Short Rib Ragu – Whole30, Paleo

This Short Rib Ragu takes time to cook, but your patience is rewarded with melt-in-your-mouth, delicious strands of tender beef in a rich and hearty tomato sauce. Although you’d never guess it, the ragu itself is Whole30 and Paleo, but you can toss it with your favourite pasta, gluten-free or regular, or serve it over a bed of creamy polenta. My advice is to make a big pot because it tastes even better the next day and can be frozen for an easy meal on a rainy day.

Ingredients You Need for Short Rib Ragu

• Beef Short Ribs: For best results, use English-cut, bone-in, beef short ribs. The bone will not only help develop flavour in the sauce, but it will also act as a buffer to prevent the beef from drying out as it cooks.
  
  If you can’t find English-cut beef short ribs, you can substitute flanken-cut short ribs, commonly used for Korean-style Grilled Kalbi. These will cook much quicker so be sure to check on them regularly and only cook them until they are tender. And if you can’t fine bone-in short ribs, you can substitute boneless if those are available.
  
  For a more affordable, yet still delicious alternative, you can substitute beef chuck roast.
• Soffritto: A combination of carrot, celery and onion form the flavourful base for the ragu. This combination of aromatics is often called a soffritto in Italian.
• Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much
• Tomato Passata: In North America, this is sometimes labeled tomato puree, crushed tomatoes or strained tomatoes. It typically comes in a tall glass jar or carton. It’s a smooth, uncooked tomato puree made from ripe, strained tomatoes.
  
  The flavour of your ragu will depend greatly on the quality of the passata you use because aside from water, it’s the only liquid that will be added to the sauce. Be sure to use a high-quality product, such as Mutti passatta, Cento passata and Jovial passata, which are all consistently good.
• Herbs: I like to flavour the ragu with a combination of fresh rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Sometimes I will just use rosemary or just use thyme – it depends what I have on hand. When I make this ragu in the summer, I always add a big handful of fresh basil from the garden at the end. It adds an incredible flavour that can’t be beat.

What is Ragu?

Ragu is a traditional, Italian meat-based sauce that is slowly cooked with a combination of sautéed vegetables, called a soffritto, in a wine and tomato sauce. There are countless variations depending on the region and household.

Ragu can be made with ground meat, or larger and tougher cuts like shoulder, shanks or ribs. it can also be made with just about any type of meat, such as beef, pork, lamb, venison, or boar.

Some people will add milk to the ragu, others will add cream towards the end. And then there are those who will curse you for six lifetimes if you add either. Sometimes you will find the sauce being flavoured with oregano and thyme, or it can include rosemary and sage. The end goal, however, is almost always the same: to achieve a deeply flavourful and hearty sauce to be served with pasta or polenta.

What Makes This Ragu Whole30 and Paleo?

This Short Rib Ragù is a classic, fan-favourite that’s been on the blog for years and was so loved that I had to put it in my cookbook. I can confidently say that it’s just as good as any recipe that includes wine, flour or dairy.

• No Wine: Unlike most ragu recipes, this one does not call for adding wine to the sauce. Though wine will yield a deep and delicious flavour profile, it’s not entirely necessary and can be omitted for anyone who wants to keep things alcohol-free.
• No Flour: Many recipes will call for dredging the meat in flour before searing it, similar to when you make osso bucco. This helps to create a fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pan) and also thicken the sauce as it cooks. However, as long as you pat the meat very dry before searing and do not overcrowd the pan, you should have no trouble developing a deeply browned exterior.
• No Dairy: It’s not uncommon to find ragu recipes where milk is added to the sauce. When I’m not keeping things Whole30 or Paleo, I often add milk to my bolognese. This creates an incredibly creamy and delicious finished product. However, like the wine, I don’t find it absolutely necessary and you can omit it if you want to keep things dairy-free.

Why You’ll Love this Ragu

If you like bolognese (I mean, who doesn’t?), you will LOVE this Short Rib Ragu.

