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Slowly braised beef short rib ragu with a deep, rich and hearty flavour made with tomato, red wine and porcini mushrooms (the secret ingredient for next-level flavour). Serve it with homemade pappardelle pasta and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano on top for the ultimate Italian comfort food.
There’s nothing better than a slow-cooked ragu simmering away on a cosy Sunday afternoon, filling our home with the most incredible, nostalgic smell. Music playing and making homemade pasta with family.
Those are the best kind of moments for me, taking time to slow down and be present with the people you love, enjoying lots of good food.
If you’ve made our classic beef ragu (made with ground beef and a reader favourite), then you’ll love this recipe too. It’s just as rich and deep in flavour, but with tender fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs that are just unbelievably delicious.
The porcini mushrooms are honestly a game-changer. They give the ragu such a deep, umami savoury flavour that I know you’ll love.
I hope this recipe brings you as much joy as it does us, it’s the ultimate comfort food. Don’t forget to add a generous amount of Parmigiano on top and have some crusty bread on the side too!
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Beef short ribs – look at the gorgeous marbling of fat on those (so much flavour there). We have four short ribs because they are on the large side, you may have a lot more short ribs for the same weight which is absolutely fine. See the photo below that shows another example of what beef short ribs can look like.
- Passata – also known as tomato puree in the US. I highly recommend using Mutti (it’s really good value for money) or use a high quality brand you trust.
- Dried porcini mushrooms – these should be fairly easy to find in larger stores/supermarkets (especially Italian food stores). They really make a difference to the flavour of the ragu but if you can’t find them just leave them out.
- Beef stock – I always recommend using low-sodium stock so you can adjust the amount of salt to taste. Regular stock (especially beef stock) can be overly salty.
It’s common to find beef short ribs with the lifter muscle (latissimus dorsi) attached in the UK. It means the beef ribs will be a lot thicker and you may only need two ribs in total.
The lifter muscle is leaner but still has a decent amount of marbling so it’s still really soft and tender after long and slow cooking.
It’s absolutely fine to use short ribs like this and we have made it this way often. It’s delicious and makes just as much ragu, just make sure to go by the weight of beef ribs and not the number of ribs.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe with our top tips can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1 – brown the beef short ribs on all sides until they get nice and golden (this adds so much flavour. Once browned, set them aside on a plate (photos 1 and 2).
Step 2 – saute the vegetables (carrot, celery and onion) with the bay leaves until softened. Do this on a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Sauteing the veg slowly realeses a lot of incredible flavour which will add a lot of depth to the sauce. If the veg starts to brown, turn the heat down (photo 3).
Step 3 – finely chop the porcini mushrooms then add them to the veg with red wine and tomato paste. Let it simmer for a 1-2 minutes to reduce the wine (photos 4 and 5).
Step 4 – add the beef ribs back to the pot then add the beef stock, passata, some porcini mushroom soaking liquid and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer, cook for 3.5 hours. The beef should be falling off the bone after cooking but if they are on the large side they may need another half hour (photos 6-8).
Step 5 – turn off the heat and skim off any fat on top (photo 9) then remove the bones and any fatty tissue or sinew. Break up the meat using tongs or a fork, it should be super tender at this point (photos 10 and 11).
Step 6 – turn the heat back on and keep the ragu uncovered. Simmer for a further 30 minutes to let the sauce reduce a little then it’s ready to serve with pasta (photo 12).
Variations and serving suggestions
- Add herbs – woody herbs are a great addition and will change the flavour profile. Rosemary, thyme and sage are my favourites.
- Skip the alcohol – you can omit the red wine if you want (I do this often if my toddler is eating the ragu and it’s still delicious).
- Pasta options – we love to serve our beef rib ragu with pappardelle. Its wide surface area means the ragu clings to it really well. Use either store-bought or make your own with our homemade pasta dough. If you don’t have pappardelle, then I recommend using Paccheri or Rigatoni, which are also excellent with this.
- Use the ragu to make lasagna – the ragu also makes an incredible lasagna (you know how much we love our lasagne recipes!). Follow the instructions for our lasagne al forno, but replace the ground beef ragu with this beef rib version.
- Serve with polenta – this ragu is also absolutely delicious served with creamy polenta instead of pasta.
