Italian Short Ribs with Gnocchi

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Short Ribs. You have your options of Boneless or Bone-in. I would choose bone-in, although I have done it with both. The images in this blog are all made with boneless. I would choose bone-in because I find them easier to shred.

Red Wine. Always go with a merlot or cabernet. I always go with something that I would drink. I'm a little snobby with wine for some reason. I'll drink mich ultras all day long but when you hand me a bottle of Barefoot I turn my nose up. The taste of the wine is important because it is a crucial flavor in this somewhat pricier dish.

Whole Plum Tomatoes. I like to hand-crush whole plum tomatoes when I'm braising a sauce. They will cook down into a silkier sauce and will thicken over the course of the cooking process compared to a can of crushed tomatoes.

Pancetta. I love adding a little pancetta into this recipe but you can also substitute guanciale. It's a great way to add umami, or savoriness, to your sauce.

How to braise Italian short ribs

Take the short rib out of the refrigerator 30 minutes ahead of time—season both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 1: Heat the dutch oven to medium-high heat and add olive oil. Place all of the short ribs in the oven at the same time tightly packed to reduce steam.

Step 2: Sear the short ribs on both sides for 3-5 minutes until they have a golden brown crust. Set them aside.

Once the short ribs are seared, preheat the oven to 325℉.

Step 3: Lower the heat on the dutch oven to medium. Add the pancetta and fry until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. You want to go low and slow for pancetta so you may even want to bring the heat down to medium-low depending on the heat of your burners.

Step 4: Remove with a slotted spoon and set them aside when the fat has rendered and the meat has a crust. Remove some of the oil but leave about 2 tbsp. Add the carrots, onions, and celery. Saute for 5-8 minutes or until they begin to soften. Then stir in the garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes.

Step 5: Add tomato paste and combine. Saute for another 3 minutes. The tomato paste will start caramelizing and becoming stickier. It's okay if it leaves some brown spots on the bottom of the pan, they will add flavor during the deglazing.

Step 6: Add the red wine and return the pancetta to the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer for 5 minutes. The wine should be reduced by about half. It should feel like it has thickened pretty significantly.

Step 7: Once the wine is reduced, add in the whole plum tomatoes, crushing them by hand, or pulsing them in a food processor. (I prefer to do this by hand. They will break down in the sauce over the long cooking time.)

Step 8: Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the basil. Then place the short ribs in the sauce, buried about halfway. Cover the pot, and place in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Step 9: Remove the cover after 45 minutes. Check the short rib every 15 minutes after you remove the cover for tenderness. Once the short rib is fork tender remove the pot from the oven. The sauce will appear slightly thin, as shown below, upon removing it from the oven, but that's okay.

Step 10: Remove the short ribs and place them into a bowl. Use two forks to shred the meat.

When shredding the meat for the first time, it can be hard to know if it is too much effort. The meat shouldn't just be completely falling apart or feel like you would need a chainsaw to get through it. There should be some mild effort in shredding but nothing that feels like a workout.

Step 11: Once completely shredded, return to the pot and mix with the sauce.

Serving with gnocchi

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add your gnocchi and cook as directed. Add some sauce and the gnocchi to a pan on medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer and combine with the gnocchi.

Cooking the gnocchi with the sauce will allow them to absorb some of the sauce and flavor. This is a must when cooking with gnocchi.

Recipe FAQs

What to Serve Italian Short Ribs with

• Vegetables: Serve this dish alongside some Sauteed Rapini with Garlic, Traditional Caesar Dressing Salad, or Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe.
• Dessert: Always serve a dessert after dinner like Rainbow Cookie Cake or Chewy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Storing and Reheating

The sauce cooks for about 10 servings total, depending on the type of pasta you use, you'll have leftovers. Store the leftover gnocchi in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days OR up to 6-7 days if you follow this storage method. Once the sauce is finished cooking and you remove the portion you will cook, place the meat in a new pot. Fill the sink with ice water and place the pot in the ice water and stir the sauce until it feels cold. This will avoid quick growth of bacteria. Then transfer to the refrigerator in an airtight container.

The sauce will keep in the freezer for 3 months.

Reheat by placing the desired amount of sauce in a pan and bring to a low simmer. Then serve over whatever you like or add your pasta to the pan to soak up some of the sauce.