Crockpot Short Rib Ragu
This slow cooker short rib ragu recipe is a meal that feels extra fancy but is actually quite easy to make. The short ribs literally melt in your mouth and the rich sauce has so much flavor--this is the perfect cozy dinner!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3.5 lb short ribs about 6-8 pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 onion small diced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup red wine or more beef stock
- 1 cup beef stock
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ - 1 c reserved pasta water
- 16 oz. pappardelle pasta
Instructions
- Pat short ribs dry and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet at medium high heat. Sear the short ribs to brown on all sides. Remove and place in crock pot once cooked.
- Top the short ribs with chopped vegetables, Italian seasoning, wine, beef stock, garlic, bay leaves and balsamic vinegar. Cover with the tomatoes. Cover crock pot and heat on low for 7-9 hours or until the beef easily falls apart and comes off the bones. Skim off the top layer of oil if desired.
- Remove the short ribs from the crockpot and shred, discarding large pieces of fat. Transfer back into the crockpot along with the tomato paste and stir.
- Boil the pasta until al dente reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the crockpot and stir. Add the drained pasta to the ragu sauce immediately and toss.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Store leftovers.
Notes
Storage: Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. A bit of solidified fat form on top when refrigerating so you can just skim it right off if desired.
To Freeze: I suggest freezing it without the pasta. If you plan to serve some fresh and freeze the rest, spoon out some of the sauce to a freezer safe container before adding the pasta to the rest of the ragu. Allow it to completely cool before transferring to the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Short ribs tend to come with a decent amount of fat that can make the ragu sauce greasy. A few options:
- Before shredding the short ribs, skim the top layer of oil from the sauce. It tends to stay right on top and can be fairly easy to remove.
- Trip some, but not all of the outer fat before cooking. You definitely want some of that fat to hold the moisture in. It will make very tender meat. But if the amount of fat is significant, you can slice a little off.
- Chill the ragu sauce and then serve it the next day. If you cook the sauce the day before you plan to serve it, chilling will solidify that fat. Before reheating, you can then scrape off the fat easily. The sauce tastes amazing the next day, so it's an added bonus!
Nutrition
Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 1193mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4303IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 6mg