Use this Beef Short Rib Ragu recipe to make delicious 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.
Make-ahead
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: How to sear ribs without oil
Worth It: Perfect for batch cooking
Bonus: Use on different pastas or zoodles
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make it your way – This recipe works on the stovetop, Instant Pot, or Crock Pot so you can make it in whatever method you would like.
- Minimal ingredients – This beef short rib ragu has so few ingredients but tastes incredible.
- Great for meal prep – I love to make this ragu on a Sunday and then enjoy it over noodles or zoodles throughout the week.
Serving Suggestions
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 or spaghetti squash.
I love to pair this ragu with a salad. A wedge salad, antipasto salad or shaved brussels sprouts salad are all great options. If you want something quick and easy, air fryer asparagus or air fryer brussels sprouts are perfect. To dip in the ragu, I love making this overnight bread recipe.
Ingredients
- Boneless beef short ribs – Amy and I love using boneless beef short ribs because they are thick and meaty, so you get plenty of delicious ragu
- Kosher salt, pepper and dried parsley – these three spices are all you need to make this simple but delicious short rib ragu
- Marinara sauce – to keep this recipe simple, I used jarred marinara sauce in my ragu
Ingredient Substitutions
Boneless beef short ribs work best for this recipe, but if you want to use bone-in english cut short ribs those will work just fine too. When you are done cooking, just remove the short ribs from the braising liquid to remove the bones then add them back in. 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 jarred marinara sauce to make this recipe very easy. You can also make your own marinara sauce using whole peeled san marzano tomatoes, simple seasonings, and some tomato paste if you would like.
Add some extra veggies to this dish by sauteing a few cloves garlic, diced onion, carrot and celery in the pot after you brown the short ribs. If you add the vegetables, you could take it a step further to deglaze the pan with a little bit of dry red wine like cabernet sauvignon and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Add the short ribs back into the pot with the sauteed veggies followed by the sauce and bay leaves. The veggies will cook down along with the sauce.
If you like your ragu to have a bit more liquid, you could add in some beef broth.
How to Make
Step 1: season and brown the 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, heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the pot is warm place the short ribs in the pot on their fattiest side first to brown the short ribs. By using the fattiest side first, you do not need to add olive oil to the pan.
Make sure there is some space between each short rib. Work in batches if you need to.
Step 2: Add marinara sauce and boil
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. If you would like, you could add a parmesan rind or fresh herbs here, such as fresh thyme or bay leaves, for even more flavor.
Step 3: simmer then shred the short ribs
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.
Step 4: serve and enjoy!
Mix to combine and serve over noodles! I like cook pasta such as pappardelle to serve with lots of parmesan cheese.
How To Make in the Instant Pot
Step 1: season and brown the 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.
Step 2: Pressure cook the short ribs
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.
Step 3: Shred and serve
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!
how to Make in the crock pot
Step 1: brown the short ribs and combine with sauce
You can also make this recipe into a slow cooker short rib ragu. Brown the short ribs in a pan on the stove 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.
Step 2: Slow cook
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.
Step 3: Shred and serve
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 refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store separately from noodles. Reheat slowly on the stove top.
You can also freeze this recipe in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 4 months. Reheat slowly on the stove top.
Check out these other delicious pasta sauce recipes:
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!
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!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Short Rib Ragu
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
- 32 oz marinara sauce
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.
- 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.
- 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 with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pot with the sauce. Mix to combine and serve over noodles!
Instant Pot Instructions
- Remove short ribs from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Mix salt, pepper, and dried parsley and season short ribs on all sides.
- 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!
Nutrition Information
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.
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