggest using bone in ribs because they are more flavorful and will cook more evenly, but you can use boneless ribs for this recipe and cook it using the same directions.
- Soffritto Veggies: This is a blend of onion, shallot, carrot, and garlic that’s cooked in olive oil. It’s the perfect base for lots of flavor in this dish! Get more tips for how to cook Italian soffritto in my recipe.
- Red Wine: Adding a splash of red wine further deepens the flavor of the sauce. You’ll use it to deglaze the pan after cooking the soffritto and tomato paste to remove the flavorful browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Use a good quality brand of canned tomatoes. I love using Tutto Rosso brand in the US!
- Pappardelle Pasta: This rich and hearty sauce tastes best when served over eggy noodles like pappardelle. I recommend making your own pappardelle pasta for the very best flavor and texture!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Different Cut of Beef: Short ribs are cut from the chuck, or shoulder, of the animal, so you can substitute chuck roast. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still be delicious and tender! Or try using ground beef and ground veal like in my classic Italian ragu meat sauce. (If you love cooking with chuck, you’ll love my classic beef stew and my oven baked pot roast.)
- Slow Cooker Method: Brown the ribs and make the sauce in a pan, then transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Pressure Cooker Method: Follow the recipe using the sauté feature, then pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.
How to Make Beef Short Rib Ragu
Follow these step-by-step photos for the best results. Find the full steps and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Sear the short ribs. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then season with kosher salt. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until shimmering. Sear half of the ribs on each side until they’re deep brown, about 10 minutes in all. Remove from the pan and set aside, then repeat with the remaining ribs.
- Brown the soffritto and aromatics. Add the Italian soffritto veggies (carrots, shallot, and onion) to the pot on medium high heat and cook until they’re lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. This is the first step in building layers to the flavor of this dish.
- Deglaze to build up the flavor. Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits developed on the bottom of the pan by browning the short ribs and soffritto. This adds richness and depth to the sauce!
- Slowly braise the beef sauce. Nestle the browned short ribs into the braising liquid, bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and simmer until the ribs are fall-apart tender, about 3½ to 4 hours. Your kitchen will smell like absolute Italian comfort food heaven!
- Cook the pappardelle to al dente, then mix it in with the simmering ragu and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Serve hot with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated parmigiano cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
“Ragu” is a broad term used to describe a rich, slowly cooked Italian meat sauce. It’s hearty and intensely flavorful, and unlike a slowly simmered tomato sauce (sugo al pomodoro), ragu is all about the meat. In that sense, it’s almost more stew-like than what may come to mind when you think of Italian sauces.
You can make a beautiful ragu using almost any meaty ingredient that lends well to a slow braise: pork, ground turkey or chicken, wild boar, duck, lamb, mushrooms, or eggplant for a vegetarian ragu, or, of course, beef short ribs.
Braising is a very important step that you don’t want to skip in this recipe. Braising is simply a cooking method that involves browning meat or vegetables in oil, then cooking it in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan, either on the stovetop or in the oven. The long, slow cook time helps develop flavor and turn even the toughest of meat cuts fork-tender.
You’re looking for meat that’s falling off the bone with ease! If it still feels a bit firm after 3½ hours, give it another 30 minutes and check again.
Transfer the cooled short rib ragu sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. To serve, all you have to do is heat it & toss it with your pasta of choice – easy!
You can freeze this beef short rib ragu! I doubt there will be any leftovers, but just in case you want to save the leftover ragu here is what you need to do: allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Ragu will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
I love a thick and glorious egg pasta, such as homemade pappardelle pasta, to go with this rich ragu sauce. You can make the pasta from scratch if you like, or purchase fresh pappardelle or another wide pasta to make this meal extra special. (Here’s my tips for keeping fresh pasta from sticking if you want to make your own!)
If you don’t want to serve over pasta, make some creamy Italian polenta, or enjoy it plain along with pieces of easy Italian focaccia bread instead. Round out your meal even more with tasty sides like smashed garlicky herb potatoes, Tuscan roasted broccoli with lemon, or this roasted butternut squash risotto with brown butter.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- The short ribs need to be completely dry before searing. Moisture is the natural enemy of a good, hard sear, so use paper towels to pat them as dry as you possibly can.
