Short Rib Ravioli
Short Rib Ravioli
first published 4/19/22, last updated 08/05/24
I mean, if you aren’t drooling just from that title, well, let me tell you, you’ll probably be drooling by the time you finish reading this post, because these short rib ravioli are one very drool worthy treat.
Ah. Short rib ravioli, where do I even begin with these beautiful little decadent pillows of pasta perfection? These have been so long in the making, I almost don’t even know where to start. But I guess the obvious place is, well, the beginning. Duh.
I believe it was sometime about a year and half ago. Maybe for Dave’s birthday, or simply because we had some short ribs leftover, I can’t exactly remember. Whatever the case, I had a lightbulb moment to make ravioli and use the short ribs as filling. And that was the moment that started it all.
The ravioli were incredibly delicious, delicious enough that I knew I needed to share them with the world. But first they needed some work. I had hoped to share this recipe sooner, like much, much sooner, but it took me months, at least 15 short ribs and countless recipe testing session to where it is today. Perfectly delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pasta perfection.
Homemade ravioli are so special in their own right. I have fond memories from childhood, being in my Nana’s kitchen, making ravioli with all the other women in my family, trays of little golden squares of cheese and meat filled pasta spread throughout the house, waiting to be cooked and devoured. A true labor of love.
Adding something like short ribs only goes to make a special dish that much more special. Short ribs are buttery, melt-in-your mouth all on their own, so when they get paired with a buttery melt-in-your mouth mushroom sauce and homemade pasta dough, it’s a magical match made in pasta heaven. I originally did nothing but meat as the filling, and while the flavor was great, I knew it could be greater. So, after much testing, I landed at the recipe you’ll see today. The filling is rich, buttery, aromatic and warm from the short ribs and mushrooms, creamy thanks to the ricotta and parm, then there’s just a touch of breadcrumbs to make sure it all sticks together and lastly a generous helping of parsley to give it some balance and freshness. Honestly, the filling is so good, you’ll want to eat it just on its own (May or may not be guilty of doing that! oops!). The blend of flavors comes together in a truly decadent, most perfect way.
I know this can seem like an intimidating recipe, between the homemade pasta, long cook times and the many steps. But that’s just one of the reasons why I took one for the team and tested these ravioli as many times as I did, so that I could fine tune and make the process as streamlined and simple as possible. I mean, not like I need an excuse to make ravioli on repeat. I am Italian, after all, so, ya know, twist my arm! Ha! But all that eating, er, I mean testing, paid off. I was able to add lots of tips, tricks, short cuts and make-ahead advice and I promise you, this recipe is no where near as hard as it may appear. Time consuming? Sure! But overly difficult? Definitely not! But the results are so worth it! Once you bite into a ravioli, all memories of the hours, ingredients and dirty dishes it took you to get to that moment, will be long gone, instantly replaced with buttery mushroom covered memories of deliciousness instead.
And, while this special dish is definitely worthy of a special meal, be it holidays, Valentine’s Day, date night in or a fancy dinner party, I also think being alive is a special occasion enough to make a special homemade ravioli meal. But that could just be the Italian in me talking…
P.S. You can also watch me make the ravioli over on Instagram!
EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT MAKING SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
I’m not going to sugar coat it, there are quite a few ingredients involved to make these raviolis a reality, but I promise you they are so worth every single item that you need to get! And, while certain things are a bit more specialty, like the short ribs, quite a few things on the list are also pantry staples (like flour and salt). Here’s the full ingredient run-down of what you’ll need to make these ravioli-
SHORT RIBS- Get them fresh from your local butcher or at a Whole Foods meat counter
FLOUR- I like to use Caputo 00 flour to make my pasta but all-purpose flour will work, too.
EGGS- the fresher the better (as in preferably farm fresh, but work with what you’ve got)
SALT- Kosher or sea salt is fine
OIVE OIL- the higher the quality the better
GARLIC
BEEF BROTH- regular broth works fine, but beef bone broth is great, too, and will add even more flavor
RED WINE- Make sure to use a dry red wine
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE- to add a touch of umami flavor
CALABRIAN CHILI PASTE- You can omit this if you don’t like spice or use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead.
FRESH THYME
MUSHROOMS- I like to use baby bellas, but you could use any mix of varieties that you choose
BUTTER
RICOTTA- full fat works best for these
PARMESAN CHEESE
BREAD CRUMBS- I like to use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, but plain also taste great and homemade bread crumbs work well, too
FRESH PARSLEY
HOW TO MAKE SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
STEP 1- MAKE THE SHORT RIBS
Making the short ribs starts on the stove top to get a nice golden brown sear before they’re finished off in the oven, low and slow, for ultimate melt-in-your mouth flavor. There’s a little involvement at the beginning but most of the cooking time is hands off in the oven.
Once the meat is cooked, remove the bones, use forks or tongs to shred it and cook down any remaining liquid to form a sauce, or, add additional beef broth if you need more sauce.
STEP 2- MAKE THE MUSHROOMS
The mushrooms are super simple to make. Simply melt the butter, add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute until nice and golden brown.
STEP 3- MAKE THE FILLING
Once the everything is prepped the filling comes together in a flash thanks to a food processor. The short rib meat, a bit of the short rib cooking liquid, some of the sauteed mushrooms (some get saved for serving), bread crumbs, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley get briefly pulsed just until the mixture comes together. Then it’s ready to be filled into ravioli.
STEP 4- MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH
Mix together the flour, eggs, salt and water, and knead until the dough comes together. Use a pasta machine, set to the widest setting (I use the Kitchenaid attachment and have mine set to #5 for this) to roll the dough into flat sheets. Because the dough dries quickly, I find this step works best in batches, rolling each sheet as I need it.
STEP 5- MAKE THE RAVIOLI
Roll one sheet of pasta dough out and lay it out across the ravioli pan. Fill each hole with about 1 teaspoon of filling. Then roll out the next pasta sheet. Cover the top of the ravioli. Using a small wooden rolling pin to go back and forth across the pan a few times, with medium-weight pressure, to seal and cut the ravioli. Remove and place the ravioli on a lightly flour or cornmeal dusted surface and cover loosely with a slightly damp lightweight kitchen towel (you can also loosely cover with plastic wrap if you prefer). Repeat the process until all dough and filling has been used up.
STEP 6- COOK THE RAVIOLI
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli (you can do it all at once or in batches if you prefer) and cook forr 5-6 minutes, or until they float to the top. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to ensure they don’t stick together.
STEP 7- SERVE THE RAVIOLI
Heat up the remaining mushrooms and butter. Plate the ravioli, then top with the mushrooms and browned butter, and any additional toppings you desire. Enjoy!
You can also watch me make the ravioli over on Instagram!
WHAT EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
DUTCH OVEN (OR OVEN-SAFE PAN)
A LARGE SKILLET
A PASTA MAKER OF YOUR CHOICE- either KITCHEN-AID MIXER WITH PASTA MAKER ATTACHMENT, a PASTA MAKER MACHINE or a ROLLING PIN
HOW TO SERVE SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
Because these already have so much flavor in them, I found that they don’t need much more than a simple brown butter sauce, a little fresh grated parm and some fresh minced parsley to finish them off.
However, if you prefer to serve them with a creamy sauce, make the mushrooms as directed, but after you remove the portion for the filling, and just before you’re ready to serve, mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the mushrooms. You can also add a splash of broth or white wine, if you like. Cook for 1-2 minutes, just until heated through, then spoon over the cooked ravioli.
As for sides, these are incredibly buttery and rich so I highly recommend serving them with something fresh and bright to balance out the richness. A simple green salad or this heartier winter radicchio salad are great options!
NOTES + FAQ
This recipe is definitely a bit involved and time consuming so there are a few tricks and tips to make it easier and make it work for you, from prepping things in advance to making things ahead of time and more. Here are a few notes, tips and best practices-
CAN YOU MAKE THE RAVIOLI IN ADVANCE?
Yes and no. If you’re making them in advance, I recommend freezing them (more on this below) until you’re ready to cook them. Otherwise, the pasta dries out too much and they ravioli will then have a tendency to fall apart while they’re cooking. However, you can make the short ribs, and even the filling, in advance.
HOW TO MAKE THE SHORT RIBS IN ADVANCE
You can make the short ribs 1-3 days in advance. I make the recipe up to the point where I shred the meat and add it back into the sauce, then allow the meat and sauce mixture to cool. Place the lid back on the pan, and pop the pan straight into the refrigerator. Then, once you’re ready to use the meat, remove the pan, add in a little liquid (water or broth) and either place it back into the oven or on a medium heat burner for about 120-30 minutes, or until the liquid is de-solidified and the meat is warmed through and you can easily shred it.
Alternatively, I’ll transfer the meat and sauce to a container, store it in the refrigerator, then add it back to a pan to reheat when I’m ready to use it.
HOW TO MAKE THE SHORT RIBS IN AN INSTANT POT
If you’d prefer to make the short ribs in the instant pot, follow the instructions up to the point of placing the pan in the oven, using the instant pot instead of a dutch oven. First, set your instant pot to saute, the heat the olive oil, saute the garlic and braise the short ribs, just as you would in the dutch oven. Then deglaze with the liquid and add the remaining ingredients. Then cover the pot, turn the setting to either slow cook, bake or roast (I usually do slow cook) and the heat to low and cook for 3 hours or until the meat falls off the bones. The only difference I notice is that sometimes the sauce doesn’t cook down quite as much as I like so, once I’m done cooking the short ribs, I transfer the liquid it to a skillet or saucepan and cook it down on the stove, over medium low heat.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER FILLING
Feel free to make more pasta dough and turn it into more ravioli OR mix it into scrambled eggs, enjoy it on top of mashed potatoes, polenta or pasta. The filling will keep up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and can easily be reheated in skillet, adding a little water or broth, if needed.
