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Slow Cooker Red Wine Sunday Ragù Pasta. Turning a classic cozy fall/winter recipe into an easy slow cooker pasta using hearty beef short ribs, red wine, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and pappardelle pasta…finished off with fresh burrata cheese! This slow-cooked Sunday dinner is a hearty and delicious meal to come home to at the end of a busy day. And the best part? It’s an easy dinner to prepare that everyone loves. You simply can’t go wrong with a dinner like this red wine Sunday Ragù. Bonus? You can also make this in the Instant Pot or slow braise in the oven.
A Sunday night recipe…that’s equally great any day of the week. I just love the sound of a slow-cooked “Sunday Sauce” – don’t you?
You do, you do! And speaking of Sunday, I hope you all had a very lovely fall weekend (using the word lovely today because I use the words great and amazing way too much). Hoping it was also much warmer than mine. While Saturday was sunny, it was COLD, and then it snowed all day today. So, all in all, it was a bit of a chilly weekend.
I spent most of the weekend getting ready for the launch of HBH Super Simple. I did a lot of online shopping. And plenty of chit-chatting back and forth with you all via Instagram (my favorite thing to do!).
I can’t say that I’m well-rested, but I’m ready for the week ahead. And so ready to share one of my favorite recipes, this Sunday Ragù Sauce! Some of you may recall my original Sunday Sauce recipe. I shared it more than a few years back. It’s still a staple recipe for me…and for many of you as well (it’s a pretty popular recipe).
Today’s recipe is the updated version. It’s similar…ish, but also so different. Today’s ragù is a bit more classic. It has a richer deeper flavor, less spice, and most importantly, it’s made with red wine…and served with burrata.
Every twirl of pasta is so good.
Making this Sunday ragù is EASY. You can do it in the slow cooker, the instant pot, or even slow braise the sauce in the oven. My preferred method is the slow cooker, but any of the three options are GOOD.
First up, I do recommend searing your short ribs before slow cooking. Yes, I know what a messy pain this is, but I also know that the additional flavor and texture that comes from searing the ribs adds so much to a dish like this. If you don’t have time, I get it, but please try to find it. Searing the ribs adds so much flavor to this ragù.
In addition to the ribs, there’s also bacon. The bacon adds a richness to this sauce, making it much closer to a true Italian style ragù.
Also, if you have a fancy slow cooker that has the ability to sear meats, that’s awesome. You should definitely use that function! I have my eye on this all in one browning slow cooker from All-Clad.
Once the ribs and bacon are set, the rest is simple as can be. Everything gets stirred together in the slow cooker then cooked low and slow all day long.
Nothing is better than the smells that will soon be coming from your kitchen. Like nothing. That’s why this ragù is so perfect for Sunday. You can throw it together in the morning, go off and do your Sunday thing. and come home to a house that smells like grandmas, with a hearty warming dinner just waiting to be served.
By the time the ragù has finished cooking, the ribs should be falling off the bone. Just remove and discard the ribs, shred the meat, and toss with the sauce. Add a little butter and grated parmesan cheese. Trust me here, you need these two ingredients to complete your sauce.
The butter makes the sauce smooth, while the parmesan adds flavors.
Pasta. My favorite cut of pasta for this style ragù is a wider cut pappardelle pasta, but tagliatelle is an equally great option. If you have a hard time finding either one simply use whatever cut of pasta your family enjoys.
Boil-off the pasta, toss with butter, and then toss with the sauce.
And that’s it – you’re ready to serve. Just be sure to add the burrata cheese and a little additional parmesan.
Oh, and a couple of chunks of rustic bread for mopping up all that sauce. DELICIOUS.
And one more thing…maybe add a glass of your favorite red wine too.
Of course not! You can make this tonight or any night of the week…
But here’s my tip. Make this on Sunday for Sunday night dinner. This recipe feeds eight, so chances are you’ll have leftovers. And those leftovers…they are amazing. Probably better than the “fresh” sauce because the longer the sauce sits, the more time the flavors have to develop.