- Be sure to use a good, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven which retains heat well and distributes it evenly.
- Please don’t just spoon the ragu sauce over cooked pasta! Be sure to always cook the al dente pasta in the sauce on the stovetop for a couple of minutes before serving. (Refer to my tips for boiling perfect spaghetti for tips on cooking pasta.)
- If the sauce is too thick after adding the pasta, toss in some of the reserved pasta water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmigiano cheese.
Other Italian Beef Recipes You’ll Love
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Beef Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta
Ingredients
For the Ragu Sauce
- 2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 ½ cups carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups port or red wine
- 28 ounces crushed tomato
- 3 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 pounds pappardelle pasta, or 1 batch homemade pappardelle pasta
For Garnish
- fresh parsley, finely chopped
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Searing the Ribs
- Pat the short ribs with paper towels to remove any excess moisture, then season generously with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
- Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over high heat until shimmering. Add half the short ribs and sear on each side until deep brown, about 10 minutes total. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining short ribs.
Simmering the Sauce
- Add the onion, shallot, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and browned, about 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a few more minutes, until darkened and thickened.
- Pour in the wine (the alcohol will burn off at this point). Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Reduce the liquid by half, about 15 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Add the short ribs, making sure the meat is submerged. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 31/2- 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim excess fat off the top as needed. The short ribs are done when the meat pulls apart easily.
Finishing the Dish
- Discard any bones that the meat has fallen off of, as well as all the herb stems. Pull out any remaining bones and discard.
- Using two forks, shred the meat in the pot. (You can also take the meat out onto a cutting board to shred and then add it back into the pot.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. (If making homemade pappardelle, cook it for about 5 minutes, or until al dente.) Strain pasta and add to the pot of ragu sauce. Stir gently to incorporate the pasta with the sauce.
- Serve the pasta warm and garnish with finely chopped parsley and freshly grated parmigiano cheese. Mangia! (Eat!)
Notes
- The short ribs need to be completely dry before searing. Moisture is the natural enemy of a good, hard sear, so use paper towels to pat them as dry as you possibly can.
- Be sure to use a good, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven which retains heat well and distributes it evenly.
- Please don’t just spoon the ragu sauce over cooked pasta! Be sure to always cook the al dente pasta in the sauce on the stovetop for a couple of minutes before serving. (Refer to my tips for boiling perfect spaghetti for tips on cooking pasta.)
- If the sauce is too thick after adding the pasta, toss in some of the reserved pasta water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmigiano cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your recipe doesn’t show celery as one of the ingredients, but your instructions refer to carrots, celery, and onion. Can you please clarify?
Yes, it is two stalks diced! Enjoy.
Love this ragu sauce recipe! I usually double the recipe and freeze half, it freezes really well and makes for an easy meal another night!
Yes! I do the same- a great way to meal prep.
I have some whole short ribs in the freezer. They will just about fit in the crock pot. I guess I can use these without cutting the into smaller pieces, right?
Yes! That should work.
I have lots or dried Porcini and love mushrooms, how best would you incorporate those (if you would)
Hi! Simple hydrate the mushrooms in water for about an hour and add to the sauce. YUMM!
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious! I think next time I will try it in the slow cooker. I didn’t leave myself quite enough time for the meat to fall off the bone but it was still quite tender and yummy.
I’ve never made beef short ribs before and am very happy with how this turned out ๐
Hi Janet! I’m happy you loved this cozy dish. Yes, you can make it in the slow cooker next time!
Hi Elena,
Can you make this with pork short rib, accidentally bought that instead of beef when I was at store!
Yes! You can. Enjoy.
What kind of red wine do you recommend using?
Cabernet Sauvignon is a great option!
Hi Elena – this sounds delicious and can’t wait to make on Valentine’s Day. However, I don’t have a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Can this be made in a slow cooker/crock pot instead? If so, would you still cook it for 3.5-4 hours on high or would you cook longer at a lower temp (med or low) for 6-8 hours?
Hi Chris! What a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner. I would go low and slow on this recipe for the slow cooker. Enjoy!
sauce seems quite runny. do you thicken it?
The sauce isn’t that thick, but I wouldn’t call it runny. If you like t you can make a slurry with a little cornstarch and water and then add it to the sauce and stir to combine. I hope that helps!