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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!
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.
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.
Followed the recipe. It was good but not anything special. Was hoping for something amazing but it was not..
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not loved! xTieghan
Wow, this is a keeper! Absolutely delicious. I’ll have to simmer longer next time to thicken the sauce, but the flavor was incredible.
Hey Hannah,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I’ve been making your recipes for years and am always happy with the results, but this one, in particular, blew me away!! It was the perfect amount of rich and hearty, stick-to-your-bones type pasta. We are a household of 2 and finished all our leftovers in a day and a half. I’m talking short rib pasta for breakfast. THANK YOU!
Hi Janelle,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
This turned out great! I made it for my parents for dinner tonight and they both loved it! It was so easy to make too. A couple adjustments I made: replaced water with beef broth, added a little bit of dried thyme and dried sage, and added a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up. I also topped with burrata instead of Parmesan at the end.
Hi Ashlie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
I just made this tonight, it was hearty and delicious. I did however make some changes based on the comments I read. I only added 1-1/3 cup of wine, 2 cups of water with 2 beef concentrate packets. I also used 2lbs of boneless short ribs (after I trimmed off the hard fat, 3lbs total). At about 6.5/7 hours in, I shredded the beef and put it back in to absorb more of the liquid for about 30 minutes. It thickened, but not enough to my liking and I didn’t want to mess with the flavor, so I added 1/2 box of rigatoni and let it cook in the sauce for about 25 minutes. Problem solved. They soaked the excess liquid right up and now the noodles had the delicious flavor as well. I cooked the remainder of the box on the side and used both on our plate. The only other thing I think I would do different is maybe just the 1 cup vs. 1-1/3 cup of wine. This will definitely be in our rotation.
Hi Racheal,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xxTieghan
What kind of pasta is used in the photos?
Hi Amanda,
I used trumpets. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can this recipe freeze/thaw well? I’ve made it several times but only to serve immediately — it’s always delicious and I want to be sure not to ruin it by freezing!
Hey Audrey,
Yes, I think that would work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Disappointing that it didn’t turn out. Way too much liquid and 40 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot does not tenderize the short rib. It came out firm and chewy. Much too strong of a wine flavor and I’m sure 1 c. Beef broth and 1 c wine would yield a better result. Are these recipes tested orrrrrrr?
Hi Meredith,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe. Was there anything you may have adjusted? Of course my recipes are tested, I work extremely hard to test them several times before sharing with my readers. Please let me know if I can help in anyway. xTieghan
followed this recipe exactly and am blown away by how good it is! definitely a keeper!
Hey Trisha,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
We made this tonight and it’s definitely a keeper! One question, any tips for thickening the sauce? Mine came out just a little too thin (although super delish) and I didn’t want to ruin it with a cornstarch slurry at the last minute.
Hey Ash,
Thank you so very much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! You could allow it to simmer at the end to thicken or do the cornstarch:) xxTieghan
I made this and it was delicious, but my sauce wasn’t as thick as yours looks. What’s the secret to that? Also I’m still new at short ribs and they don’t really fall off the bone. I did it in the instapot so I know it’ll be a little diff but wondering if you have advice.
Hey Tori,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Simmering longer always helps to thicken the sauce. Have the best week! xTieghan
We’ve tried many of the half baked harvest recipes and this is one we keep coming back to. I tried out this recipe over a year ago and it’s become a favorite with my family.
I’ve switched up the recipe a bit and combined it slightly with your “crockpot braised red wine short ribs” recipe. I like to add in the bacon, carrots, mushrooms, thyme, and 1 cup beef broth to even out the wine flavor a bit. It’s also a great way to disguise the veggies for the kiddos. They have no idea they are eating mushrooms by the time everything is cooked!! 🙂
I’m a big fan of crockpot recipes, since I’m able to prep most of the ingredients the night before and throw it in the next morning. I’ve never been a great cook, but I can easily fool my family when I cook this recipe!
I’ve served the short ribs over pasta, rice, perogies, and mashed potatoes. You really can’t go wrong with any of these options. Personally, my family prefers it over homemade mashed potatoes. My husband and I have been on a health kick recently and ate it over cauliflower rice and some sautéed veggies. Delish!!
Thank you so much, Tieghan! I’m a huge fan of many of your recipes! My husband is Korean and our family has enjoyed many of your Asian fusion inspired dishes as well!
Hey Kelly,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Thanks so much for sharing what works well for you. Happy New Year!? xTieghan
I made this recipe for my family on Christmas Day in the slow cooker, with a few adjustments…
Instead of 2 full cups of wine, I did 1 cup of wine and 1 cup beef broth to tone the flavor or wine down. Instead of throwing them in raw, I cooked the onions for 5-7 minutes in a bit of olive oil. I also used around 3.75-4# bone in short ribs in hopes of having the end result more saucy/stew-y.
Agreeing with another commenter, I would definitely use a bottle of wine that you like the taste of.. We used Cupcake Red Velvet as that was all we had on hand and though it’s not my favorite flavor, the entire dish still came out decent.
It was fairly easy to make; after browning the meats and onions, it was easy to throw into the slow cooker and stir every 45 minutes or so. The ribs were super tender after 7-8 hours on low and 1-2 hours on high (turned it up about 3/4 of the way through then back to low for an hour). There wasn’t a ton of fat luckily, and I did not need to add the additional pasta cooking water at the end, as it was pretty liquidy already.
We served with short pasta and a side of homemade mashed potatoes and it was a hit… Leftovers were even better tasting! All in all, I’d make this again but with a cheaper cut of meat like chuck roast and with a slightly better tasting wine.
Hey Debbie,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was so good! I used the bone in short ribs, but I did have to go to two stores to find them. I think I will try to chuck roast next time and see if it’s as good (but cheaper). I followed the directions exactly, aside from letting the sauce simmer a little extra in the slow cooker before I added the shredded meat back in. It definitely made more than six servings for us, but I’m not complaining! Heating up some leftovers right now. I was even able to find the pretty pats shape (called Campanelle by Barilla).
Hi Kristen,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
This was my christmas dinner. started early in the morning and boy was it worth the wait. (even though the smell coming through the house made it really hard to wait) I couldn’t find the pasta that the recipes pictures shows (it remind me of mini lasagna noodles, so i used fusilli instead for the first plate of it that night. My husband is brazilian and requested that i make rice with it instead for the next day. We personally enjoy it with pasta but it was INCREDIBLE over rice. the rice really soaked up the juice and flavor! of course just an opinion but thought id pass along. i shared some with my husbands family and they LOVED it. beautiful flavors. Rich and delicious l. will definitely make this again!
Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Cori,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT
Thank you for sharing your comment about serving it over rice. Its a great way to make it Gluten free, without the added stress of my GF pasta falling apart. I have everything in the slow cooker right now, minus the Parmesan rind, I dont have one, but and cant wait for dinner tonight. Tieghan, thanks for the recipe!
I hope you love the recipe Bailey!! xT
If I can’t find bone in short ribs how many pounds of boneless short ribs would I use??
Hi Maureen,
I would use about 3 pounds. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan