Easy Beef Short Rib Ragu Recipe (slow cooker + instant pot)
Our easy Short Rib Ragu recipe is an easy, set-it-and-forget-it meal that is cozy and delicious! Make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 6-8 beef short ribs approx. 3-4lbs
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil divided (sub olive oil or butter)
- 25 ounces marinara sauce divided (homemade marinara sauce or store-bought)
- 1 sweet yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2-3 celery stalks sliced
- 2-3 medium carrots peeled, sliced and quartered (halved works too)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 herb bundle
- ¼ - ½ cup red wine optional
Serving Suggestions:
- pappardelle pasta sub spaghetti squash
- parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prep + Sear Short Ribs: If possible, let 6-8 beef short ribs sit out and come to room temperature (approx. 1 hour). Pat dry short ribs with clean paper towels and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper all over; set aside. Add 1 tablespoons avocado oil to large cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Sear short ribs on all sides (do this in batches, if you need to). Add about ½ cup of the marinara sauce to the slow cooker and spread out to coat the bottom. Transfer the browned short ribs to the slow cooker.
- Sauté Veggies: In the same skillet the short ribs were in, add 1 tablespoons avocado oil. Then add diced onion and 2 teaspoons garlic. Stir, allowing them to cook 1 minute on medium-high heat until softened. Add celery and carrots. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper. Stir and allow to cook 2-3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Pour vegetable mixture into the crockpot on top of the short ribs. Pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top and add 1-2 bay leaves, 1 herb bundle and ¼ - ½ cup red wine (if using). Mix to coat the short ribs.
- Cook: Cover and let cook for 7-8 hours on LOW or 5-6 hours on HIGH.
- Shred Meat: Before serving, remove short ribs and place on a cutting board. Shred meat using two forks, discarding bones and connective tissue. Place shredded meat back into the crockpot and mix to combine.
- Serve: Serve with pasta, zoodles or cooked spaghetti squash. Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Instant Pot Directions: Pour marinara sauce into the Instant Pot. Set aside. Pat dry short ribs with clean paper towels and season with salt and pepper all over; set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil to large cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Sear short ribs on all sides. Transfer the browned short ribs to the Instant Pot. In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil. Then add garlic and stir, allowing it to cook 1 minute. Add celery, onion and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and allow to cook 2-3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour vegetable mixture into Instant Pot on top of the short ribs. Add bay leaves and red wine (if using). Cover and ensure Instant Pot is set to Seal. Cook on High Pressure for 1 hour (60 minutes). Allow to naturally release for 10-20 minutes. Then (carefully) manually release per manufacturers instructions. Remove short ribs and shred meat, discarding bones and connective tissue. Place meat back into the Instant Pot and mix to combine. Serve with pasta, zoodles or spaghetti squash. Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Marinara Sauce: For the marinara sauce, I tested it with both my own homemade marinara sauce and some Whole30 compliant store-bought sauce from Primal Kitchen.
- Instant Pot Note: For the Instant Pot, you can sauté the vegetables in the Instant Pot, but I would recommend still searing the Short Ribs in the cast iron - it's hard to fit them into the pot and maneuver them around.
- Whole30/Paleo: be sure to check marinara sauce ingredients (we used Primal Kitchen Marinara Sauce) and serve with zoodles or spaghetti squash. Omit any red wine or parmesan cheese.
- Cooking Time: cooking time will vary greatly between slow cooker and instant pot - we used the slow cooker cooking time on the recipe card.
- Make it spicy: feel free to add in some red pepper flakes, if you want more of a spice.
- Boneless short ribs: you can use boneless short ribs, if you want, but a lot of flavor comes from having the bones being cooked as well.
- Nutrition info is only for the beef ragú, since it can be served a variety of different ways.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2358IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 3mg
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