This slow cooker short rib ragu is a hearty and satisfying winter dinner. Tender short ribs are slow cooked in tomato purée creating a rich and flavorful pasta sauce. It’s so warm and comforting when served over pasta or polenta.
This beef ragu recipe is a classic Italian meat sauce made with tomatoes and chopped meat. The long, slow cooking in the crock pot braises the meat creating complex flavors and tenderness. Combining the short rib ragu with pappardelle, or another wide flat noodle, makes such an irresistible combination.
For other hearty beef short ribs recipes, try my Beef Barley Soup (made with flanken or English style) or Grilled Korean Short Ribs (made with thin cross cut ribs). And for more winter pasta dishes, I recommend San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, or Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Sauce.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great recipe for a family dinner, but wonderful enough to serve to company.
- Simple enough to make at home, but the end result is a restaurant quality dish!
- It's a fantastic make ahead recipe.
- Most of the cooking time is hands off while the slow cooker works its magic.
- Hearty, meaty, and filling winter comfort food recipe to warm you up.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the recipe card below for a complete ingredient list and measurements.
Jump to Recipe- Bone-in beef short ribs - Using English cut bone-in short ribs adds so much flavor to this dish. A common substitute for short ribs is beef chuck roast, cut into cubes.
- Produce - I use a soffrito (also known as a mirepoix) for the seasoning base for this recipe: onion, celery, and carrot. Garlic cloves are also used for extra flavor.
- Red wine - Use a bold red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, Chianti, or super Tuscan. Can omit if needed, or replace with beef broth.
- Tomatoes or tomato purée - The quality of the tomatoes makes a difference in this recipe. I prefer using tomato passata, a purée of high quality Italian tomatoes with no additional ingredients. I like the Mutti brand. This is my go-to choice since it is already puréed and ready to use.
My second choice is a 28 ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes. You will have to purée them yourself, but these are high quality tomatoes. I used to use Pomi brand strained tomatoes, but the quality has changed since I originally created this recipe and took the photo, so that is no longer my recommendation. - Dried and fresh herbs - Use fresh thyme if possible, but it can be substituted with dried thyme. There is also dried oregano and a bay leaf.
- Pasta of your choice - I think a wide flat noodle goes really well with this short rib ragu. The small pieces of saucy meat cling well to a wide noodle. I recommend pappardelle (as pictured), tagliatelle, or fettuccine. Rigatoni, a large tube pasta, is another option.
Make sure to cook your pasta to al dente, with a slight firmness to the pasta, because it will finish cooking in the sauce at the end. - Optional garnish - Includes grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil or parsley.
Step by Step Photos
See the recipe card below for complete directions.
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Step 1: Sear seasoned beef short ribs in a hot skillet over medium high heat until browned on all sides. Brown one side all the way before turning to another side with tongs. Then transfer the browned short ribs to a slow cooker.
Step 2: Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in the skillet until softened. Add garlic in the last minute.
Step 3: Make sauce by deglazing the pan with red wine. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in tomato sauce and herbs and stir. Pour the sauce over the short ribs in the slow cooker.
Step 4: Cook in slow cooker on low heat for about 9 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Skim any liquid fat off the top.
Step 5: Shred meat. Pull the meat off of the bones, and shred it using two forks to pull it apart. Discard bones, connective tissue, and bay leaf. Put the meat back in the sauce, and stir to coat. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt, pepper, herbs, or a large pinch of sugar if needed.
Step 6: Serve. Add cooked pasta to the ragu sauce, toss, and heat together for a few minutes.
OR chill the sauce by itself overnight. The next day, reheat the sauce in a large skillet or pot. Add cooked pasta, and toss to coat noodles in sauce. Let the sauce and pasta warm together for a few minutes so that the noodles absorb a little of the sauce and finish cooking. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs loosening up.
Top with optional garnish of grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil or parsley. Serve warm.
Top Tips
- Use bone in short ribs. Cooking the sauce with the bones will add more flavor to the sauce.
- Brown the meat and vegetables. Browning the short ribs in a skillet first adds a ton of flavor to this dish. Sautéing the vegetables in the same pan then deglazing with red wine allows all the brown bits from searing the short ribs to be added into the sauce for extra flavor.
- If you’re short on time, skip browning and sautéing, and add everything into the slow cooker.
