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This Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta is best for cold winter nights. Slow-cooked short ribs or chicken braised in a rich, garlicky, red wine/tomato/bacon sauce. The beef is then shredded and tossed with your favorite cut of pasta. If there’s one cozy winter meal you need to be making, it’s this simple short rib pasta. It’s the simplest dinner to put together, but feels fancy, festive, and most importantly? It’s truly delicious. Serve this Sunday style pasta topped with plenty of parmesan cheese and a side of crusty bread. You’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night-in with family. You can make this pasta easily in the slow cooker, instant pot, or on the stove-top. Do what works best for you!
Ingredients
- thick-cut bacon
- bone-in beef short ribs, chicken breast or thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- medium yellow onions
- garlic cloves
- dry red wine
- tomato paste
- ground allspice
- bay leaves
- parmesan rind
- dry pasta
- fresh basil or parsley
What you will need in the kitchen for this recipe:
- measuring cup
- large skillet
- slow cooker
- large pot
- wooden spoon
- paper towels
You guys, I truly love the month of December, but especially this year. It’s so refreshing to feel all the excitement in the air. I’ve never put a ton of pressure on myself to make everything perfect for the holidays, though I try! Instead I just attempt to have a lot of fun creating and sharing the things I love most.
And for me, that also means really good family meals. With my family all very slowly beginning to arrive for Christmas over the next couple of weeks, I’m excited to spend some time with them. I want to take a minute to soak everything in and be thankful for all this year has had to offer. It’s been a crazy year, a scary year, and also an exciting year, all at the same time. But this year more than ever I’m so thankful to be doing what I love each and every day.
It has been go, go, go for months now, so I haven’t really had the chance to chill, and probably won’t anytime soon. But the point in all of this rambling? With my family arriving soon, and things as hectic as they are, I’m currently on the lookout for the easiest recipes. Recipes that I can throw together in the morning and simply serve up that night.
And even more importantly? These are simple recipes that I know everyone will really love and enjoy. Enter this slow cooker pasta. A delicious dish for cozy fall evenings.
The Inspiration.
If any of you own the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook, you may recall a recipe for Caroline’s Family’s pasta. Caroline is my cousin’s longtime girlfriend and soon to be wife. This recipe has been in their family for quite some time. It’s a very simple chicken and tomato-based pasta, but it’s a recipe that everyone loves.
I was thinking about their family recipe the other week. I then had the idea to create the sauce in the slow cooker. And instead of using chicken, to use heartier short ribs. Since the sauce already has red wine, the short ribs sounded like they could be a delicious pairing.
I don’t make short ribs all too often, but whenever I do it seems to be around the holidays. Something about short ribs over pasta just feels extra special, even fancy, but yet they are so simple! I slow-cooked these all day and a few hours into cooking, I knew this was going to be good.
The smells coming from the slow cooker were those perfect cozy smells you want on cold December days.
This Slow Cooker Pasta is Simple
This recipe starts with a little bacon, which I think is key to Caroline’s family’s sauce. The bacon adds a rich layer of flavor that really hooks everyone in right away.
Once the bacon has been crisped, sear the short ribs or you can use chicken too! Trust me, I know how much of a turn off this is in any slow cooker recipe. But searing the ribs or chicken will give you an even more tender, flavorful short rib every time. I know you might not want to dirty the pan or deal with grease splatter, but if you want your short ribs to be great, give them a nice sear before slowly braising them all day.
Once the bacon has been crisped and the short ribs seared, you pretty much just throw all remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and cook all day long. Low and slow is key with short ribs, so I recommend cooking the full six hours on low. Of course, if you’re short on time, you can also cook this using the instant pot. And if you don’t have a slow cooker or an instant pot? The stovetop is a great option too!
The major flavor for this pasta come from dry red wine, tomato paste, garlic, and allspice.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to slow braise short ribs or chicken in red wine. Normally I make this recipe with cranberries, but I LOVE this more Italian-style short rib.chicken pasta too. The tomato paste paired with the warming allspice is really key and infuses the sauce with flavor. It feels very fancy when tossed with pasta. It’s really one of the best, coziest meals I serve up during the winter.
