Short ribs with pappardelle is the ultimate comfort food that is perfect for cooler nights when all you want to do is cozy up with a warm bowl of pasta. Beef short ribs are braised in a tomato and red wine sauce then tossed with pappardelle ribbons and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. This is the ragu to end all other ragus.
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Editor’s Note: Originally Published on April 4, 2018. Updated with full process shots and expanded info.
As much as I love the summer, I do get a little excited when the weather cools down because that means heartier foods, like porchetta roast, baked butternut squash pasta, and this short rib ragu with pappardelle.
This is one of my most favorite dishes for a few reasons:
- Smells incredible. There is nothing quite like the smell of short ribs braised in red wine and herbs, or white wine and herbs like these braised short ribs. It smells like home, warmth, and family.
- It’s affordable. Mixing the beef with sauce and pasta allows you to extend the beef allowing you to get the most bang for your buck. I was able to get the short ribs on sale for $6.29 per pound but you can also use chuck or beef stew meat to make this even more affordable.
- Simple to make. But doesn’t taste simple. This is one of the easiest dishes to make as the prep is pretty basic and most of the cooking time involves braising in the oven, allowing you time to focus on other things. Because it braises for a few hours, the taste is deep and complex.
Variations and additions
Pappardelle is one of my favorite kinds of pasta.
Its ribbon-like shape and texture make it perfect for meat or cream-based sauces, like my Italian sausage pasta or creamy garlic mushroom pasta.
If you’re not able to find pappardelle, you can use tagliatelle, fettuccine, bucatini, or even rigatoni for this dish.
This also goes fantastically with homemade potato gnocchi or homemade pasta if you have the time.
This recipe calls for red wine. I almost always use a chianti when I’m making this dish, but really any bold red wine, such as a cabernet, super Tuscan, or Valpolicella would work well.
If you’re not able to find beef short ribs, you can opt for beef stew meat or use a 2-3 pound chuck roast cut into cubes.
One of my favorite additions to short ribs with pappardelle, in addition to the Parmigiano Reggiano, is to grate some bittersweet dark chocolate on top, right when I’m plating.
The chocolate adds another layer of flavor contributing to the complexity of the dish. I’d recommend using 80% cacao or higher and start with a little at a time to make sure you like it.
If you want to stretch the dish even further and add additional flavor, you could also add diced white button, baby Bella, or porcini mushrooms to this dish.
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 300f and set racks apart so that one large Dutch oven pot can fit in the middle of the oven. Finely dice 1 medium onion and a 2 medium carrots. Also, slice 2 cloves of garlic.
- Season the short ribs very well with a total of 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a 1/2 teaspoon black pepper on all sides.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat. Once the pot is hot add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, pat the short ribs dry with paper towels to remove any excess wetness, and place into the pot. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear the ribs on all sides until well browned (should take about 10 minutes per batch). Set the seared ribs to the side and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- At this point, there will be a lot of beef fat in the pot. Add the carrots and onions to the pot and saute them until very soft (about 10-12 minutes).
- Next, add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Add in the 3 ounces of tomato paste, mix around constantly and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Add 2 cups of dry red wine (Chianti, Cabernet, Valpolicella, etc) to the pot and turn the heat back to medium. Using a wooden spoon, scrape and dislodge all of the brown bits. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the plum tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf, and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Return the short ribs to the simmering sauce. Try to keep them all submerged, but don’t worry if parts of some are sticking out.
- Turn off the heat and cover. Cook in the oven for 2 hours, then remove and turn over any short ribs. Crack the lid, leaving it open by about 1 inch, and return the pot to the oven. Let the ragu cook for 1 hour more.
- After 3 hours the short ribs will be falling apart. With tongs or a slotted spoon remove all of the short ribs, bones, thyme stems, and the bay leaf. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaf.
- Discard all of the short ribs bones (or save for a bone broth). The membrane that holds the meat to the bone needs to be removed. Cut it away with a sharp knife. Once all of the membrane parts have been removed, shred the beef with two forks, or alternatively chop it up. Note: The membrane will have a hard texture, distinct look and feel, and will be easily noticeable. Just take your time to remove the membrane before shredding the short rib meat. The collagen-filled membrane or connective tissue can be eaten, but for the purposes of shredding the beef and to have a uniform texture, I recommend removing it. You can save it with the bones to make a stock if desired.
- Place all the shredded beef into the pot and keep the pot on low heat. Give the ragu a taste test and adjust salt and pepper if required.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt) to boil and cook the pappardelle to almost cooked (about 1-2 minutes less than al dente. While the pasta is cooking place about 2 cups of the short rib ragu into a large pan and turn the heat to medium-low.
