This easy recipe for red wine short ribs is the perfect comfort food for a lazy weekend or a lush holiday dinner! Veggies and ribs cook long and low for an amazing flavor that will have them clamoring for seconds and thirds.
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Why we love this recipe
Ah, these red wine short ribs! They are the perfect, hearty, easy way to make one of the best and fanciest beef stews ever.
In addition to all the other wonderful things about this recipe, it also gives me a chance to use up those bottles of red wine that I seem to accumulate. (How does that happen?)
Because yep, after you sear the short ribs and saute up some veggies, you are going to pour in a full bottle of red wine along with a few other ingredients, and then take a cozy nap while this supper cooks itself into tender deliciousness in your oven.
It’s equally perfect for a lazy weekend supper or a luxurious holiday supper. Let’s give it a whirl!
What are short ribs?
Unlike the smaller ribs you use for barbecue, short ribs are from the area where chuck steak comes from. The bone is shorter and thicker and has a generous amount of chuck steak attached.
Short ribs come in both bone-in and boneless varieties. We like the boneless version for this recipe, but you can use either one (you will need more if you use the bone-in version to get the same amount of meat).
Ingredients you need to make this recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Short Ribs: Short ribs come in both boneless and bone-in varieties. We prefer boneless ribs, but both will work just fine in this recipe. You will need a larger amount of bone-in ribs to get the same amount of meat.
- Red Wine: We like to use Pinot Noir for this recipe, but any dry full bodied red wine will work. We’ve tried it with Cabernet and it was scrumptious!
- Cream: We’ve noted the cream as optional in the recipe, but there were tears in our eyes as we wrote that…the cream adds just the perfect amount of silky texture. But if you need to go dairy-free, you can leave it out.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Season your short ribs with salt and pepper. Pour some olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over high heat and sear them until they are nice and browned. Scoop them out and set them aside.
Step 2: Add some chopped onion, carrots and celery to the drippings and stir it all around for about five minutes. Stir in some tomato pasta and flour.
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Step 3: Here comes the most satisfying part! Pour in a bottle of red wine, add the seared ribs and let the whole thing simmer over medium low for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add some fresh thyme, some garlic and a little chicken broth to the pot. Cover the pot and pop it in a 350 oven for two and a half hours. Take a nap. When the ribs are done, stir in a little cream.
PRO TIP: After the ribs are done cooking, if you want the sauce to be a little thicker, whisk in a little Wondra flour. Wondra is a super-fine version of flour that dissolves instantly and is perfect for thickening up sauces and gravies.
When it’s done, you can either serve it up as is, or if you want to die from short rib happiness, you can spoon it over brown butter mashed potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! You will more ribs to get the same amount of meat since you have the bone in there, so about 5 pounds should do it.
I usually try and say yes to this question for recipes, but in this case…nope. The red wine is essential to the flavor.
As with most stews and soups, this one gets Even Better if it sits around (in the fridge please) for a day…the flavors intensify even more! Bring it to room temperature when you are ready for it, and slowly heat it up over medium high heat.
Drop it in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
While we would always pick mashed potatoes to serve with these ribs, you also can’t go wrong ladling them over grits or pasta.
And in keeping with the theme, you really do need to have some red wine hot chocolate for dessert!
Other short rib recipes we love
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Red Wine Short Ribs
This easy recipe for red wine short ribs is the perfect comfort food for a lazy fall weekend! Veggies and ribs cook long and low for an amazing flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless short ribs (or 5 pounds bone-in short ribs)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 standard size bottle Cabernet or other dry red wine
- 1/4 cup fresh thyme
- 1 head garlic, cut in half cross-wise
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream (optional but oh so good!)
Instructions
- Season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot over medium high and brown ribs on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and celery to pot and cook in drippings, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and stir for another minute.
- Pour in red wine and return ribs to pot. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Add thyme and garlic and chicken broth to pot and bring to a simmer. Put the covered pot in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours until short ribs are tender.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are using the cream, stir it in now.
