Short Rib Ragu

Use this Short Rib Ragu recipe to make delicious beef short ribs in the Instant Pot or on the stove top. Simmer boneless short ribs in marinara to make a delicious and tender meat sauce.

Simmer boneless short ribs in marinara until they are soft, tender and delicious

Amy and I like to joke that we are easily tricked by short ribs. We kept buying bone in short ribs over again and they never had enough meat.

We finally made the switch to thick, meaty boneless short ribs and they were perfect for this short rib ragu. The beef short ribs are first seasoned, then seared and simmered in a marinara sauce until tender enough to shred.

You can make these beef short ribs in the instant pot or on your stove top. Either way you will be left with a delicious shredded meat pasta sauce to enjoy with noodles or zoodles!

What kitchen tools will I need to make this short rib ragu?

• Large heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven or an Instant Pot – both methods are easy, but it is faster to make Instant Pot short ribs
• Measuring spoons and measuring cups
• Forks for shredding the cooked short ribs

How should I serve this boneless beef short rib sauce?

I like to serve my short rib ragu on pappardelle pasta, but it is delicious on any type of noodle even gnocchi! You could also serve this short rib ragu on zoodles.

To make the perfect dish of short rib pasta, spoon the warm ragu over freshly cooked noodles and gently toss the two together. Then, serve the pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.

What ingredients will I need to make this short rib ragu?

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this short rib ragu with just a few simple ingredients! You can use the same ingredients to make either

• Boneless beef short ribs
• Salt, pepper and dried parsley
• Marinara sauce

Ingredient Substitutions

Boneless beef short ribs work best for this recipe, but if you want to use bone in short ribs those will work just fine too. You could also use cut up chuck roast. When cooked slow and low the chuck roast will shred just like a short rib.

I like to use Rao’s jarred marinara sauce to make this recipe very easy. You can also make your own marinara sauce using whole peeled san marzano tomatoes and simple seasonings.

Add some extra veggies to this dish by sauteing diced onion, carrot and celery in the pot after you brown the short ribs. Add the short ribs back into the pot with the sauted veggies followed by the sauce. The veggies will cook down along with the sauce.

How do you make short rib ragu?

To begin, remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.

Then, heat pot over medium heat. When the pot is warm place the short ribs in the pot on their fattiest side first to brown the short ribs.

Make sure there is some space between each short rib. Work in batches if you need to.

Let the fat render for a few minutes then rotates the short ribs to sear on all sides. Then, pour the marinara sauce into the pot and increase the heat to high.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.

Allow the meat to continue cooking at a low simmer, turning and stirring occasionally, until the meat is soft and tender and ready to shred. This can take up to 3 hours depending on how big the short ribs are.

Once the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and shred the short ribs with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pot with the sauce. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.

Mix to combine and serve over noodles! I like to serve over pappardelle pasta with lots of parmesan cheese,

How do I make Instant Pot short ribs?

To begin, remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.

Then, set instant pot to sear. When the instant pot is warm place the short ribs in the instant pot on their fattiest side first.

Let the fat render for a few minutes then rotates the short ribs to sear on all sides. Pour the marinara sauce into the instant pot, close the lid, set the vent to sealing, and set the instant pot on manual high pressure for 45 minutes.

Allow the instant pot to come to pressure and cook for 45 minutes. When the timer beeps, manually release the pressure. 

Remove the short ribs from the instant pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the instant pot with the sauce. Mix to combine and serve over noodles!

Make this short rib ragu in the crock pot

You can also make this recipe into a slow cooker short rib ragu. Brown the short ribs on the stoved top until they are evenly browned on each side. Add the tomato sauce to the slow cooker and nest the browned short ribs into the sauce.

Set the slow cooker to low for 6 hours. Check the short ribs to make sure they are fork tender. Shred the tender short ribs.

Add the shredded short ribs back into the slow cooked and mix with the sauce. Spoon the sauce over cooked noodles to make the perfect short rib pasta dish!

Storage and reheating

Once prepared, store this short rib ragu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store separately from noodles. Reheat slowly on the stove top.

Check out these other delicious pasta sauce recipes:

• Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
• Creamy Shredded Chicken Pasta Sauce
• Veggie Packed Meat Sauce

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Recipe

Short Rib Ragu

★★★★★ 5 from 28 reviews

Use this short rib ragu to make boneless short ribs in the instant pot or on the stove top!

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 3 hoursTotal: 3 hours 10 minutes

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Servings: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless short ribs – you can also use bone in short ribs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 32oz marinara sauce

Instructions

Stove Top Instructions

1. Remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.
2. Heat pot over medium heat. When the pot is warm place the short ribs in the pot on their fattiest side first. Let the fat render for a few minutes then rotates the short ribs to sear on all sides.
3. Pour the marinara sauce into the pot and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
4. Allow the meat to continue cooking at a low simmer, turning and stirring occasionally, until the meat is soft and tender and ready to shred. This can take up to 3 hours depending on how big the short ribs are.
5. Once the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pot with the sauce. Mix to combine and serve over noodles!

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.
2. Set instant pot to sear. When the instant pot is warm place the short ribs in the instant pot on their fattiest side first. Let the fat render for a few minutes then rotates the short ribs to sear on all sides.
3. Pour the marinara sauce into the instant pot, close the lid, set the vent to sealing and set the instant pot on manual high pressure for 45 minutes.
4. Allow the instant pot to come to pressure and cook for 45 minutes. When the timer beeps, manually release the pressure. 
5. Remove the short ribs from the instant pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the instant pot with the sauce. Mix to combine and serve over noodles!

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.