Rich, slow-braised short rib ragu with wide, hand-cut pappardelle—the sauce is silky and deeply savory, finished with butter and Parmigiano for a glossy, indulgent bite.
Wide Ribbons, Slow Comfort
A deeply savory short rib ragu clings to hand-cut pappardelle for a glossy, restaurant-worthy dinner you can make at home.
There’s a particular kind of comfort that comes when wide, toothsome pasta meets a sauce that’s been coaxed into velvet — that’s what this dish delivers. Patting the short ribs dry and letting them brown until they develop a dark crust gives you the backbone of flavor; the long braise softens the meat into strands that melt into the sauce. Tossed with butter and Parmigiano at the end, the ragu takes on a glossy, indulgent finish that makes every forkful sing.
The technique is straightforward but deliberate: brown the ribs in batches so the pan builds those fond-rich browned bits, then soften finely diced onion, carrot, and celery until lightly caramelized. Cooking the tomato paste until it darkens and deglazing with red wine pulls up all those browned flavors; reduce the wine by half before adding stock, thyme, and bay leaves and slipping the pan into a low oven to braise for about three hours. When the meat is falling apart, shred it into the sauce and simmer until everything is silky and concentrated.
This is a make-ahead friendly ragu — it often tastes better the next day after the flavors have relaxed. Reheat gently, loosen with a splash of stock or some reserved pasta water, and finish with a pat of butter and a generous grate of Parmigiano for shine. Cook your hand-cut pappardelle just until al dente and toss it straight into the pot so each ribbon picks up the sauce’s glossy coating.
Practical notes: if you’re short on time, good-quality store-bought pappardelle works beautifully; if you’re making pasta, aim for wide ribbons about 3/4–1 inch so they hold the chunky ragu. Use kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper for seasoning, brown the ribs well, and don’t rush the oven — that slow, low heat is what turns this into dinner worth lingering over.
Ingredients
How to Make Hand-Cut Hand-Cut Pappardelle Short Rib Ragu
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Pat the short ribs dry and season all over with half the kosher salt and half the black pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the short ribs on all sides, working in batches so they develop a deep crust; transfer ribs to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, then add finely diced onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8–10 minutes; add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2–3 minutes until it darkens, then pour in the red wine to deglaze, scraping up browned bits; simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 6–8 minutes.
- Add the canned tomatoes (crush them with a spoon), beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, the remaining salt and pepper, and return the short ribs to the pot; bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven to braise until very tender, 2 1/2–3 hours.
- When ribs are fork-tender, lift them from the sauce, strain off and skim excess fat from the surface of the braising liquid, then return the liquid to the stovetop and simmer until reduced and saucy, about 15–20 minutes.
- Remove meat from the bones, shred with two forks, discard bones and large pieces of fat, and stir the shredded short rib into the reduced sauce; adjust seasoning and finish the ragu with 2 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Meanwhile make the hand-cut pappardelle: on a board mound the flour, make a well, add the eggs and 1 tsp salt, and mix to form a dough; knead 8–10 minutes until smooth, wrap and rest 30 minutes.
- Roll the rested dough thin with a rolling pin (or pasta machine) to about 1–2 mm, lightly flour, fold or roll and cut into 3/4–1 inch wide pappardelle strips, then gently separate and dust with flour to prevent sticking.
- Cook the fresh pappardelle in a large pot of salted boiling water 2–3 minutes until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then toss pasta with the short rib ragu over low heat, adding pasta water as needed to coat; finish with the remaining 1 tbsp butter, the remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped parsley, then plate.
Recipe Card
Hand-Cut Hand-Cut Pappardelle Short Rib Ragu
Rich, slow-braised short rib ragu with wide, hand-cut pappardelle—the sauce is silky and deeply savory, finished with butter and Parmigiano for a glossy, indulgent bite.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 3 hr
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Pat the short ribs dry and season all over with half the kosher salt and half the black pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the short ribs on all sides, working in batches so they develop a deep crust; transfer ribs to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, then add finely diced onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8–10 minutes; add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2–3 minutes until it darkens, then pour in the red wine to deglaze, scraping up browned bits; simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 6–8 minutes.
- Add the canned tomatoes (crush them with a spoon), beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, the remaining salt and pepper, and return the short ribs to the pot; bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven to braise until very tender, 2 1/2–3 hours.
- When ribs are fork-tender, lift them from the sauce, strain off and skim excess fat from the surface of the braising liquid, then return the liquid to the stovetop and simmer until reduced and saucy, about 15–20 minutes.
- Remove meat from the bones, shred with two forks, discard bones and large pieces of fat, and stir the shredded short rib into the reduced sauce; adjust seasoning and finish the ragu with 2 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Meanwhile make the hand-cut pappardelle: on a board mound the flour, make a well, add the eggs and 1 tsp salt, and mix to form a dough; knead 8–10 minutes until smooth, wrap and rest 30 minutes.
- Roll the rested dough thin with a rolling pin (or pasta machine) to about 1–2 mm, lightly flour, fold or roll and cut into 3/4–1 inch wide pappardelle strips, then gently separate and dust with flour to prevent sticking.
- Cook the fresh pappardelle in a large pot of salted boiling water 2–3 minutes until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then toss pasta with the short rib ragu over low heat, adding pasta water as needed to coat; finish with the remaining 1 tbsp butter, the remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped parsley, then plate.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 88
- Saturated Fat
- 37
- Sodium
- 1500
- Fiber
- 5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 61
- Protein
- 80
- Fat
- 99
- Cholesterol
- 300
- Trans Fat
- 0.5
- Calories
- 1715
- Sugar
- 9