Braised Short Rib Mushroom Sauce with Pappardelle
This braised short rib mushroom sauce is made with red wine and fresh herbs. It slow cooks in the oven until the short ribs are falling apart tender before it’s strained and reduced to a velvety smooth sauce. It takes some time, but most of it is hands-off time while the ribs braise in the oven. It’s decadent rich comfort food that’s perfect for a cold winter’s night.
Short Rib Pappardelle
This braised short rib mushroom sauce is how I do January. Short ribs cooked long and slow with mushrooms, fresh herbs, and red wine until they’re falling apart tender is the best kind of comfort food following the holidays. You know, when you’re slowly coming down from the holiday high, and you need a plate of pasta to soften the fall a bit.
I feel like a black sheep this time of year because pretty much everyone I know turns the dial to “healthy” eating as soon as January 1st rolls around, and here I am (oh, hi!) with my plate of decadent and rich braised short ribs.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Boneless beef short ribs
- Unsalted butter
- Cremini mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
- All-purpose flour
- crushed tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh tarragon
- Red wine like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pappardelle pasta
This short rib pasta recipe is just perfect for mid-winter. It gives you the best excuse to hang around the house, it fills the kitchen with a savory aroma, and it will warm you through.
Recipe Highlights
The sauce is basically three things: mushrooms, red wine, and fresh tarragon, a somewhat anise-flavored herb that will leave people wondering what the secret ingredient might be. It’s distinctive but not overwhelming and a nice switch-up from other run-of-mill herbs.
The short ribs simmer in the sauce for a couple of hours until they’re so tender you can cut them with a fork.
I love a velvety smooth sauce, so I use the same trick I learned when I made beef bourguignon a few years ago: I strain the sauce and reduce it on the stove before adding the shredded beef back in. It’s an easy step and means you don’t have to be so careful prepping the veggies – a rough chop is all they need, and as they slowly simmer with the beef, they break down and infuse the sauce with all of their flavors.
I like pappardelle for the braised short rib mushroom sauce because it’s pretty to look at, and it holds the sauce in its own special way – like ribbons of saucy wonderfulness. It can be found at most major grocery stores, but if you have trouble finding it, substituting fettuccine or linguine will work just as well.
I think this braised short rib mushroom sauce is totally guest-worthy, and it’s the kind of recipe that can easily be made in advance. In fact, chilling it for a day in the fridge just enhances the flavor. To serve, gently warm it on the stove, thin it with a little water if it’s too thick, while you boil the pasta.
Happy winter, everyone. Let’s embrace the comfort.
Happy cooking,
More Short Rib Recipes
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
PrintBraised Short Rib Mushroom Sauce with Pappardelle
This recipe takes time, but most of it is hands-off time while the short ribs braise in the oven. I like to take the extra step to strain the sauce and reduce it which gives you a velvety smooth sauce that clings to the pasta. The sauce is flavored with mushrooms, red wine and fresh tarragon – an anise-flavored herb – and pairs wonderfully with the tender short ribs. Make the sauce up to a day in advance and gently warm it on the stove, thinning it with water if it’s too thick, when you’re ready to serve it.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound boneless beef short ribs, seasoned with kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 8 oz whole cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley (see note)
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 cups red wine (like pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon)
- 8 oz pappardelle pasta (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the short ribs in the pot for about five minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan.
- Add the butter to the pot and once it’s melted add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook the vegetables for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add the salt, pepper, and sprinkle the flour over the top of the veggies. Stir to coat them in the flour and add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and tarragon. Add the wine and stir to combine. Place the short ribs back in the pot and add enough water to the pot so that they’re covered (I used 2 cups of water, but depending on your pot you may need a little more or less).
- Bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat off and cover the pot with a lid slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Transfer the pot to the oven for two and a half to three hours, or until the short ribs shred easily with a fork.
- Remove the short ribs from the pot. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the sauce into a large bowl removing all the vegetables from the pot. Press on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible before discarding. Pour the strained liquid back into the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to medium to maintain a strong simmer for thirty minutes or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. While the sauce reduces, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Shred the short ribs and place them back in the sauce. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if you think it needs it. Simmer for a few minutes to warm the beef through. Serve with the pasta.