- Add a few pinches of sugar, if the finished sauce is slightly bitter.
- It’s better the next day. Let the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld. The fat will rise to the top and harden which makes it easy to remove. Reheat the sauce the next day to further tenderize the meat.
- Serve each portion on a warmed plate to help keep the food warmer longer.
Make Ahead
This dish is a great make ahead dish because it's even more flavorful the next day. Alternatively, do the pan searing and sautéing on day 1, refrigerate overnight, then on day 2 cook in the slow cooker. If starting the ingredients cold from the fridge, add an extra hour to the total cooking time.
Storage and Reheating
How to store: Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
How to freeze: Store sauce by itself (without pasta) in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to six months. Remember to label and date.
Reheating: Reheat in a microwave or saucepan over medium low heat until warmed throughout.
Cook the sauce longer until the meat is tender. Also, if you make the sauce the day before and then reheat the next day, the meat becomes even more tender from the additional cooking.
Yes, this recipe can be cooked on the stovetop covered at a simmer or in the oven covered at 350ºF. Cook for about 2 hours, or until meat is cooked through and tender. You might need to add a few splashes of beef broth or water as more liquid will evaporate using these cooking methods than with a slow cooker.
What to Serve with Short Rib Ragu
Serve this meat sauce over pasta or polenta. Italians generally serve pasta as its own course. However, this dish pairs well with a salad or vegetable.
More Warm and Comforting Winter Dishes
- Crispy Sweet Potato Latkes Recipe
- Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine (Moroccan Lamb Stew)
- Parsnip and Apple Soup
- Modern Roasted Tzimmes
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This post was updated in 2024 with revised text and more tips. The recipe remains the same.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 - 2 ½ pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 celery stalk diced small, optional
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup red wine dry
- 24 ounce tomato passata or 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, puréed
- 2 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound pasta of your choice like pappardelle, tagliatelle, or fettuccine
- grated Parmesan cheese optional garnish
- 1 handful fresh chopped basil or parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Sear Ribs: Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Dry short ribs, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown short ribs on all four sides (about several minutes per side). Adjust the heat lower if there is a lot of splatter. Move the short ribs to the slow cooker.
- Sauté Vegetables: Drain most of the fat. Put the onion, carrot and celery (optional) in the skillet and lightly salt and pepper. Brown vegetables on a medium flame, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, and sauté for about one minute more.
- Make Sauce: Pour the red wine in the skillet, and scrap any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine gently boil, and reduce until most visible liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally. Add in the tomato sauce, herbs, and just a little more salt and pepper. Stir to combine the sauce. Pour the sauce over the short ribs in the slow cooker.
- Cook in Slow Cooker: Start the slow cooker, and cook on low for 9 hours or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Alternatively, park the slow cooker insert in the refrigerator until ready to start the slow cooker. If you start the slow cooker with cold ingredients, increase the cooking time to 10 hours total.
- Shred Meat and Adjust Seasonings: Skim any liquid fat off the top, and discard in the trash. Once the meat is very tender, pull the meat off of the bones, and discard the bones and bay leaf. Remove any fat and connective tissue that you can. Shred the meat with two forks or your fingers, or chop the meat with a knife. Put the meat back in the sauce, and stir to coat. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt, pepper, herbs, or sugar if needed. Serve now, or refrigerator overnight once somewhat cooled.
- Serving: If serving the next day, reheat the sauce on the stove at a simmer in a large skillet or dutch oven for about 15-20 minutes or until warm. In the meantime, cook the pasta until it's al dente, slightly under cooked. Add warm pasta to the sauce and combine. Let the sauce and pasta warm together for a few minutes so that the noodles absorb a little of the sauce and finish cooking. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs loosening up. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil or parsley if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- This dish tastes even better the next day, so it is a great make ahead dish. Alternatively, sear the short ribs, and sauté the vegetables and add tomato sauce. Transfer everything to the slow cooker, then store in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook the next day. If starting the ingredients cold from the fridge, add an extra hour to the total cooking time.
- How to store: Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- How to freeze: Store in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
- How to reheat: Reheat in a saucepan over medium low heat until warmed throughout.
- Recipe source: My foodie friend Todd gave me the general framework for this dish which I have worked into the final version here.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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