This One Pot Short Rib Bolognese is exactly what what I want to eat every snowy winter night from now until eternity. It’s rich, hearty, and the perfect meal to cook low and slow all day long.
One Pot Short Rib Bolognese
I’m not normally a heavy, meat- sauce kind of gal when it comes to pasta. I prefer a creamy white sauce bathing my noodles most of the time, but once winter hits, give me all the spaghetti & meatballs, all the pork ragu, and all the hearty meat-based, red-sauced pastas you can.
There’s something about a slow-cooked ragu or braised meat that to me, screams winter. And much like a bowl of soup, can bring back that warm glow the blistering air seems to steal away. Both as I’m cooking it and while I’m inhaling it.
This One Pot Short Rib Bolognese is comfort in a bowl. It takes all the classic components of a short rib ragu and combines it with a classic bolognese sauce. All of the dish, from the sauce to the pasta is cooked in one pot!
What is Bolognese Sauce??
Bolognese is one of my favorite meat sauces to cook on a day where I don’t feel like leaving the house, since it cooks nice and slow and gives me a reason to stay huddled near the stove. Buuut I also love the texture of a braised cut of beef or pork, so I thought I’d join the two forces together for the perfect Bolognese braised hybrid.
In short, a classic Bolognese is essentially a meat sauce. Typically it’s slow-cooked over a very long period of time, anywhere from three to four hours. It usually has some type of red or white wine in it, and uses some form of dairy to finish it off – whole milk or heavy cream in most cases.
It’s also full of aromatic veggies such as chopped carrot, celery, onion and garlic, and slow-cooked with the wine of your choice, canned tomatoes, and a few other seasonings. Basically it’s simmered on a low heat until it’s reduced, thick, and not only permeating your entire house, but basically your neighbor’s house as well. It’s that intoxicating.
Why Short Ribs?
A bolognese is usually made with ground beef or pork, but I just adore the richness of short ribs and associate them with this time of year, so it made perfect sense to swap out the ground beef and pork for them. Plus, it’s just a little fancier than ground beef or ground pork.
How to make Short Rib Bolognese
- Cook the short ribs in a little bit of butter and olive oil until they’re super brown and crusty.
- Take the short ribs out and throw in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté until they’re soft and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes.
- Pour in a good amount of white wine.
- Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasoning.
- Cook low and slow until the meat is falling off the bone, and PERFECT.
Secret Ingredient
Parmesan cheese rind! I like to throw in a parmesan cheese rind or two in to the mix — this step is a must! It adds a luscious, nutty and buttery underlying flavor I just can’t get enough of. I always stash a few in the freezer when my parmesan cheese runs out and then pull it out as needed.
Finish it off!
You know it’s done when the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender, all of the short ribs come out, a little bit of liquid is added in, and the egg papparadelle goes directly in to the pot to cook while you shred the beef. Before serving, the beef goes back in to the pot with the pasta, it’s seasoned with salt and pepper, covered in parmesan cheese, and it’s ready to go.
Keep in mind, you may or may not need more liquid as you go. Depending on the moisture level in the air, you might need to add a little bit more water if you see the sauce is drying up. You can also use beef broth if you have it on hand.
Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
- When browning the short ribs, don’t move them until they release from the pan easily. When they’re brown, they’ll release!
- Season the short ribs with plenty of salt!
- Feel free to swap out red wine for the white wine.
- Keep an eye on the pasta while it cooks, if needed, add more water.
For more one pot dish, check out these posts!
This One Pot Summer Tomato Pasta is the perfect way to use up those summer tomatoes that keep coming. This Easy One Pan Greek Salmon is baked and tossed with Kalamata olives, feta, and red onion. Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan is a family favorite, especially for the kiddos.
Pretty things/Tools Used in Today’s Post!
Le Creuset Dutch Oven
Similar, less expensive Dutch Oven
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One Pot Short Rib Bolognese
This One Pot Short Rib Bolognese is exactly what what I want to eat every snowy winter night from now until eternity. It’s rich, hearty, and the perfect meal to cook low and slow all day long.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs beef short ribs
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup diced carrot
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 28 oz san marzano peeled whole tomatoes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 parmesan cheese rind
- 10 oz egg papparadelle
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
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Season short ribs liberally with salt and pepper.
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Heat a large dutch oven to a medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil, Once the butter melts, add short ribs. Cook short ribs until brown and crusty on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.
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While the short ribs brown, add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until VERY finely chopped.
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After short ribs brown, remove from the pot, Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add carrot and celelry mixture, along with 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium and saute mixture until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Add in wine, simmer until reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining salt, canned tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and parmesan cheese rind. Stir to combine.