Notes
Because you will strain the sauce there’s no need to chop the parsley or thyme. You can toss them in the sauce – stems and all.
Pappardelle is a ribbon-like pasta that has a great texture. It’s available at most mainstream grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, substitute linguine or fettuccine instead.
Nutrition
- Calories: 707
- Sugar: 5.4g
- Sodium: 812.9mg
- Fat: 28.9g
- Saturated Fat: 12.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 58.5g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 34.3g
- Cholesterol: 121.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Hello,
In the body of your post you mention tarragon but the ingredient list only mentions thyme. Which one should be used?
The tarragon is listed right under the thyme – you need one tablespoon.
I didn’t have fresh spices or tarragon so I used dried and the same amount of freeze dried basil plus a pinch of fennel for the anise taste. I’d also used a local mushroom blend so I did not strain.
Absolutely lovely!
This was delicious!! We served this for our Christmas dinner with homemade pappardelle pasta. So good!!
So glad you liked it!
What degree do put the oven on for the pot to stay in for 2 hours?
The oven should be at 350F and the ribs will take two to three hours. I haven’t tested the recipe at a higher temperature so I can’t say for sure!
Are you really throwing away the mushrooms?
The key to making the sauce really smooth and velvety is to strain the cooked vegetables. They are so soft after the long cooking time there’s not a lot to toss – that said, you can keep them in for a chunkier sauce or use a blender to puree the sauce. Whatever makes you happy 🙂
This was excellent! Rich, flavorful, fantastic over homemade papparadelle. I was careful to pick out as much of the fat as I could when I shredded the short ribs. The recipe says it serves four – just be aware that (in my house, anyway!) those would be quite small portions.
More of a question than comment. After about 10 mins of reducing my sauce it seemed to solidify and separate. The liquid was very oily and the sauce ended up not smooth. Not sure why. It simmered like the recipe said. And I strained it well.
I’m not sure what the issue might have been – I’ve never had that happen, so hard to say!
Can you make the sauce the day before and reheat it while you make the pasta?
Yes you can make it ahead – you may need to thin the sauce when you warm it up because it will thicken up when it’s chilled.
I made this for a fancy dinner date night, and it was delicious! The flavor was incredible. It took about 3.5-4 hours, and about 30 mins of prep (because I’m a slow chopper haha). Will definitely make this again!
That being said, I would LOVE to adapt this for a crock pot instead of being glued to the cooktop and oven. Any recommendations for how to adapt this to a slow cooker?
Do you use the STOVE TOP to brown the short ribs first? Then place everything to simmer in the OVEN for several hours?
Yep!
Do you leave the lid askew the whole time it’s in the oven?
I leave the lid askew the whole time, but it’s a good idea to check the sauce – if it is reducing fast, you can completely cover the pot so it doesn’t cook down too much. Every oven is different, so it’s good to check.
Made this today and it turned out fantastic. I used bone in short rib and cooked it for 2.5 hours and it was perfect, falling off the bone. I’ll definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the nice review 🙂
Can i make this recipe in an instant pot? Should i set it on pressure cook or slow cook?
I haven’t tested in an IP so I’m not sure what would work best, sorry!
How can I adjust this to use a crock pot after completing the stovetop directions?
I haven’t tested in the slow cooker, so I’m guessing – you can just add everything and let it simmer until the beef is tender. The sauce may need to be reduced before serving to thicken it up. Hope that helps!
I’ve cooked this recipe a few times now – each time doubling the recipe (2lb ribs or 3.5lb bone-in trimmed). I’ve never discarded the mushrooms, and have no plans too in the future. I had to come here to see if there and any like-mind chefs out there.. I understand the intent of straining the sauce, but immediately upon seeing those glistening, mouth-watering mushrooms I knew they must be kept. If you actually like mushrooms (like really like them) it’s criminal to discard them. And since you’re keeping the mushrooms now.. you can’t go wrong adding chopped carrots to create a more rustic effect. I also like to play around with the mushrooms varieties, and tone down the tarragon (just personal preference). This recipe was a great inspiration but I can’t overlook the mushroom faux pas. Keep them in!
So glad you are enjoying the recipe! I don’t think it’s a “crime” to discard the mushrooms but just glad you are putting your spin on this recipe 🙂