CAN YOU FREEZE THE RAVIOLI?
Yes! Make them up to the step where you dust them with flour or cornmeal. Then, instead of covering with a towel, lay them out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for about 10-15 minutes, or until they’ve hardened. Then place them into a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze until ready to use. They can be tossed into boiling water straight from the freezer. They’ll just take a few minutes longer to cook. Also, if you’re planning to freeze the ravioli and not serve them right away, only make half the mushroom mixture (the half you need for the filling), then make the remaining half when you’re ready to serve the ravioli. The ravioli will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I personally think they taste the freshest in the first 1-2 months.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO STORE COOKED RAVIOLI?
If you have leftover cooked ravioli, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy no more than 1-2 days after cooking, either cold or reheated with a little water, broth or in the butter mushroom sauce.
LOOKING FOR MORE INDULGENT PASTA RECIPES TO COZY UP WITH THIS SEASON?
Here are a few more of my favorites-
BRAISED SHORT RIBS + MUSHROOM SAUCE WITH PAPPARDELLE- As indulgent as these ravioli, and with very similar flavors, but with a lot less effort
PROSCUITTO, SUN-DRIED TOMATO + BURRATA LASAGNA- cozy, indulgent and perfect for a group
SPICY VODKA SAUCE FUSILLI- a cozy classic and for good reason, you just can’t go wrong with it
CHICKEN PARMESAN- another classic; pair it with the spicy fusilli for the ultimate cozy comfort night in
ONE PAN CHICKEN PARM MEATBALL + BURRATA BAKE- for something simple enough for a weeknight meal but indulgent enough for special occasins
Short Rib Ravioli
Serves 4 (Makes Approximately 48 Ravioli)
SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
Ingredients
- 4 short ribs (1 1/2-2 pounds)
- Kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons Calabrian Chili paste or red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you want)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- A large handful of fresh thyme sprigs
- 16 ounces mushrooms of your choice (I usually use baby bella), sliced
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- A large handful of fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 cups of short rib meat
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons bread crumbs (either plain or Italian-style is fine)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 the mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of short rib cooking liquid
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 2 cups flour (00 pasta flour or all-purpose flour)
- 2 eggs
- A generous pinch of salt
- 5-6 tablespoons water
- Fresh grated parmesan cheese
- Minced fresh parsley and/or basil
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and set aside.
- In a large dutch oven, or oven-safe pot, set over medium high heat add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the garlic, stirring and sautéing just until it starts to brown, about 1 minute. Then add in the short ribs in a single layer. Braise for 5-6 minutes per side, then flip, until they’re crispy and brown on all sides.
- Begin preheating your oven to 325 degrees.
- Then lower the heat of the pot to medium-low, before carefully deglazing the pan with the broth. Once the bubbling slows, add in the wine, Worcestershire sauce, chilis or pepper flakes, tomato paste and a generous sprinkle of salt. Stir until the mixture is combine and the tomato paste has dissolved into the sauce. Allow to simmer for 8-10 more minutes. Top with the thyme, cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven for 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bones. Be sure to check on the meat every so often, stirring as needed, and adding a splash or two more of broth, if necessary, to ensure there’s always enough liquid for the meat to cook in.
- Once the meat is done, remove the bones, any fatty pieces and the thyme. I then like to use either tongs or a fork to shred the meat and mix into the sauce. At this point, if there is extra liquid to cook down, I like to place the pan on medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. If there isn’t enough sauce with the meat, I’ll add in extra beef broth, about 1 cup at a time, cooking it down over medium heat, until I feel like there is enough sauce with the meat. Remove the meat from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it’s hot, add the mushrooms, salt and thyme. Sauté 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and golden and the butter has browned. Set aside.
- To make the filling, in the bowl of a food processor, add 2 cups of short rib meat, the ricotta, the 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 of the sautéed mushrooms, the short rib cooking liquid and 1/2 cup fresh parsley. Pulse 10-15 times, just until the mixture is formed together. You don’t want it so pureed that it’s like baby food mush, you still want to be able to see some small pieces of parsley and mushrooms. Set aside.
- Prepare your pasta dough. Mix together the flour, eggs, salt and water, and knead until the dough comes together. Use a pasta machine, set to the widest setting (I use the Kitchenaid attachment and have mine set to #5 for this) to roll the dough into flat sheets. You should end up with 8 sheets total. However, because the dough dries quickly, I like to work in batches, rolling each sheet as I need it.