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Put the short ribs back in the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to low. Cover with a lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the meat is fork-tender and falling off the bone.
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Once the meat is cooked, remove them from the pot along with the parmesan cheese rind. Stir in water. Bring to a simmer and add in pasta. Cover and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 8-10 minutes. If needed, stir once or twice to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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As pasta cooks, shred beef.
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Once pasta has cooked, add beef back to the pot. Toss together. If necessary, add a bit more water to thin out the sauce.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
Omg! It’s like you read my mind. I have been looking for a bolognese sauce recipe to make for Christmas Eve and this one looks like perfection. Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks so much Nicole!
Hi!
I’m going to make this for new years eve! Looks awesome! Dumb question…. In step 4 what does “Once beef bowls, remove from pot.” mean? Does bowls=browns?
Yes! It’s once the beef browns! I noticed a couple other grammatical errors, recipe is updated now. I hope you love this!
I can’t wait to try – but would red wine compliment the tomato flavors more than white?
You can definitely use red wine, but I like white for a change! I promise, it’s still delicious and works perfectly!
I follow your recipe to a “t” and unfortunately as I could not find good beef short ribs and used a beef short ribs boneless and I think it did not quite turn out like yours…but the flavor of the sauce is amazing! Thank you for posting
Glad you liked it anyways! What cut of beef did you end up using??
Hi I made today, was really , really good, love it with the white wine.. Next time I will like to made it with another beef ( Sirlon tips) since my short ribs was to fatty. But is a keeper.. thanks for sharing,
I bet it would be great with another cut! Glad you liked it!
Excited to make this for a wine get togther tomorrow. I will serve it as a small plate pairing for an Italian varietal. Question: do you add any milk in this version? Thx!
Hi DeAnn! Nope, but if you want to add some for creaminess, go ahead, I’m sure it will only make it better! Good luck!
Thanks Nicole for your timely reply! I’m starting it now and will add a little half & half at the end. Will let you know how it goes over with this foodie group today!
This dish easily won Best Meal cooked ever by my grown 3 sons and husband.
Excellent. I loved the note to get the noodles from Trader Joes. They were perfect. My short ribs slow cooked for almost 7 hours to be able to shred. I made everything except the noodles the day before ( hows this sauce in a crockpot?) When I reheated the sauce I maybe needed to add 3 C of water but the sauce was thick and wonderful
So glad you liked it Susan!! I bet it would work great in the crockpot as long as you brown the ribs first!
Absolutely amazing!!!!
Hi! I’m trying this tonight – can’t wait. I’m assuming step number 4 is not “once beef bowls” but “browns”. My grocery store didn’t have beef short ribs so i had to use cut up sirloin. Let’s hope it works! Thanks for recipe.
Haha yes, browns. Typo! I have never used sirloin, hopefully it works! Just make sure to cook it until it shreds.
OMG! This sounds sooooo good! Can’t wait to try!! 😀 Do you think it would be any good with pork ribs?
I’ve never tried it with pork ribs, but I think it would be fine.
Making this as we speak! While the beef is simmering for 5 hours, sbould I put a lid on my Dutch oven?
Yes!
Mine’s making the house smell AMAZING as I type this, so thanks for the recipe! It’s for dinner tomorrow, so I’ll take the meat out tonight and won’t add the noodles to the sauce until we’re ready for dinner. YUM!
should i drai nthe tomatoes?
No!
I usually make this type of dish the day before and refrigerate it. The following day, I remove the solidified fat before warming it again and then add the noodles. I frequently add some butter to the noodles or the entire pot of sauce.
Love it but I use a small can of paste
We have made this twice the second is for a large new years party. So good made a triple batch. Turned out perfect, thank you for sharing this gem. We will be making this all winter long. Thanks again and be safe.
So glad you love it!!
Making this now! It smells amazing! One silly question- do I cook the sauce covered?
Not a silly question at all! Yes!! Covered.
I actually used a smoker with no smoke of course. It runs 275degrees for four hours. Outside because we are in florida and it is too hot to cook like this inside. Finished on stove top it was fantastic.
Wow. That’s impressive!
Have you finished the meat and veggies in The oven rather than stovetop? If so what temp? And would time be the same?
I haven’t, but I think it would work great. I’d cook everything on the stove up until you simmer, and then pop it into a 350 degree overn for a few hours until it’s tender!
Not sure where I went wrong. Turned out like soup and the cinnamon is over powering. It was a waste of good and expensive short ribs.
Will it be much of a difference if I don’t use the Parmesan rind and just use grated Parmesan?
So, the rind infuses more flavor into the sauce, so I’d recommend using it, but if you don’t have access to one or two, you can just add cheese.
