Quick Look at Easy Beef Short Rib Soup
- Ready In: 4 hours and 25 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Main Ingredients: Beef short ribs, beef broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, and Thai red curry paste.
- Dietary Info: Dairy-free and gluten-free
- Why You’ll Love It: This set-it-and-forget-it Thai peanut short rib soup is perfect busy weeknights or weekends when you’re craving a warm and filling meal.
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Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Beef Short Ribs: We used bone-in short ribs for the best flavor, but beef chuck roast would work as well.
- Thai Red Curry Paste: Our favorite brand is Thai Kitchen Red Curry paste as it’s gluten-free and full of flavor.
- Rice Noodles: We used a linguini rice noodles, but feel free to swap with the noodle of your choice.
- Bok Choy: Swap with kale or spinach.
How To Make Beef Short Rib Soup
Step 1 – Season and sear beef short ribs.
Step 2 – Sauté garlic and onion.
Step 3 – Add all of the soup ingredients except for vegetables and noodles into slow cooker and let cook.
Step 4 – Shred short ribs and add in veggies.
Skim The Fat
Beef short ribs are deliciously rich, but they can also make this soup quite greasy. To help keep the flavor but not the grease, use a spoon to skim the fat off of the top of the soup after step 3 and before the vegetables have been added in.
Step 5 – Serve over noodles and enjoy!
What We Learned During Testing
- Fat: As we stated above, short ribs are definitely a more luxurious and rich cut of meat in part because they are high in fat, which is great for flavor, but we weren’t sure how it would work in a soup … so after testing we discovered that trimming the fat beforehand AND then skimming some fat off the top of the soup after cooking resulted in great flavor, without making the soup feel greasy.
- Flavor/Salt/Acidity: after the first test we increased the acidity by adding in the lime zest in addition to the lime juice and that seemed to do the trick! Add additional salt, as desired, but we didn’t feel the need to add any.
- Curry: We first tested this with just 1 jar of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste, but it didn’t feel like it had enough punch of flavor. So, we added another jar and that did the trick! But if you are using other brands of curry paste, I would start by adding it slowly and add more as desired. Thai Kitchen curry paste usually isn’t too spicy.
Short Beef Rib Soup FAQs
What are some variations of short rib soup?
The vegetables used in beef short rib soup can include carrots, Swiss chard, cabbage, mushrooms, and Korean radish.
Where do I get beef short ribs?
Beef short ribs can be found at the meat counter at your local grocery store. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them, buy beef chuck roast instead and cut it into pieces similar in size to short ribs.
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Beef short rib soup is an easy flavor-packed soup that's perfect for busy weeknights or anytime that you're craving something warming and comforting.
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Ingredients
- 6-8 beef short ribs, trimmed
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, sub plant-based butter
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 15 ounces full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 jars Thai Kitchen red curry paste, (2) 4oz jars
- zest of one lime
- juice of one lime
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sub coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 16 oz Linguini rice noodles
Optional Add-Ins:
- 3 cups bok choy, kale or spinach, chopped
Topping Suggestions:
- fresh basil
- green onions, chopped
- peanuts, crushed
Instructions
- Sear Short Ribs: After trimming excess fat off of 6-8 beef short ribs (don't skip this step), season them with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Bring a cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat, add half a tablespoon of butter to melt. Once hot, sear the short ribs on all sides and then transfer to a slow cooker.
- Sauté: Keep the skillet over medium high and add the remaining half tablespoon of butter to melt. Sauté the diced onion and 1 tablespoon garlic for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Slow Cooker: Add the following into the slow cooker; short ribs, onion, and garlic, add 4 cups beef broth, 15 ounces full fat coconut milk, ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 jars Thai Kitchen red curry paste, zest of one lime, juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Give it all a mix.
- Cook: Cover and cook on the high setting for 4-6 hours or low setting for 7-8 hours.
- Shred & Add-Ins: Skim any fat off the top of the soup, discard. Add 1 red bell pepper or any other add-ins that you want. Remove the short ribs and place on a plate or cutting board. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker. Discard the bones and any fat. Cover slow cooker while you cook the noodles.
- Cook Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles to al dente according to the package directions. Drain in a colander.
- Serve: Ladle soup over noodles in individual bowls. Enjoy with any optional garnish!
Notes
- Noodles: We used A Taste Of Thai Linguini Rice Noodles, but you could swap these out for regular linguini noodles or another variety of rice noodles.
- Curry Paste: we specifically tested this with Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste – if you are using another brand of curry paste, just be cautious of how much you add (start slow, you can always add more later). But the Thai Kitchen brand doesn’t seem to be too spicy. We tested this with 1 jar and it was good, but felt like it needed a bigger punch of flavor. So we tested it with 2 jars and that felt right, but do what works best for you!
- Dairy-Free: use a plant-based butter.
- Gluten-Free: swap out soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari. Rice noodles should be gluten-free, but double-check your packaging.
- Trim Fat: beef short ribs can get pretty fatty, so be sure to trim a good amount of fat before cooking and then skim any fat from the soup off the top after cooking and before serving.
Calories 430kcal
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 893mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 549IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 5mg
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Bridget says
Amazing! Love the flavor in this soup!