Shredded short ribs with pappardelle may just be the best comfort food ever! Tender short ribs cook up into a hearty pasta sauce in this easy recipe that will rock your dinner world.
A little while ago, a box arrived in my mailbox that was filled with these.
Yes, bags of pappardelle from the Al Dente pasta company in Michigan. They had emailed to me ask if I might be interested in trying out some of their pasta, and I am a girl who can’t say no to pasta.
So I said yes please, and it happened to coincide with a Jamie Oliver recipe I had been dying to try for slow-cooked meat over, yes, pappardelle, so the whole thing seemed like fate.
First the recipe. It called for slow-cooking meat in a mixture of red wine, chopped carrots and celery and onions and herbs, with some plum tomatoes and barley thrown in for good measure.
The interesting part of this was that the recipe gave you COMPLETELY free rein over whatever kind of meat you chose. It suggested everything from venison to wild boar to squab to rabbit to beef.
I can’t cook venison. Venison cavorts through my yard on a regular basis.
On one occasion, we had a baby that couldn’t jump the stone wall at the end of our yard and get to its mama, so the Southern husband picked up up, wrapped it in a towel and deposited it on the other side of the fence so it could grow up and come back and eat up all my parsley.
But as a result, I can’t cook venison.
Short ribs, on the other hand, I can cook. (And this makes no sense at all, since I have met so many more cows during my life than deer. Sorry cows. It’s completely unfair.)
So short ribs it was, cooked until they were tender and falling off the bone.
I then shredded the meat and returned it to the amazing sauce, and then tossed the whole thing with the pappardelle, which cooked up in no time and let me tell you – it was DELICIOUS – perfect consistency and flavor and just right with the shredded meat.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to chasing the venison out of my yard.
Shredded Short Ribs with Pappardelle
Shredded short ribs with pappardelle may just be the best comfort food ever! Tender short ribs cook up into a hearty pasta sauce in this easy recipe that will rock your dinner world.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 28 ounces boneless short ribs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 2 cups red wine
- Two 14-ounce cans plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons pearl barley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 14 ounces pappardelle pasta
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Season the meat with salt and pepper. Pour the olive oil into a heavy deep pan (a Dutch oven will work perfectly) and saute the meat until it is starting to brown.
- Add the rosemary, garlic, carrot and celery and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the red wine and simmer until the wine is reduced to about a quarter cup (no need to measure it, just guesstimate).
- Add the plum tomatoes, the barley, and just enough water to cover the meat by 1/2 inch. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are falling apart tender.
- Scoop out the short ribs and use two forks to shred it into bite sized pieces, tossing out any parts that are too fatty. Put the meat back in the pan and place over low heat.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, scooping out a little pasta water before you drain it.
- Stir the butter and Parmesan into the short rib sauce, drizzling in a little pasta water if you need to loosen it up. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Pour in the pasta and toss. Divide it among warmed plates, sprinkling on a little extra Parmesan because WHY NOT. Enjoy!
From Jamie Oliver’s recipe via the fabulous Leite’s Culinaria
Nutmeg Nanny says
That little fawn just melts my heart…it's so sweet looking.
The pasta looks amazing too. I love pappardelle!
Hannah says
That's so cool. Living here in MT, we've had quite a few deer experiences. We even raised a little fawn that we named "Baby." I still enjoy venison, but personally prefer antelope or elk.
Heather says
I have only recently discovered the joy of short ribs and this recipe sounds fantastic! Also, I can understand the venison issue after looking at that adorable picture!
PoetessWug says
Where have I been?! I never even heard of pappardelle! And there's flavored versions?!…WOW! I've got to remedy this oversight immediately! ^_^
Lorrie says
Looks delicious and I'm with you, I couldn't eat those cuties and no deer in brooklyn either.
Mary says
This recipe sure does look absolutely delish, but all I can think right now is babydeerbabydeerOMGBABYDEER.
So precious.
Joanne says
Well, I mean cows don't look at you with those super cute super huge adorable eyes that you just want to love forever, EVEN if they eat your parsley. And, I mean…cows will probably still eat your parsley.
The short ribs look fantastic with that pasta!
Blog is the New Black says
Looks wonderful!
Barbara says
Jamie uses pappardelle a lot…
Short ribs are perfect; really can't imagine squab working, but who knows?