Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs With Tomato Sauce

By
Jessica Harlan
Jessica Harlan
Freelance food writer, trained chef, and kitchen equipment expert Jessica Harlan has written eight cookbooks on topics such as quinoa and ramen.
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Updated on 12/1/21
Beef Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

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Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 7 hrs
Total Time: 7 hrs 25 mins
Total: 14 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 6 servings

It's so easy to make tender, succulent beef short ribs in the slow cooker. This recipe for beef short ribs includes button mushrooms, carrot chunks, and a thick tomato sauce. They're a particularly hearty meal served atop a mound of homey smashed potatoes. It's not essential to brown the short ribs in the broiler first, but doing so adds depth to the flavor of this dish.

Cooking equipment needed: Kitchen scale, vegetable peeler, chef's knife, cutting board, measuring cups, measuring spoons, broiler pan or baking sheet, 6-quart slow cooker, mixing bowl, ladle.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 6 to 8 chunks

  • 1 dash kosher salt

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 8 ounces baby button mushrooms, wiped clean and halved

  • 1/3 cup minced shallots

  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice

  • 6 ounces tomato paste

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, or 1 teaspoon maple syrup

  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

  • Buttered egg noodles, or mashed potatoes, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Place an oven rack about 6 inches under the heat source and preheat the broiler. Place the short ribs on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil. When the oven is hot, brown the short ribs under the broiler, turning ribs until each side is evenly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes total.

  2. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large (6-quart) slow cooker crock, place the carrots, mushrooms and shallots, toss with a spoon to combine. Place the short ribs on top of vegetables.

  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar or maple syrup, and cider vinegar. Pour the tomato mixture evenly over ribs. Cover and set the slow cooker to high. After 1 hour, reduce the slow cooker setting to low (Alternatively, set the slow cooker to low setting and leave on low for the entire time). If possible, check after 3 or 4 hours to make sure that short ribs are submerged in the tomato mixture.

  4. Cook for 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours. Short ribs are done when meat is tender and easily pulls or falls off the bone. Turn the slow cooker off, let sit 5 minutes, then carefully remove as much fat from the surface as possible with a spoon. To serve, ladle a piece of beef, along with carrots and mushrooms and tomato sauce, onto a bed of smashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles.

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat-resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Note: If you have leftovers, you can make it into a delicious ragu for pasta. Just pull all the meat off the bone and shred it. If the sauce is too thin, add a few tablespoons of tomato sauce or tomato paste as you're heating it; serve it tossed with store-bought or homemade pasta, such as tagliatelle or pappardelle and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
825 Calories
53g Fat
29g Carbs
63g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 825
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 53g 67%
Saturated Fat 23g 115%
Cholesterol 235mg 78%
Sodium 420mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 7g 26%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 63g
Vitamin C 28mg 140%
Calcium 121mg 9%
Iron 9mg 51%
Potassium 1454mg 31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)