Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
with mashed potatoes / mixed greens salad
This meal feels like something you'd order at a restaurant, but thanks to a long braise in the slow-cooker it can be done on a weeknight.
Smarts: Bone-in short ribs feel worthy of a special occasion which is why we are using them in this Valentine's Day recipe, but cubed beef sirloin or even beef stew meat will work as a substitute.
Ingredients
- Onions, medium - 1, chopped
- Carrots - 8 oz, chopped
- Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
- Beef, bone-in short ribs - 1 1/2 lbs (sub boneless shortribs or cubed beef sirloin or beef stew meat)
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Stock, low-sodium beef - 1 cup (sub any low-sodium stock)
- Wine, red - 1 cup (sub stock)
- Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
- Thyme, fresh - 4 sprigs
- Bay leaves (opt) - 2
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/4 tsp
- Cornstarch - 1 Tbsp
- Water - 3 Tbsp
- Potatoes, russet - 1 lb, peeled and cubed
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 2 Tbsp
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
- Bell peppers, any color - 1/2, thinly sliced
- Vinegar, balsamic - 1 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
- Mixed greens - 5 oz
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Carrots / Garlic - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Slow-cook short ribs - Season short ribs with some salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then short ribs to heated oil. Sear short ribs on all sides until brown, ~8 minutes total. Transfer short ribs to the bowl of a slow-cooker. Add onions, carrots, garlic, stock, wine, tomato paste, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and red pepper flakes to slow-cooker. Cover and cook until meat is very tender and falling off the bone, 7 to 8 hours on low (4 to 5 hours on high). (Note: If you prefer not to use a slow-cooker, you can also prepare the short ribs using a combination of the stovetop / oven. Sear short ribs in cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to a 350F / 177C oven. Cook, covered, until rib meat is tender and falling off the bone, 2 ½ to 3 hours.)
- Bell peppers - Thinly slice peppers. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Potatoes - Peel and cube. Soak in water if not using right away to prevent them from turning brown. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make
- About 20 minutes before serving, take the lid off the slow-cooker. Whisk cornstarch into water and pour over ribs. Stir gently (the short ribs will be very tender, but we like to keep the bones inside them for serving). Turn slow-cooker on high, put the lid back on and allow the ribs to continue cooking until you are ready to serve.
- While ribs finish cooking, place potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water and some salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes until potatoes can be easily pierced by a knife. Drain and let sit in a colander for ~5 minutes to let the steam escape (this creates creamier potatoes vs. liquidy potatoes).
- Use a masher to mash steamed potatoes with yogurt and butter. Season to taste with some salt and pepper.
- Whisk together vinegar, mustard and honey. Add olive oil while whisking. Toss bell peppers and mixed greens in vinaigrette.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove short ribs and vegetables from slow cooker. Serve over mashed potatoes with some of the cooking liquid spooned over top. Enjoy salad on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
52 reviews
I’ve made this several times since subscribing and I like it but after reading the comments about using other cuts of beef I wanted to try that so here’s what I did today. Short ribs are pretty fatty so I made two batches, one with ribs and one with chunks of lean beef cut from a roast. I seared all the meat with a few tablespoons of water rather than oil then dabbed it with paper towel to get rid of as much of the remaining grease as possible. From there I proceeded, making both dishes in Dutch ovens rather than a slow cooker. I added extra garlic to both, turnip to the ribs, and rutabaga to the other. I think this is a good tasting dish. Yes, if the meat is not treated properly it might turn out too greasy but that can be minimized. I really think extra garlic helps the flavor.
0 HelpfulI made boneless short ribs in instant pot for 35 minutes, they turned out great. The mashed potatoes weren't creamy at all for me. Ended up using milk to make them creamy.
0 HelpfulI used stew meat, per the recommendations. It was fine -- basic comfort food, meat and potatoes. Nothing special. That being said, meat was tender in slow cooker and I liked the simple mashed potatoes (used greek yogurt). Used stock instead of red wine (because I didn't have any on hand!)
0 Helpfulturns out I didn't have short ribs like I thought, but I did have a chuck roast. Red wine and beef is just so delicious. I added some roasted asparagus.
0 Helpful