As the sauce slowly cooks, the kitchen is filled with warming hearty scents leaving you very excited for dinner. Every bowl of pasta is just oh so slightly spicy, creamy, and has just the right amount of garlic and cheese.
It’s that so very good…stick to your bones, enjoy a second helping, kind of delicious.
To sum it up
Our temperatures have been dropping so low at night, so this was perfect. If you need something warm and hearty to serve on these days leading up to Christmas, I highly recommend these short ribs.
Or? Make this pasta a part of your Christmas Eve or Christmas night dinner menu. It’s fancy enough for both, but yet so easy!
You can even prepare the sauce way ahead of time, then just add the pasta before you’re ready to serve. Try serving alongside my Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread Wreath or Salted Butter Parker House Rolls. Add a simple Winter Pomegranate Salad into the mix and you’ll have the perfect holiday meal. It’s one of those pasta dishes that’s easily loved by all.
Looking for other good wintery dinners? Here are my favorites:
Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms and White Wine Cream Sauce
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Lastly, if you make this Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 788 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 4-5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, chicken breast, or thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
- 2 cups dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind, plus parmesan, for serving
- 1 pound dry pasta any cut
- fresh basil or parsley, for serving
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the wine, 2 cups water, the tomato paste, onion, garlic, allspice, and bay leaves. Season heavily with salt and pepper. 2. Season the short ribs or chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet, drain excess grease. Add the bacon to the slow cooker. Going back to the same skillet, sear the ribs on both sides over medium-high heat. Transfer the ribs to the slow cooker. Gently toss everything to combine. Add the parmesan rind. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 3. Just before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain4. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind. Shred the meat, discard the bones, and toss the meat with the sauce. If needed, thin the sauce with pasta cooking water. Serve the sauce over pasta. Top with lots of parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your Instant Pot, combine the wine, 2 cups water, the tomato paste, onion, garlic, allspice, and bay leaves. Season heavily with salt and pepper. 2. Season the short ribs or chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet, drain excess grease. Add the bacon to the Instant Pot. Going back to the same skillet, sear the ribs on both sides over medium-high heat. Transfer the ribs to the Instant Pot. Gently toss everything to combine. Add the parmesan rind. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Finish as directed above from step 3 on.
Stove-Top
- 1. Season the short ribs or chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Push the bacon to the side, add the ribs sear on both sides over medium-high heat. Drain off excess grease. 2. Add the in the wine, 2 cups water, the tomato paste, onion, garlic, allspice, and bay leaves. Season heavily with salt and pepper. Gently toss everything to combine. Add the parmesan rind. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring every hour until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. If needed, add water throughout cooking to keep the ribs mostly covered. 3. Finish as directed above from step 3 on.
This post was originally published on December 9, 2020
What’s the benefit of using bone-in vs. boneless short ribs?
Hey Lauren,
Either one works well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I made this recipe yesterday exactly as you describe. My sauce however is very runny, basically looks like soup. Do you have any idea why it wouldn’t have thickened or recommendations on how I can salvage the sauce without ruining the flavors? Thank you!
Hey Michelle,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am sorry your sauce did not thicken. Try adding some corn starch to the sauce:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Do you recommend the stove top or instant pot method? I’m not sure which route to go!
Hey Alessandra,
Both work well, I think low and slow is best! I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I made this tonight and the flavor is phenomenal. Perfect for a cold winter night. I struggled with the meat a little bit, I definitely over cooked it. I have a ninja 9-1 presser cooker that also has a slow cook function, after tonight I believe that I need to treat this function like I am cooking on the stove and shorten my times when letting meat cook for a while. I did notice that my fat didn’t render, I assume it is supposed to in order to shred so any tips on how to accomplish this next time?
Hey Mackenzie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! I have never used the slow cooker function on the instant pot, so maybe they did not cook down as much as they should have. Happy New Year! xTieghan
Tiegan, I truly enjoy your website and have tried MANY of your dishes. Yours is my go-to recipe site! Like others have commented, I felt this recipe is missing a little something. Personally, I think it would be better served over mashed potatoes or on a brioche bun. Having said that, the sauce is very tasty and made a good pasta dish.
