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Grown-Up Beefaroni

beefaroni
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5 from 4 reviews

A childhood favorite gets a make-over! This hearty pasta dish has tender beef short ribs and a rich tomato sauce – it’s comfort food at it’s best!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef short ribs, seasoned on all sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt (see note)
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
  • 16 ounces beef stock
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 12 ounces macaroni
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the short ribs (in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pan) on each side until browned. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
  3. Lower the heat to medium and add the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook them until they start to soften about five minutes or so. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, along with all of the liquid from the can. Add the beef stock, Italian seasoning, and parsley.
  4. Stir it all together and add the short ribs. Bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat and partially cover the pot with an oven-proof lid. There should be a gap to allow steam to escape. Transfer it to the oven and let it simmer for two to three hours. The ribs are done when you can easily pull the meat off the bone with a fork.
  5. When the sauce and beef are close to being done, cook the macaroni according to package directions. While it’s boiling remove the pan from the oven and take the short ribs out of the sauce. Pull the meat from the bones and shred or chop it into bite-sized pieces.
  6. Next, puree the sauce using an immersion blender. You can also use a regular blender but let the sauce cool. If your sauce is thick add beef stock to thin it. Place the pan back on the stove (if your sauce is cooled, turn the burner to medium to warm it up again.
  7. Add the shredded beef to the sauce and stir. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it before adding it to the sauce and beef. Stir it all together, garnish with extra chopped parsley for garnish, and serve.

Notes

You can use boneless short ribs, too, but I recommend using only one pound. 

Check on the ribs after about an hour or so. If you notice the liquid has evaporated you can add more beef stock. The ribs don’t need to be submerged, but there should be enough liquid so the vegetables don’t get dry.

Depending on the kind of beef stock you use, you may need to add more salt. Wait until you puree the sauce and then give it a taste. Add more at this point, if needed.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/grown-up-beefaroni/