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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
I made the instapot version tonight and the meat came out pretty tough to shred so we had to cut it into small pieces. We had a black angus bone in short rib but are thinking the quick version just didn’t give it enough time to fully render. The sauce was okay but pretty thin and I did add red pepper flakes for a kick but was hoping for more flavor. Again, thinking the short cook time wasn’t enough to bring out all the flavors. I need to attempt again and will go for the slow cooker or stove top!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, so sorry you had issues with the meat. Was there anything you adjusted? Let me know how I can help for next time! xTieghan
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this recipe. After following the recipe exactly, I found that the sauce tasted way too strongly of wine which masked any other flavor, and the ribs after cooking for 6.5 hours were not tender at all. Really unpalatable. Other of your recipes are huge winners, however this one was not and this is my warning not to try especially with such expensive meat.
Hey Gabrielle,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help! xTieghan
This was an absolutely delicious, filling, and warm meal. My husband and I both loved it!
Hey Sammy,
I am so glad that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This is one of the first recipes I’ve tried from HBH and I am disappointed, despite LOVING the pictures and ideas of this site. The meat was not tender and very tough. I followed this recipe to the T and was not loving how tough the meat came out.
I have tried other HBH recipes and am much more pleased with them.
Hey Danielle,
I am sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
About to make this but cut it in half with chicken. How long would I cook the chicken in the instant pot?
Hey Bridget,
I would follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love the dish. Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This was delicious! The only strange thing was that the onions were crunchy, which doesn’t make sense to me. I chopped them fairly small and everything was in slow cooker on low for 6 hours. I have never had that happen before! Do you think the next time I should saute the onions before adding to the slow cooker? I also substituted one of the cups of wine for one cup of beef broth at a friend’s recommendation. It really was delicious despite the crunch. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Erin,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I think sautéing the onions would be a great idea! xTieghan
First, let me say, this is DELICIOUS! Truly delicious!! However, I read all the reviews before I made the recipe (just because I was surprised it was not 5 stars) and did make notes and a few adjustments- I hope they will be helpful because I think this is a must try recipe! First- I do say Short Ribs are worth the cost… they are pricey but so delicious. HOWEVER, I don’t think this is a “cook in crock pot and pull apart the meat” recipe… everyone complained about the amount of fat- well, fat is what makes it delicious 🙂 So here is how I addressed making the recipe less greasy/fatty but not losing any flavor: I cooked the ribs in the crock pot all night on low, pulled all the ribs out the next day and I DID pull fat out apart from the meat- it was easy but a little tedious- I’d do it again for the outcome! Secondly, when I was browning the ribs before I put them in the crock pot, I got all the sauce ingredients together. Once the ribs were done, I browned the onions and garlic in the pan. Then I added all the sauce ingredients (I used half wine and half broth since so many commented on a strong wine taste) to the pan to cook off the alcohol flavor. ALL of that I then added over the ribs to cook all night. I think those steps are VERY worthwhile and helpful…. LAST thing is, no doubt, there is a large layer of fat/grease, when the ribs are done cooking (but thats where the flavor comes from!!!)… I just made sure to take a bunch of spoonfuls of the grease out before I added the meat back- it was DIVINE. Not greasy, not fatty, just delicious and worth the steps. I hope this is helpful… makes the recipe a little more work but not difficult <3. Thanks for such a yummy birthday dinner!
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Is there any way to do this without a slow cooker or dutch oven?
Hey Brendan,
You can make this recipe in a slow cooker, dutch oven (or any oven safe pot), or instant pot. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I was so excited to make this but it did not turn out well. I would not advise using the instant pot like I did. I followed the recipe exactly but my short ribs were not fall off the bone tender/didn’t seem to be fully cooked, so I had to cook them another 25 minutes. It also came out very oily and not so much tomato saucy. Was very disappointed as this was not a cheap meal to shop for. I think slow cooker would be best.
Hey Amy,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Any tips for shredding the ribs? I could barely do it and just had to cut it in chunks.
Hey Nicole,
So sorry you had issues with the ribs, they should fall off the bone. Which cooking method did you use? Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This turned out so good! I love short ribs, but never tried to make them until I found this recipe. I made it in the Instant pot and it was really easy and even tasted better the next day as leftovers. Only thing is that I didn’t realize how expensive short ribs are, so I’m hoping to find another cut of meat (not chicken) that I could use in place of the short ribs if I wanted to make this a more affordable meal. Definitely plan to make this again, but I ended up having so much sauce leftover that I had to make more pasta the next day and have it again (not that I’m complaining).
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am so glad you enjoyed! xTieghan
Flavor of this was delicious! Followed the recipe to a T but minus bacon since I was out! I did about 7 hours on low. Only issues I had was the short rib was really difficult to shred, I had to use a knife, not sure if that’s normal. Also my onions were not cooked! Which made for a bit of an unpleasant bite. When I make again I’d cook the onions in the pan as well before putting into the slower cooker.
Hey Ashley,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am so sorry you had issues with the short ribs and onions, after 7 hours on low they should be fall off the bone and the onions should be tender. I am wondering if you have add any issues with your slow cooker recently? Maybe try this in the dutch oven next time! I hope this helps! xTieghan
This was delicious! Cooked it on the stovetop and the house smelled amazing. I would have taken a picture but the family couldn’t wait to dig in!
Hey Kriss,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This recipe was such a hit for my family’s NYE… Thank you Tieghan! I do have a question though – after cooking for 5 hours in the slow cooker, my sauce had an inch layer of fat from the meat at the top. I had to put it in the refrigerator for a bit in order to scrape the fat layer off. Did this not happen to yours? Any suggestions? Thanks again!
Hey Stacy,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was a hit! That is a great way to get rid of any extra fat that you do not want. Happy New Year! xTieghan
I made this for NYE dinner tonight and while the meat was very tender (I used short ribs + slow cooker method) the sauce never thickened. It ended up more like a stew than a true sauce? Any ideas where I went wrong? Almost felt like the 2 cups of water was too much? I wanted this to be perfect so bad and would love to try again!
Hey Faith,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am sorry the sauce did not thicken for you. Try adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I hope this helps for next time! Happy New Year! xTieghan