- Roll one sheet of pasta dough out. Lay it out across the ravioli pan. Fill each hole with about 1 teaspoon of filling. Then roll out the next pasta sheet. Cover the top of the ravioli. Using a small wooden rolling pin to go back and forth across the pan a few times, with medium-weight pressure, to seal and cut the ravioli. Remove and place the ravioli on a lightly flour or cornmeal dusted surface and cover loosely with a slightly damp lightweight kitchen towel (you can also loosely cover with plastic wrap if you prefer). Repeat the process until all dough and filling has been used up.
- Meanwhile, place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add in the ravioli (you can do it all at once or in batches if you prefer). Cook the ravioli for 5-6 minutes, or until they float to the top. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to ensure they don’t stick together. Heat up the remaining mushrooms and butter. Plate the ravioli, then top with the mushrooms and browned butter, and any additional toppings you desire. Enjoy!
Notes
YOU CAN WATCH ME MAKE THESE OVER ON INSTAGRAM!
This recipe is definitely a bit involved and time consuming so there are a few tricks and tips to make it easier and make it work for you, from prepping things in advance to making things ahead of time and more. Here are a few notes, tips and best practices-
IF YOU PREFER SHORT RIB RAVIOLI WITH CREAMY SAUCE
Make the mushrooms as directed, but after you remove the portion for the filling, and just before you’re ready to serve, mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the mushrooms. You can also add a splash of broth or white wine, if you like. Cook for 1-2 minutes, just until heated through, then spoon over the cooked ravioli.
CAN YOU MAKE THE RAVIOLI IN ADVANCE?
Yes and no. If you’re making them in advance, I recommend freezing them (more on this below) until you’re ready to cook them. Otherwise, the pasta dries out too much and they ravioli will then have a tendency to fall apart while they’re cooking. However, you can make the short ribs, and even the filling, in advance.
HOW TO MAKE THE SHORT RIBS IN ADVANCE
You can make the short ribs 1-3 days in advance. I make the recipe up to the point where I shred the meat and add it back into the sauce, then allow the meat and sauce mixture to cool. Place the lid back on the pan, and pop the pan straight into the refrigerator. Then, once you’re ready to use the meat, remove the pan, add in a little liquid (water or broth) and either place it back into the oven or on a medium heat burner for about 120-30 minutes, or until the liquid is de-solidified and the meat is warmed through and you can easily shred it.
Alternatively, I’ll transfer the meat and sauce to a container, store it in the refrigerator, then add it back to a pan to reheat when I’m ready to use it.
HOW TO MAKE THE SHORT RIBS IN AN INSTANT POT
If you’d prefer to make the short ribs in the instant pot, follow the instructions up to the point of placing the pan in the oven, using the instant pot instead of a dutch oven. First, set your instant pot to saute, the heat the olive oil, saute the garlic and braise the short ribs, just as you would in the dutch oven. Then deglaze with the liquid and add the remaining ingredients. Then cover the pot, turn the setting to either slow cook, bake or roast (I usually do slow cook) and the heat to low and cook for 3 hours or until the meat falls off the bones. The only difference I notice is that sometimes the sauce doesn’t cook down quite as much as I like so, once I’m done cooking the short ribs, I transfer the liquid it to a skillet or saucepan and cook it down on the stove, over medium low heat.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER FILLING
Feel free to make more pasta dough and turn it into more ravioli OR mix it into scrambled eggs, enjoy it on top of mashed potatoes, polenta or pasta. The filling will keep up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and can easily be reheated in skillet, adding a little water or broth, if needed.
CAN YOU FREEZE THE RAVIOLI?
Yes! Make them up to the step where you dust them with flour or cornmeal. Then, instead of covering with a towel, lay them out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for about 10-15 minutes, or until they’ve hardened. Then place them into a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze until ready to use. They can be tossed into boiling water straight from the freezer. They’ll just take a few minutes longer to cook. Also, if you’re planning to freeze the ravioli and not serve them right away, only make half the mushroom mixture (the half you need for the filling), then make the remaining half when you’re ready to serve the ravioli. The ravioli will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I personally think they taste the freshest in the first 1-2 months.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO STORE COOKED RAVIOLI?
If you have leftover cooked ravioli, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy no more than 1-2 days after cooking, either cold or reheated with a little water, broth or in the butter mushroom sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
1062Fat
58 gSat. Fat
28 gCarbs
73 gFiber
6 gNet carbs
68 gSugar
8 gProtein
52 gSodium
2980 mgCholesterol
254 mgThis information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Although we attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates and come from online calculators. Variations may occur due to substitutions used, food preparation, freshness of ingredients and product availability, among other factors.You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
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