- Before draining the pasta save 1 cup of pasta water. Place the pasta into the pan with the hot ragu and stir well to thoroughly coat the pasta.
- Finish cooking the pasta in the ragu for 1-2 minutes or until al dente then turn the heat off. If more ragu is needed, add it now. If the pasta is a bit dry use some of the reserved pasta water ( a couple ounces at a time) to loosen it up. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the extra ragu on the side. Enjoy!
Note: you’ll have about 1/2 bottle of wine left after making the sauce. If you’re so inclined, this meal pairs perfectly with a glass of chianti, super Tuscan, or a cabernet. Cin Cin!
Top Tips
- Sear the short ribs very well – Taking the time to put a great sear on all the sides of the shorts ribs will increase the ragu’s flavor tremendously. The maillard reaction whereby the protein and sugars of the beef are transformed by intense heat makes the flavor that much better.
- Sweat the veggies – Just as building the flavor with the seared meat, sweating the carrot and onion through slow cooking will impart a sweetness to the short rib ragu. Don’t rush this step.
- Fresh thyme – Thyme just goes so well with braised beef and red wine. It’s one of my favorite herbs to use for short ribs but feel free to experiment.
- Refrigerate overnight – You will get an even better flavor if you make this red wine short rib ragu one day in advance. It’s a great make-ahead dinner party recipe! An added bonus is the fat will come to the top overnight, and you can remove most of it the next day by scraping it off with a spoon before reheating. This makes the dish a tad healthier, but in the end, there is nothing too healthy about this dish ;).
More hearty Italian pasta recipes
If you like short ribs with pappardelle, try these other super hearty and comforting pastas.
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Short Ribs with Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 10 3-4" bone-in short ribs 3-4 pounds
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine chianti, cabernet, etc
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 1 large bay leaf
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup reserved pasta water will most likely not need all of it
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano for finishing
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F and move racks to make enough room to accommodate a large Dutch oven pot in the middle of the oven.
- Pat the short ribs dry and season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper on all sides. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat. After the pot is hot add the olive oil. Give the short ribs one more pat to make sure they're dry, then add them to the pot and and sear on all sides. Work in batches and do not crowd the pan. Short ribs should take about 10 minutes to sear on all sides per batch.
- Set the seared short ribs aside and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the carrots, and onions and saute in the beef fat until very soft (about 10 minutes) then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Next, add in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add the wine and turn heat to medium. Using a wooden spoon scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- After cooking the wine for 3 minutes, add the plum tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Once simmering add the short ribs to the pot, stir, then turn off and cover. Cook short ribs in the oven for 2 hours. After two hours, place the lid partially ajar and continue to cook for 1 more hour.
- Remove Dutch oven, then remove short ribs and place onto a large cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. Discard any hard parts of fat and the bones. Also, discard any thyme stems and the bay leaf. Return the shredded meat to the pot and keep warm over low heat. Taste test the ragu and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt) and cook pappardelle until al dente. Heat a large pan to medium-low heat and add in 2 cups of the short rib ragu. Add the al dente pasta to the pan and cook for 1 more minute mixing well to thoroughly coat the pasta.
- If the pasta needs more ragu, add more now. If the sauce seems a little dry add a bit of reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Serve plated with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the remaining ragu on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 6 moderate or 4 large servings.
- Making the ragu 24 hours in advance and refrigerating overnight will yield even better flavor. If doing so, you can remove some of the fat that will rise to the top with a spoon after being chilled.
- The collagen-filled membrane or connective tissue can be eaten, but for the purposes of shredding the beef and to have a uniform texture, I recommend removing it. You can save it with the bones to make a stock if desired.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
- The leftover ragu can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on April 4, 2018. It was completely updated on October 5, 2021.
I saved this recipe a long time ago and now I finally got a casserole pot. So my first dish I’m cooking with is this one. I can’t get shot rips at my butcher today so he cut me a big beef rip into squares. Works as well. After 3 1/2 hours like butter and less fussy to pull. Today I served it with pasta as shown but I can also imagine serving it a little bit more moist like a Goulash with potato gratin on the side.
Hi James
What can I use instead of the wine?
Hi Pamela, you can omit the wine and use more beef stock to make up for the liquid.
This is the third recipe I’ve tried and they have all been amazing. Best place to find real authentic Italian cooking. My Nonna would be proud!
We’re so happy to hear that, Gene!
This one is another keeper from James and Tara. OUTSTANDING!! Thank you!
So happy you loved it, Elaine!
I found and bought veal short ribs (before seeing this recipe). I have been looking for a good recipe and this looks amazing (and I rated it for that reason)! Do you think I need to do anything different with veal? I was thinking maybe a shorter cooking time? This is my first try with short ribs! I am excited!
