Penne with Braised Short Ribs: A Hearty Italian-American Classic

There’s something uniquely satisfying about a dish that simmers all day, filling your home with an intoxicating aroma and promising a meal of unparalleled tenderness and flavor. This Penne with Braised Short Ribs recipe, inspired by the renowned chef Giada De Laurentiis, is precisely that kind of culinary masterpiece. I stumbled upon this gem a while back, and after finally getting around to preparing it, I can confidently say it has earned a permanent spot in my repertoire. The sheer depth of flavor in the rich, full-bodied sauce, combined with the melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs, creates an experience that’s truly unforgettable. It’s the ideal dish to prepare when you have guests coming over, allowing you to relax and enjoy their company while your oven does all the hard work.

Braised short ribs paired with pasta might sound like an unconventional combination, but it’s a testament to the versatility of Italian-American cuisine. The long, slow cooking process breaks down the connective tissues in the beef, transforming tough cuts into succulent morsels that practically fall off the bone. This tenderness, combined with a deeply savory tomato and wine-based sauce, coats the penne pasta beautifully, creating a harmonious blend of textures and tastes. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or looking to impress with minimal active effort, this recipe offers a rewarding journey from kitchen to table.

Understanding Your Cuts: Short Ribs vs. Spare Ribs

While often confused due to their names, beef short ribs and pork spare ribs are distinct cuts of meat, each with its unique characteristics and ideal cooking methods.

Beef Short Ribs: The Braising Champion

Beef short ribs are cut from the chuck, brisket, plate, or rib areas of a steer. They are essentially the beef equivalent of pork spare ribs in terms of their location on the animal, but their flavor profile, meatiness, and texture differ significantly. Beef short ribs are typically larger and contain a generous amount of rich, marbled meat along with a good deal of connective tissue and bone. This composition makes them absolutely perfect for slow-cooking methods like braising.

There are generally two main ways beef short ribs are cut:

• **English Cut:** These are often found as individual bones, sometimes boneless, cut into rectangular pieces about 2-4 inches thick. The meat sits atop the bone. This cut is excellent for braising as it holds its shape while becoming incredibly tender.
• **Flanken Cut:** Popular in Korean cuisine (e.g., Kalbi), these ribs are cut across the bone, so each piece contains several short sections of bone separated by layers of meat. These thinner cuts can be grilled or braised, but for deep, rich sauces, English-cut is often preferred.

When braised, the connective tissue in beef short ribs slowly breaks down into gelatin, infusing the meat with moisture and creating that signature fall-apart tenderness that we crave. The deep, beefy flavor is unparalleled, making them a premium choice for hearty stews and rich pasta sauces like the one in this recipe.

Pork Spare Ribs: Best for Grilling and Smoking

Pork spare ribs come from the belly section of a hog, closer to the sternum. They are typically flatter and contain less meat relative to bone compared to beef short ribs. Pork spare ribs are known for their sweet, savory fat and are most commonly associated with barbecue, grilling, or smoking. They require slow cooking as well, but usually at lower temperatures over indirect heat to achieve tenderness, often basted with flavorful sauces.

In summary, while both are “ribs” and benefit from slow cooking, beef short ribs offer a more substantial, meatier, and richer experience ideal for braising into a robust pasta sauce, whereas pork spare ribs shine in a smoky, grilled context.

Achieving Pasta Perfection: How Do You Know When Pasta Is Done?

The quest for perfectly cooked pasta is a fundamental skill in Italian cooking, and it all boils down to one crucial concept: al dente.

The Al Dente Standard

“Al dente” is an Italian phrase meaning “to the tooth” or “to the bite.” When pasta is cooked al dente, it should be firm, yet pliable, offering a slight resistance when you bite into it, but without being hard or chalky in the center. It should never be mushy or soft. This texture is not only more enjoyable to eat but also helps the pasta hold its shape and absorb the sauce more effectively.

The Only True Test: Taste It!

Despite various old wives’ tales about throwing pasta at the wall (please don’t!), the only truly reliable way to determine if pasta is done is to taste it. Start tasting a minute or two before the package’s suggested cooking time.

Look for these signs when tasting:

• Firmness: Does it have a slight chew?
• No Crunch: Is it cooked through, with no hard, uncooked core?
• Even Texture: Is the texture consistent from the outside to the inside?

Remember, pasta will continue to cook slightly after it’s drained, especially when tossed with a hot sauce. So, it’s often better to undercook it by about 30 seconds to a minute, allowing it to finish cooking in the residual heat or with the sauce.

Smart Storage: How Long Will Cooked Pasta Keep?

Proper storage is key to enjoying your leftovers and ensuring food safety. Cooked pasta, especially when combined with a rich sauce like these braised short ribs, can be a delicious meal for days to come.