Obviously, you can use the ragù to served over pasta. But you can also serve it over creamy mashed potatoes, or even buttery polenta. All would be such great options, and very easy weekday meals since the sauce is already made. So you see what we did here? We just Sunday meal prepped…and it was so EASY.
Ok, and finally, this is also a great recipe for the upcoming holiday craze. Serve this to family, serve this up at your next dinner party, or even plan to serve this over Christmas. Again, you can’t go wrong. This is the EVERYTHING ragù you need in your back pocket for busy times, dinner parties, and holiday entertaining.
If you make this slow cooker red wine Sunday Ragù 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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I don’t think it’s worth the effort. I usually love all the HBH recipes but not this one.
Hi Jill! I am really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Hi there,
Looking to make this tomorrow, but my oven is broken. If I’m looking to make this stove-top in my Le Cruset, Does the bacon need to be cooked in the oven? Or can the entire recipe be done on the stove top?
Thanks!
Olivia
Hey Olivia,
I would recommend using the slow cooker or instant pot versions. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks amazing. After reading the comments I noticed you said to use 1 cup of beef broth but the recipe indicates 1/2 cup. Can you clarify for me. Thanks!
Hey Sylvia,
If you want to skip the red wine, use 1 cup of broth, if you are using the red wine, use 1/2 cup of broth. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this into my life!!! This has become a recipe we look forward to making multiple times in the fall/winter. I have shared with friends and it’s been a hit!
Wow yes! I am so happy you have been loving this Kayla! xTieghan
Hi, I see this serves 8, but I was wondering how much that gives each person… 1 C per serving? More? So looking forward to trying this!! looks delicious
Hey Brenda,
Not sure of the exact measurement but the recipe will give 8 large bowls of pasta. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Sounds amazing! If I only want to make half this recipe (4 servings instead of 8) should I adjust the cook time at all? Thanks!
Hey Maria,
I would keep the cook time the same. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
For the time and effort involved, there are many better short rib ragu recipes that are less time consuming and produce a deeper, more flavorful sauce. I did brown the short ribs, use high quality ingredients, etc., follow instructions but this sauce lacks flavor and needs a fair amount of extra heat. It’s also a fairly thin sauce—I puréed part with immersion blender to thicken some. Will it make again.
Hi Stephanie! I am sorry this recipe did not turn out well for you. Is there anything I can help with? Otherwise, I hope you enjoy some other recipes on my site! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! Anything in a slow cooker with mirepoix is certain to be a success. I bought all the ingredients before realizing my crockpot could only hold half this size, so I’ll just be making the other half today. Found it a little watery, but going to adjust and add less wine and tomato juice from the can!
Amazing! Thank you for trying this one, Kristen! xTieghan
Made this as Sunday dinner this week and plan to eat the leftovers tonight! Super easy dish that really tastes like you spent hours on it! I “lost” my burrata after purchasing it and ended up using only some extra parm on top and it was still super delicious, but can’t wait to do it again with the burrata! A wonderful meal as the fall/winter season rolls in here in CT- made my whole house smell amazing!
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Katie! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan, this looks so yummy! Question for you – my husband doesn’t eat beef, do you think I could make this recipe and substitute pork tenderloin? Or do you have any other suggestion? Thank you so much!
Could I use pork spare ribs instead of bacon?
Hey Savannah,
Sure that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is it possible to cook the pasta in the slow cooker with everything else? How much additional water should I add?
Hi Leah,
I would recommend cooking the pasta separately according to package directions. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can you use boneless short ribs? if so, how much for this recipe?
thanks!
Hey Susan,
Yes boneless short ribs will work! I would use 3-4 pounds. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So this was delicious and there was enough leftover that I froze and ended up making it into lasagna which was even better. I added pancetta to the Ragu, then layered noodles with the sauce, shredded mozzarella, ricotta/pesto mix, and Parmesan. Only 2 layers of noodles, then cheese and sautéed mushrooms on top. The sauce made it superb with the shredded steak- delicious!
Thank you so much Kelly!! I am really glad this turned out well for you! xTieghan
Just made this and it was very delicious just had a lot of liquid. Not sure if this is how it was supposed to be. Either way the favor was amazing!
Thank you so much Marielle! xTieghan