Our top tips!
Cook the soffritto low and slow!
Finely chop the soffritto (carrot, celery and onion) so they are all roughly the same size; this ensures they all cook evenly.
When you saute the vegetables, don’t rush it, keep the heat on a medium-low and don’t let them brown. A slow sauté releases the sugars and slowly caramelises the veg without adding any bitterness from browning. It adds so much depth of flavour and is really worth being extra patient.
Remove the fat
If you’re preparing the ragu the day before, then don’t worry about skimming the fat off when you remove the bones. Let the ragu cool after cooking, then refrigerate it.
Once cold, you’ll notice a layer of fat on top of the ragu, which you can easily scrape off with a spoon before reheating.
I always use an Italian red wine that I’ll be drinking with the ragu, such as Chianti, Morellino di Scanzano, Montepulciano or Sangiovese.
More Italian Sunday dinner recipes
Sauces & Dressings
Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolongese)
Italian Sunday Dinner
Ragu alla Napoletana (Neapolitan Ragu)
If you’ve tried this beef short rib ragu recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest or sign up to our Newsletter to see more of our delicious food.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Beef Short Rib Ragu with Porcini Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1.2 – 1.3 kg (2.5-3lbs) beef short ribs
- 20 g (1/3 cup) dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Celery
- 1 Onion
- 700 g (24oz/3 cups) Passata (tomato puree US)
- 2 tablespoons Tomato concentrate (paste), past
- 1 litre (4 cups) beef stock, low sodium
- 2 Bay leaves
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) red wine
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For serving
- 1 lb (500g) Pappardelle pasta or other pasta of choice, (use half the ragu for this much pasta)
- Parmigiano Reggiano, for topping
Instructions
- Add the porcini mushrooms to a dish or jug and pour over 500ml (2 cups) of boiling water. Set aside to steep.
- Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Sprinkle salt over both sides of the beef ribs.
- Add around 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a deep pot on a medium heat. Brown the beef ribs on all sides (about 1-2 minutes each side). Remove the ribs to a plate.
- Add the soffritto (carrot, cleelry and onion) to the pot with the bay leaves and saute on a medium-low heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes).
- Remove the porcini mushrooms from the liquid and finely chop them. Add them to the vegetables alongside the red wine and tomato paste. Stir and let it simmer for 1-2 minuted to reduce the alcohol.
- Add the beef stock, passata, 250ml (1 cup) of porcini soaking liquid (be careful not to add any grit that may be at the bottom of the jug) and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook with the lid on for 3.5 hours. Make sure to stir it every now and then so it doesn’t catch on the bottom.
- Turn off the heat and skim off any fat on the top of the ragu. Remove the bones and any sinew, overly fatty parts then break up the meat.
- Turn the heat back on medium-low and simmer the ragu uncovered for another 30 minutes to let it reduce slightly.
- The ragu is ready to be served with pasta. Alternatively, you can let it cool completely, then store it in the fridge until needed. A layer of fat may solidify on top when cold. Just scrape this off before reheating.
Serving with pasta
- Add just as much ragu as you need for serving to a pan then add the cooked pasta and toss it together. This is a big batch of ragu, so half of it is more than enough to serve 4 with pasta.
Video
Notes
- Serving size – the amount of pasta to ragu is just a guide. You can serve more or less ragu with the pasta to your own preference.
- Prep ahead – the ragu tastes even better the next day. If you make the ragu the day before just let it cool then store it in the fridge. A solid layer of fat may form on the top. Just scrape this off before reheating.
- Storage instructions – once cooled completely, you can store the ragu in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove top until piping hot ans serve with pasta.
- Freezing instructions – if you have the full batch of ragu I recommend freezing it in 3 batches (each batch will serve 3-4 with pasta). Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost (thaw) completely either at room temperature or in the fridge, then reheat on the stovetop until piping hot.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Having trouble finding short ribs in my grocery store. Can chuck roast be used instead?
Hi Carolyn, yes you can use chuck roast instead. Chuck beef won’t be as fatty so you won’t have to skim off any fat at the end and it might break down quicker since it’s not on the bone but it’ll still be delicious with the same process.
Wow! This was fantastic! Loads of flavor!