Whole rind or cut up?
Whole rind!
Do you know if anyone has ever done this recipe in an instant pot? I really want to try it for dinner tonight.
I’m not sure! I know I haven’t, but I bet it would work with some tweaking!
I’ve never done this before but I have never tasted anything like this before. Layer upon layer of flavor. Even my husband couldn’t find anything to criticize about it. No tweeking needed.
Made this for my husband’s birthday dinner this evening….AMAZING! My family couldn’t wait for dinner because the house smelled delicious all day as it cooked! Thanks!
So glad you liked it Laura!
This is a great recipe – loved it! I swapped the wine for sherry and skipped the parmeasean as my partner doesn’t like it! But I bet that would be the layer of flavour to make it perfect! Thanks,
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
This sounds amazing. I want to make this Sunday, but I do not have a dutch oven. What can I use? I do have a crock pot, would it work like a dutch oven?
Can you give me some tips?
Thank you
So sorry for the delay Jennifer! You can just use a heavy-bottomed pot. I haven’t tried it in the slow-cooker!
Made this tonite because I could not wait for cold weather. I only had a cup of wine so used a half cup of Coca Cola also. Only cooked for 3 hours because by then all the bones fell off the short ribs. Hubby said “This is a keeper” which I love to hear because what’s better than putting dinner on the stove, having 3 hours off & then 10 mins more at the end! I loved everything about it. Wish I could post my pic – looks just like yours! (Hardly ever happens!)
Love hearing this! Thanks Kathy!
Hi
I am wondering about beef broth and why there is none in this recipe as all traditional Bolognese has this ingredient. Is it because short ribs bring enough flavour to the dish?
Thanks
You do not need beef broth!
One of my guests can’t have alcohol. Would you recommend substituting chicken or beef broth? Water? This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to get started!
You could sub either! Just make sure to check seasoning!
Do the whole tomatoes eventually break down?
Yes!
Not sure if you’ve mentioned this somewhere else but do you have the butcher cut the meat into a particular size or do you just use whatever they give you? This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it!
They are usually pre-cut. I make sure to pick out the ones that have the most meat on them! Some fat is ok and good, but you don’t want a short rib that’s ALL fat. Hope this helps!
Made this yesterday. It was really good and made it just like the recipe stated with 1 addition. I added a couple shakes of red pepper flake to the onion, garlic, celery and carrot mix. Added just a little kick to the sauce and is a great addition.
Great recipe! The blog mentions adding whole milk or half and half, but I don’t see it in the recipe. How much should I add?
My wife sent this recipe to me and we had it for dinner tonight! Absolutely delicious! Our new favorite meal. Thanks for creating this!
So glad you liked it Sean!
I made this 3 times already and my kids can’t get enough, absolutely a heart warming meal,,
Love to hear that!
Looks delicious I was just wondering before I make it are the noodles fresh or dried?
They are dried, BUT they are dried pappardelle noodles from Trader Joe’s and don’t take as long to cook as say, spaghetti. You can still use any kind of dried long noodle, it just may take a little bit longer to cook and you may need to add more liquid. Fresh pasta also works great with no adjustments needed!
Oh my gosh, I’m making this now and my whole house smells amazing!! I did substitute red wine for the white, and it is delicious! Thank you so much for posting this recipe, I’m sure it’s going to be a favorite!
Do I add milk to this at any point? In the middle of cooking this now, and my husband and daughter are loving the smells flowing through the house!! I read in your article to add milk at the end, but your recipe doesn’t call for it. Am I missing something??
Thank you for the amazing idea and thank you for sharing wonderful recipes…
Making this at my husband’s request for about the 6th time in a year! Delicious recipe, I actually serve the pasta on the side (picky kids and family with Celiac) so I do not add the water for the pasta. I have noticed a few times I need to add a small can of diced tomatoes. Reading all the comments, I will be trying the beef broth suggestion today. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Love to hear this Katy!!!!
When I added the short ribs back in to cook for 5 hours the sauce was really thin. Will it thicken over the next 5 hours? Also should I turn the meat throughout the next couple hours?
It will, and you will need the sauce loose to cook the pasta.
This is amazing . I’ve made it a few times exactly as the recipe says . If this came out wrong for you, then you did something wrong .
I think the key is that you have to let the short ribs simmer for 5 hours. If you take them out and try to shred them at any point before that , they will still be tough.
Gah! Planned on making this for dinner and just realized I have boneless short ribs!
What do you suggest I do? Drown myself in my hungry sorrows or is there a fix?
You are fine! Just prepare the same way! They probably won’t take as long to cook, and just make sure to take out all the fat before adding the shredded meat back to the pot.