For others who have commented that the sauce is thin and fatty, this might help: in step 4 while shredding the meat, I poured all the sauce into a pot, skimmed the fat off the top and simmered the sauce for about 20 minutes to reduce the liquid. Then put the meat and sauce back into the crockpot to keep warm while I made the pasta. Granted this was another step and created a dirty pot, but truly, who wants or needs that fat?
Hey Valerie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Hey T—wondering what pasta is best for this dish? Not sure what you used here. We’re thinking of rigatoni for our NYE dinner. L
Hey Fanny,
I used trumpets, but any short cut pasta will work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
My husband and I made this for Christmas dinner. We had planned to make it in the slow cooker, but didn’t get it started in time. We switched to the Instant Pot instructions, and the result was wonderful! The meat fell off the bone, and the flavor was rich and delicious. Will definitely use the Instant Pot method again.
Hey Carly,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I would love to serve this to 27 people in Christmas-
Do you think if I use 3 crock pots it would be enough ( some children in the 27)
Thanks!
Yes, that should work well for you!
Made this on Christmas! So delicious!! Easy to do, ended up doing on the stove top in my dutch oven because my slow cooker was too small for all the short ribs. Everyone loved it.
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this as a happy medium to my short ribs loving husband and I’m the pasta eater! The perfect combo! If I make it again, I’d do a few things differently – I’d buy boneless short ribs from Costco. I bough the bone-in ones from my local Publix and yes, it’s a pricier cut but so much dang fat! I know the fat gives it flavor, but I feel like I’m paying a ton for fat. I did remove the fat after cooking by cutting it off and then shredded the meat. I feel like the Costco boneless short ribs are just a better cut and you save the time having to debone, defat and shred. As another reviewer noted, I might sauté the onions in the bacon too. I did not find the wine flavor overwhelming – but I LOVE wine and I really loved the smell (I did the slow cooker method and my whole house smelled amazing!) But here’s the thing I’m thinking when I read reviews about the overwhelming wine taste – I suspect y’all used cheapo wine. You can’t do that. You have to use wine that you’d enjoy drinking. If you use cheap wine, yes, it’ll taste nasty. I used the same wine I drink, which isn’t too expensive at all, Apothic Red, which is about $8 at Costco and $11 at the grocery store. I used rigatoni as my pasta and I think it worked really well. I didn’t have access to campanelle and I thought the rigatoni would be the perfect pair to a heartier sauce – the ridges really help too. Oh – I originally forgot the parm rind but added it in the middle and I think it turned out ok – I removed it prior to shredding and making the sauce at the end. It was yummy and hearty, and I think I’ll make it again, but I would make those changes and see what happens 🙂
Hey Amanda,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this for Christmas dinner like Tieghan suggested and it was a total hit! The short ribs were a little fatty but spending the time to trim them was worth it. Definitely had to add some cornstarch like suggested to get the sauce a little thicker. This recipe was very easy and the best part was throwing it all in the slow cooker to do all the work! Definitely recommend trying this recipe!
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this for our Christmas Day dinner and it was delicious! Assume the longer end of the cooking window given. I did four hours on low and then bumped up to high. There are some pieces still not falling apart at 3.5 hours on high. Luckily some of it was ready earlier so we are those pieces. This meat is not cheap, but Christmas seemed like a good day splurge! Five stars!!
Hey Laura,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This is not great. I suggest making the red wine cranberry braised short ribs instead of this recipe. That recipe is amazing. This one fell flat. The sauce doesn’t thicken and the meat was chewy. I’m guessing it’s because we cooked on high for 5 hours and it needs to be cooked low and slow.
Hey Emily,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this for Xmas Eve dinner. I hate to say this but I was disappointed in this dish. The flavor of wine in the sauce was overpowering. This is also very rich.
Hey Sasha,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I am doing the instant pot version – when I put it on high pressure for 40 minutes, should it be on the less, normal or more function?
P.S. we are obsessed with all your recipes, you have taken over our kitchen!!
Thank you!
Liz O
Hey Liz,
You will want to use the normal function. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this for Christmas Eve for the family and it was a hit! Be careful not to burn the bacon while the short ribs are searing. Also actually be generous with the salt when she says be generous.
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan