For those special occasions, this short rib ravioli made with fresh pasta tossed in a delicious red wine sauce is the choice.
When it comes to pasta, there are so many options - from rigatoni carbonara to pasta alla salmone to pasta alla Norcina to rigatoni arrabbiata to carrot pasta.
But when it comes to pasta dishes, to me there isn't much better than homemade ravioli. Yes it might be a little more labor intensive but it is so worth it in the end.
Why This Recipe Works
- Fun to make - Making homemade pasta might be some extra work but it's not only fun but satisfying to prepare. Your kids will love to help prepare it.
- Flavors - Short rib meat is known for its rich, savory flavor and tenderness. When used as a filling for ravioli, it imparts a deep, meaty taste that pairs perfectly with pasta and red wine sauce.
- Utilizes leftovers - I personally like to use leftover short ribs for this ravioli, but you are welcome to make some specifically for it. I personally use my sous vide short ribs recipe.
- Make-ahead - It may sound strange but you can actually prepare the ravioli ahead of time and freeze and then boil when ready to use.
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Ingredients Notes
- Pasta - You can make your own pasta dough using flour, eggs, olive oil and a bit of salt, or you can use store-bought fresh pasta sheets. Homemade pasta allows for customization and control over the thickness and texture, but high-quality store-bought options work well too, saving you time and effort.
- Short ribs - I mentioned before that I utilize leftover short ribs here. While you can make some specifically for the dish, you want at least 1 lb once you shred it.
- Cheese - You can't have ravioli without some ricotta but Parmesan adds a bit of saltiness to the filling as well.
- Butter - A small amount of butter is used to sauté the aromatics and create a silky texture in the sauce.
- Aromatics - Shallots and garlic are essential for building flavor in your red wine sauce. Finely chop or mince these ingredients to ensure they evenly distribute their flavors.
- Tomato paste - Imparts a rich, deep, and robust tomato taste, enhancing the overall flavor profile of the sauce.
- Red wine - Choose a good-quality red wine for your sauce. Ideally, it should be a wine you would enjoy drinking, as the flavor of the wine will be a prominent element in the sauce. Classic choices include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir, but you can select a wine that complements the dish you're serving the sauce with.
- Balsamic vinegar - Helps balance the acidity and adds umami flavor to the sauce.
- Beef broth - Broth is used as a base for red wine sauces to add depth and richness.
- Thyme - Adds an earthy, slightly citrus finishing touch to the dish.
Ingredient Swaps
While this recipe is pretty perfect, you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I like homemade pasta, you can use wonton wrappers instead.
- Ricotta cheese is best for the filling but you can also use cottage or goat cheese.
- If you don't have shallots, sweet, white, yellow, or red onions will work too. They all high slightly different flavors.
- I think the classic red wine sauce complements the ravioli but other options include a creamy mushroom sauce, sun-dried tomato pesto or brown butter and sage sauce.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
While homemade pasta isn't necessary for this short rib ravioli, it makes a difference. I use Anne Burrell's pasta dough.
To create your pasta dough, begin by placing the flour on a clean surface and forming a well large enough to hold the eggs, olive oil, salt, and water.
Gradually beat the wet mixture, incorporating the surrounding flour. As it thickens, transition to using your hands until the dough begins to come together.
Knead it for 10-15 minutes until it becomes velvety and smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for an hour.
When ready, take a quarter of the dough, flatten it, and set your pasta machine to the widest setting (usually "1"). Run the dough through, fold it in thirds, and repeat. Progress through settings 1 to 5 to achieve your final pasta dough.
Make the short rib filling and set aside. Flour pasta mold and place sheet on top. Add filling to wells. Moisten edges, place second sheet on top. Seal with rolling pin and release ravioli from mold.
Now star preparing the sauce by sautéing the shallots and garlic in a pan with butter before adding the tomato paste.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and balsamic vinegar before letting simmer for a few minutes. Add the broth and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining butter and season to taste.
Boil the ravioli until it floats and spoon the sauce over top.
FAQs
Short ribs are fairly time consuming to begin with but also produce plenty of leftovers. I like to just pull straight out of the freezer or use after the first meal because making the pasta takes time too.
I mentioned my sous vide recipe earlier but you can also try these smoked short ribs.
No, but it’s so worth the time it takes to make for this short rib ravioli. Believe me I was scared the first time I made it, but it’s surprisingly easy!
If however you don’t want to make dough, then just use the wonton wrapper method. You can use wonton wrappers and place the filling in before sealing it and boiling.
Yes you can roll out the dough by hand with a rolling pin, although a pasta machine can make the process quicker and more consistent.
To seal homemade ravioli, use a little water or egg wash along the edges of the pasta dough before placing the top layer of dough over the filling. Press down firmly to seal, removing any air pockets.
You also don't want to overfill.
Once you've assembled the ravioli, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook, boil for an additional 1-2 minutes than the cooking time for fresh pasta or until the ravioli is floating.
Side Dish Options
Short rib ravioli is a pretty rich dish, so I prefer to have some veggies. Some options include:
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted carrots and green beans
- Grilled zucchini
- Parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts
- Maple roasted carrots
Equipment
Especially with this recipe, you need to have the right equipment. What is needed includes:
- Pasta maker - I prefer the attachment to a Kitchen Aid mixer but you can look at other options. Pasta can also be made without this but is much more labor intensive.
- Ravioli mold - Helps create uniform ravioli.
- Rolling pin - Needed to press together the pasta sheets into the mold.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the filling. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Avoid overfilling the ravioli to ensure proper sealing.
- Use a ravioli mold to get consistently sized ravioli.
- Dust your ravioli with flour to prevent sticking. Lay them on a floured surface or parchment paper until you're ready to cook them.
- You know the ravioli is done when it floats. Don't overcook it or the ravioli will fall apart and the filling will come out.
Other Pasta Recipes
If you’ve tried this short rib ravioli recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Short Rib Ravioli
Ingredients
Fresh Pasta Dough
- 1 lb all-purpose flour
- 4 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Short Rib Filling
- 1 lb leftover short ribs, shredded
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Fresh Pasta Dough
- Put the flour on a clean dry work surface. Make a hole in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide. The wall needs to be about 2 inches high. Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt.
- Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over the board. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture where it won’t go everywhere, start to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands.
- When the mixture has really come together, then you really start kneading. You will have to knead for 10-15 minutes, really putting your weight into it.When the dough is done, it will be smooth and velvety. Once a good consistency, wrap in saran wrap and let sit for 1 hour. Once the filling is ready, set up the pasta machine attachment on the stand mixer. Take a quarter of the dough and flatten it.
- Once the filling is ready, set up the pasta machine attachment on the stand mixer. Grab 1 ball of the dough and flatten it. Dust the dough with flour. Set the pasta machine to 1 and run the dough through. Fold the dough into thirds, making sure you thin in out again. Run through the machine, short end first. Fold into thirds again and run through the machine one more time. Now run through the 1 setting without folding the dough ahead of time. Switch to the 2nd setting and roll the dough through the machine again. Switch to the 3rd setting, run the dough through, then the 4th setting and then the 5th setting. The big thing is to make sure you flour the dough if it gets too sticky.
- Now heavily flour your pasta mold, otherwise it will stick when done. Lay one sheet of pasta on the mold and either use an egg to make a well or the plastic piece that comes with the mold to make the wells. Take 1 tablespoon of the filling and place it in each well. Use your fingers or a brush to dab some water along all of the edges of the ravioli. Lay a second sheet on top and run over with a rolling pin to seal. (Don't press too hard, other wise it could stick to mold) Turn mold over to release the ravioli. More than likely they won't be fully separated so use a pizza cutter to cut the rest. Line the ravioli on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat until all the ravioli is prepared.
Short Rib Filling
- In a large bowl, add the short ribs, ricotta and Parmesan, mixing to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning and set aside.
Sauce
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil for ravioli.
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the shallot, cooking for 2 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking another 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the red wine and balsamic vinegar and bring it to a gentle boil. Simmer for a few minutes, allowing the alcohol to evaporate and the wine to reduce slightly.
- Add the broth and thyme to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens to your desired consistency. Stir occasionally. Add the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil the ravioli for about 1-2 minutes or until the float. Remove ravioli and stir in the sauce. Top with some additional cheese and herbs if desired.
Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the filling. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Avoid overfilling the ravioli to ensure proper sealing.
- Use a ravioli mold to get consistently sized ravioli.
- Dust your ravioli with flour to prevent sticking. Lay them on a floured surface or parchment paper until you're ready to cook them.
- You know the ravioli is done when it floats. Don't overcook it or the ravioli will fall apart and the filling will come out.
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