It’s been about 4 hrs and meet is cooking great. I made it just as recipe stated but it’s still really watery. I’m a pretty decent cook and know how to follow directions. Is there a way to thicken it?
Have you added the pasta yet? The pasta will soak up any excess liquid. If it’s still too loose, you can whisk a few tablespoons of flour with a 1/4 cup of cold beef stock, then add it back to the mixture and let it thicken.
I think I accidentally purchased the wrong type of Parmesan cheese rind, the whole thing has melted. Is that going to matter?
It’s fine! Sorry for the delay!
Have been making my own pasta for several months. This is outstanding! I used chuck roast plus short ribs and served with homemade fettucine. Delish!! Thanks for sharing…
This was my first time making spaghetti/Bolognese/or marinara sauce from scratch. OMG, this was easy and delicious! Only thing I tweaked was I didn’t have the parm rind, so I added 1/3 cup parmesan from the green can. I will never again use bottled sauces! The layers of flavors are so surprising and scrumptious. This is a keeper and it will be enjoyed frequently!
Making this today, sounds so good…If you used a crockpot after ribs are browned, would the time & temp still be low & 5 hrs?
Yes! Maybe a little bit longer if you have it on low.
On the stove now and the aroma is incredible! Cannot wait for dinner. Letting a nice bottle of red breathe while I patiently await this treasure. Thank you! Will comment again once it is in my tummy 🙂
The smell is the best!!! Hope you like it!
Will want to update to cook for 4 to 5 hours not minutes:
Ha. Oops thanks Maggie!
Making this today – my meat was done after 3 1/2 hours so I’m letting the sauce cool to allow me to drain off the extra fat before I cook the pasta. It smells so good and a taste of the sauce is to die for. My husband loves bolognese – hoping it passes his muster.
The finished product was delicious! I had a 12 oz package of pasta so I added 1 cup of water. The finished consistency was perfect – thick and meaty. My husband is already asking for it again!
So glad you liked it!!
Making this today. Wondering if adding some basil and Italian seasoning would change the flavor too much. Also undecided on red or white with.
This recipe was excellent! Easy to follow and worth the time put in!
We made this with short ribs one night and it was incredible! What would your second choice of meat be if you were trying to make it a less pricy meal? I’d love to work it into our meal plan cycle, but short ribs are on the expensive side.
I’m with you , they are on the expensive side. You could also try a pork butt, or even a pot roast style beef!
Looks and sounds great- but 10oz of pasta in my house is barely two servings, much less six! I will adjust accordingly…
You can definitely add more past for sure! Just make sure to add a little bit more liquid as well.
Wow was this recipe incredible! I substituted red wine because that’s all I had. My grocery store only had boneless short ribs so I used these instead. Also, they only sent 1.22 lbs for pickup and I thought it was just enough. My husband commented he could have had more, but he can always have more meat! It took 5 hrs for them to cook enough so I could shred them. I’m a high school foods teacher and I’ve found that often if you simmer on your largest burner, the heat is too strong. Low and slow is usually the key. I switched to my smallest burner and cooked just above low. Perfection!
Nicole, I am fairly new to cooking and I’m learning more every day so please don’t take the 4 stars as against your recipe. It is not! It is because I bought ribs that were too fatty and in turn the fat rendered into the sauce and made it greasy. I will definitely be finding leaner ribs next time. But if other people are like me, they will look for responses that have marked the stars down so they can find out why and I want them to learn off of my mistake. But your recipe is AMAZING!!!! Also, you wrote it to make it very easy for someone new to cooking to follow along and make it right. This is going to be a staple in our house. Thank you!!
I have never cooked with short ribs before. I bought some from the local butcher and they came in a rack, should I cut them up into sections before browning or cook the two racks whole? Thanks
Yes! You don’t want them to be in a rack.
One of the top 3 recipes I’ve ever cooked. And lost it. Could not find it again online. Finally found it today in my sent email from 2 yrs ago when I sent it to a bunch of people. The cin and nutmeg, what wonderful additions. Legit, this recipe is so damn good folks.
Love to hear this! Glad you found us again!
I want to try this recipe and it’s been so helpful to read what others have done to make it work for them. A couple people asked about your suggestion in the blog to add milk or cream but I never saw your response to that. What would you use and how much? Thanks! Looking forward to making this.
Could you do this with another beef product instead since ribs they are quite greasy?
Sure! You could use a chuck roast.
Could I use baby back pork ribs for this, or is that a completely different thing that wouldn’t work well?
I haven’t tried it with pork ribs, but I’m sure it would work. I can’t say for sure though, I’m sorry!
AMAZEBALLS!!!