- Ladle ribs and veggies into warmed bowls and drizzle a generous amount of sauce over the top.
Notes
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- Short Ribs: Short ribs come in both boneless and bone-in varieties. We prefer boneless ribs, but both will work just fine in this recipe. You will need a larger amount of bone-in ribs to get the same amount of meat.
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- Red Wine: We like to use Pinot Noir for this recipe, but any dry full bodied red wine will work. We’ve tried it with Cabernet and it was scrumptious!
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- Cream: We’ve noted the cream as optional in the recipe, but there were tears in our eyes as we wrote that…the cream adds just the perfect amount of silky texture. But if you need to go dairy-free, you can leave it out.
Holly says
This meal was super easy and made me feel warm inside and out. Love the rich flavor of the sauce!
Hi Holly and hurray! I’m so glad you loved it as much as we do!
B says
Absolutely delicious! One of my all-time favourite recipes. Absolute winner in my house (especially with the cream added at the end!)
I’m so glad! And yes, cream always makes things just a little bit better! :)
Amanda says
This looks amazing and we have a โcold frontโ coming in to Florida this week so Iโm making it!! Have you ever made this in an instant pot or know what a good suggestion for time to set it on might be? Just making sure I donโt run out of time scheduling in 3 hours on a week night. Thanks
Hi Amanda! I actually haven’t made this recipe in the Instant Pot, but I did a little looking around and this link looks pretty close to my recipe and is designed for the Instant Pot. Hopefully this will work for you and stay warm!! https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-short-ribs/
Amanda says
Thank you!!
Kristen Kemp says
Good morning! I’m just learning about wines. Would you be able to suggest a couple specific wines that would be good in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Kristen! You can’t go wrong with any red wine in this recipe, but I tend to go for a stronger tasting one like a Cabernet or a Malbec when I am cooking this up. I hope this helps and happy cooking! :)
Kristen Kemp says
Fabulous, thank you for the reply! I have a bottle of Morgon and a few other reds, though not certain what the others are. I’ll take a look and decide! Again, my thanks!
My pleasure – hope you love this recipe as much as we do! :)
Dina says
SO SO good! I can not recommend this recipe enough ?
Dina! Thank you so much – you made my day! :) :)
Cody says
This has become my favorite recipe for winter Sunday family dinners. Thank you so much! Your recipe is so simple and easy to follow, and yet somehow my family thinks I am an amazing cook when I make it.
Thanks Cody – and clearly you ARE an amazing cook! :) :)
Hana says
Hi! This looks delish! Is there a dairy alternative I can use instead of cream, like almond or oat milk? Or should I just leave it out? Thanks!
Hi Hana! The cream is totally optional, so it’s fine to leave it out. Although I’m guessing almond milk would work just fine – the cream just adds a little depth to the sauce. :)
Cathy Tibbles says
This doesn’t look like a huge amount – am I right? I think I would double for a family meal of 4 -5 adults?
Hi Cathy! This is a rich dish, so I think it should be just fine for that amount, unless your lucky diners are super hungry! (And if you have leftovers, that’s not a bad thing!) :)
Jennifer Zolo says
This dish was perfection! Such a warm, hearty meal. Perfect on a fall day.
Jennifer! I’m so glad you liked it. Isn’t it great when fall recipe season comes around? :)
Beth says
I have made this before and Hubs and I love it! My question is would it change the cooking time if I added chopped up potatoes? Have you ever added potatoes to this recipe?
Hi Beth and sorry for the delayed response – my daughter got MARRIED last weekend and we are just now coming up for air! I don’t love potatoes in stews, but I am sure they would come out just fine without changing the cooking time. I would use baby potatoes and cut them in half. I’m so happy you love this recipe – it’s one of our faves too! :)
Hayley says
Hi! What size (quarts) would you recommend for a Dutch oven for this recipe?
Hi Hayley! I make this recipe in a 5.5 quart Dutch oven – here’s the exact one I have: https://amzn.to/2D5APba – hope this helps!