Refrigerator Storage

To maximize the shelf life of your cooked pasta and sauce, follow these guidelines:

• Cool Quickly: Allow the pasta and sauce to cool down completely (within two hours of cooking) before refrigerating. Dividing it into smaller, shallow containers can help it cool faster.
• Airtight Container: Store cooked pasta and sauce in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. This prevents air exposure, which can dry out the pasta and promote bacterial growth.
• Location: Place the container in the coldest part of your refrigerator, typically the back or lower shelves.
• Shelf Life: Properly stored, cooked pasta with sauce will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. After this time, it’s best to discard it to prevent any food safety risks.

Freezing for Longer Shelf Life

If you’ve made a large batch and want to enjoy it even longer, cooked short ribs and sauce can be frozen:

• Separate or Combined: You can freeze the shredded short ribs and sauce separately or together. For pasta, it’s generally best to cook it al dente and freeze it separately, or just slightly undercook it if freezing with the sauce, as pasta can become mushy when thawed and reheated.
• Airtight Packaging: Use freezer-safe bags or containers, removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
• Thawing and Reheating: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then gently reheat on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to loosen the sauce.

This Penne with Braised Short Ribs makes fantastic leftovers, often tasting even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld.

4.50 from 8 votes

Penne with Braised Short Ribs

By Sweet Basil

Prep20 mins

Cook2 hrs 55 mins

Total3 hrs 15 mins

Servings6

Pin
Print

The sauce is rich and full, and the meat is so tender. It’s the perfect dish to let cook all day and serve to guests that evening.

This recipe for Penne with Braised Short Ribs delivers a comforting and deeply flavorful experience, ideal for a cozy dinner or entertaining. The succulent beef, slow-cooked to perfection, melds with a robust tomato and wine sauce, creating a pasta dish that’s both rustic and elegant.

Ingredients

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

• 4 Pounds Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped
• 5 Roma Tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 Cup Red Wine (a dry red like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon works well)
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Cups Low-Sodium Beef Broth
• 1 Pound Penne Pasta
• 1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley, for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. This ensures even cooking for your braised short ribs.
2. Generously season the 4 pounds of beef short ribs on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don’t be shy with the seasoning; it forms the foundational flavor.
3. In a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
4. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, add the seasoned short ribs and brown them thoroughly on all sides. This usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Achieving a deep, golden-brown crust is crucial for developing rich flavor. Once browned, remove the ribs from the pot and set them aside.
5. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced large onion and coarsely chopped garlic to the same pot, stirring frequently. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you stir.
6. Stir in the Roma tomatoes cut into eighths, 1 cup of red wine, and 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer, scraping up any remaining flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. This deglazing step adds incredible depth to the sauce.
7. Return the browned short ribs to the pot. Pour in 2 cups of low-sodium beef broth. Ensure the ribs are mostly submerged in the liquid. If not, add a little more broth or water. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven.
8. Braise in the oven for approximately 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is incredibly tender and easily falls from the bone when prodded with a fork. Cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of your short ribs.
9. Once cooked, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the tender short ribs to a separate plate or bowl and set aside.
10. Using a large spoon or ladle, skim off any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid in the pot. This helps create a lighter, yet still rich, sauce.
11. Ladle the remaining cooking liquid, including the cooked vegetables, into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is completely smooth, creating a velvety sauce. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use an immersion blender directly in the pot, or press the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
12. Pour the smoothed sauce back into a clean pan (or the original pot if you’ve cleaned it) and keep it warm over low heat while you prepare the pasta.
13. Once the short ribs are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Using two forks, shred the succulent meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
14. Stir the shredded short rib meat into the warm sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
15. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.
16. Add the 1 pound of penne pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente, typically 8 to 10 minutes.
17. Drain the cooked pasta thoroughly and transfer it to a large serving bowl.
18. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shredded short rib meat from the sauce and add it directly to the drained pasta in the serving bowl.
19. Pour about 1 cup of the rich short rib sauce over the pasta and meat. Toss everything together gently until the pasta is evenly coated. Add more sauce as desired, thinning it out if necessary with a splash of pasta water or broth to achieve your preferred consistency.
20. Serve immediately, garnishing each plate generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Recipe Notes

Leftovers of this Penne with Braised Short Ribs will keep beautifully for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, making it perfect for meal prepping or enjoying throughout the week. The flavors often deepen and improve with time. For reheating, gently warm on the stovetop over low heat, adding a touch of beef broth or water if the sauce has thickened too much.

For an extra layer of flavor, consider adding a bay leaf and a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme to the braising liquid along with the beef broth. Remove them before blending the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g


Calories: 832kcal


Carbohydrates: 64g


Protein: 56g


Fat: 34g


Saturated Fat: 12g


Cholesterol: 133mg


Sodium: 607mg


Potassium: 1351mg


Fiber: 4g


Sugar: 6g


Vitamin A: 1097IU


Vitamin C: 19mg


Calcium: 116mg


Iron: 7mg

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

More Comforting Pasta Recipes You’ll Love

If you’re a fan of satisfying pasta dishes, be sure to explore these other delightful recipes that promise flavor and ease!

Creamy Lemon Butter Pasta

One Pot Lasagna Pasta

20 Minute Cherry Tomato Pasta