• It’s incredibly rich, hearty, deeply flavourful and full of tender strands of shredded beef.
• It’s super simple and requires only a handful of easy to find ingredients.
• It’s mostly hands-off cooking, so you can get other things done while the sauce slowly simmers.
• It can be prepared in advance and tastes even better the next day.
• It’s a crowd-pleaser that everyone will love.
• It doesn’t require wine, making it suitable for all ages, more affordable and lower in calories.

What To Serve with Short Rib Ragu

If you want to keep things Whole30, try serving the ragu with some cauliflower puree or toss it with some zucchini noodles. For something heartier, but still Paleo, try serving the ragu with sweet potato gnocchi, cauliflower gnocchi or squash gnocchi.

You can also, of course, serve the ragu with your favourite pasta (gluten-free or regular). Pappardelle is a common pairing, but if I’m being honest, I prefer it with some rigatoni or orecchiette.

Can You Make the Ragu in Advance?

You can absolutely make this ragu ahead of time. In fact, I recommend it. The flavours will continue to develop in the fridge overnight and make for an even more delicious meal the next day. Just be sure to cook the pasta separately and fresh before serving it with the ragu.

Can You Freeze Short Rib Ragu?

You can also prepare the ragu in advance and freeze it for up to 6 months. Whenever I make a pot, I always tuck a bit into a freezer-safe container for an easy meal on a rainy day.

To reheat the ragu, place it in a pot and gently warm it over medium heat. I like to add a splash of water or chicken broth to the pot to prevent the sauce from drying out. And if I’m serving it with pasta, I will add some of the pasta cooking water at the end to help the sauce to stick.

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4.50 from 2 votes

Short Rib Ragu – Whole30, Paleo

This Short Rib Ragu takes time to cook, but your patience is rewarded with melt-in-your-mouth, delicious strands of tender beef in a rich and hearty tomato sauce.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, approximately 4 bones
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 celery stalks, diced
• ▢ 2 carrots, diced
• ▢ 1 yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic, skins peeled, smashed and left whole
• ▢ 2 24- ounce jars tomato passata
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 6-7 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ▢ Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 1 handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, optional
• ▢ 1 pound gluten-free rigatoni pasta, such as Banza
• ▢ Freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano, optional, for serving

Instructions 

• Place the short ribs on a sheet pan lined with a wire rack. Generously season all sides with salt and refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour to overnight. 30 minutes before cooking, remove the short ribs from the fridge and let them come to room temperature.
• Preheat a Dutch oven or sauté pan over med-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Carefully add the short ribs to the pan and cook, undisturbed, until browned, around 4 minutes. Flip and repeat until browned on all sides, around 8 more minutes. Transfer the browned short ribs to a tray and set aside.
• Discard all but 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan. Add the celery, carrot and onion and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring and lifting any brown bits off the bottom of the pan, until the onions are soft and translucent, around 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, around 1 minute.
• Add the tomato passata, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine. Nestle the browned short ribs in the sauce. If necessary, add water until the meat is just barely submerged. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the meat is fall-apart tender, around 3 hours. Alternatively, transfer the pot to a 350F oven and cook until the meat is fall-apart tender, around 3 hours. If the sauce dries out, add more water to reconstitute.
• Transfer the short ribs to a plate and let them cool to the touch before shredding the meat apart into thin strands. Discard the bones, thyme stems, rosemary stems and bay leaves. Return the shredded meat to the sauce along with the basil, if using, and stir through to combine. Taste the ragu for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as desired.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Season the water generously with a big pinch of salt, add the pasta and cook it according to package instructions or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the remaining liquid.
• Add 3 cups of ragu to the pasta and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water and stir well to incorporate. Ladle the pasta into individual serving bowls and garnish with freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano, if using.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 840kcal, Carbohydrates: 109g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 1824mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 6139IU, Vitamin C: 27mg, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.

Read My Paleo Story

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