Hi Lynn, thanks for the comment. There’s really nothing different you’d need to do with the recipe if using veal short ribs. We hope you enjoy!
I followed this recipe as close as possible with an added step to reduce the fat content. I didn’t have fresh thyme so substituted with dry. This sauce is so tasty and after adding the shredded short rib meat it was fantástico! My added step was to place the sauce in the refrigerator overnight and remove the orange fat from the top. Short ribs are so fatty and after searing them there is a pool of fat. It’s great for sautéing the veggies but for me too much to eat. Besides the meat also has plenty of fat even after removing the bone and rubbery membrane. It was delicious with organic pappardelle pasta and even by itself in a bowl for my disciplined no pasta husband.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Shirley! Thanks for the comment!
Hi!
I followed this recipe perfectly but after the 2 hours my liquid had basically already evaporated. I didn’t know if I should half cover and cook for another hour. I didn’t want my short rib to burn or get messed up. Should I add water if this happens? How do I prevent from happening?
Hi Megan. Sorry that happened. Yes, you can add liquid during the cooking process if it starts to evaporate too quickly. It could have happened for a few reasons. Possibly the oven temp is not accurate (happens on plenty of ovens) or that the lid wasn’t tight enough and too much evaporation transpired. Hope this helps!
My dutch oven has a vent hole. Do I need a sealed dutch oven to make this recipe?
Hi Tina. I would just plug it with foil. If you don’t, you will get far quicker evaporation and will have to add liquid.
Where can I get the pappardelle you used in the recipe?
Hi Suzanne. I would use any quality brand you can find. In the video I used Garofalo Pappardelle, No. 1-35 and in the photos I used Uncle Giuseppe’s Artisanal Pappardelle. Both were great.
This was good. I made two additions. Almost always when I do a braise, I add celery to the vegetables and I did in this case. I also added red pepper flakes at the end.
It was great thank again
Iam going to try the dishes
Love your recipes and your delivery. I also appreciate that you’re from long island since I love hearing the names of the stores you go to. Knowing I can go there also.
Thanks for following along with us, Rich, and happy the content resonates with you!
This is an absolutely fantastic recipe. My family loved it and the house smells incredible. Thank you!
I love this recipe and use it often. The meat is so tender and the sauce is delicious. Wouldn’t change a thing it’s amazing. Thanks. 😊
We’re so happy you enjoyed this one, Diana!
Loved this, I was doubtful of the 2 cups of wine. It turned out delicious. Next time I’ll use fettuccine. My husband raved.
We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed this one, Lori!
Looking forward to making this – just a few questions about your recipe:
1) I see some short rib ragu recipes use beef stock/bouillon in addition to red wine. Do you think using extra red wine in place of that makes the dish better since the short ribs are already imparting enough beef flavor?
2) For the sofrito element, other recipes call for a celery rib – but I see yours uses an extra carrot (which I kind of like tbh to add more sweetness).
3) if using boneless short ribs, how many lbs would you suggest? I’m not sure how much weight the bones account for in bone-in short ribs.
Thanks!
Hi Bob, we prefer the recipe with the red wine, however, you could certainly omit it and use beef stock. As far as the short ribs, those bones usually account for 50% of the weight so you can scale based on that.
I want to make this recipe, but have always read that you should never heat an empty Le Creuset Dutch oven, as it will damage the enamel surface. All of your recipes say to preheat an empty Dutch oven. To me, that only makes sense if you’re using one without the enamel, such as Lodge. Please clarify this for me.
Hi Olga, thanks for the comment. We have also heard that you should not heat the empty enamled Dutch oven, but we have never had an issue with enamel cracking and have found that not adequately heating the pan before adding the meat will not allow you to get a good sear on the meat. That being said, if you feel uncomfortable you can sear the meat in a stainless steel pan, deglaze the pan, and then add the seared beef and drippings and deglazing liquid to the Dutch oven when you’re done.
Made this tonight and it was a home run! I plan on making this for my family of 13 in 2 weeks during our annual beach vacation. I see that you said making it a day in advance makes it even better. Would there be any problem if the sauce was made 2 days in advance? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, you can make this 2 days in advance and it will be great. Hope you enjoy!
This sounds like a great recipe for a small dinner party, especially the part about cooking this a day ahead for even better flavor. This is going in my book of go to recipes, thanks!
Such great recipes. Enjoy you, your wife and children. I’m Italian and I just love how you represent Italian cooking❤️
I don’t keep wine in the house. What is the best substitute for the wine? Beef broth?? I usually sub chicken broth for white wine. Thanks.
Hi Stacy, you can use beef or chicken stock in place of the wine.