I first tasted beef short ribs at Olive Garden in their Braised Beef & Tortelloni dish. Ever since, I wanted to recreate that rich, comforting plate at home. Over the years I experimented with recipes, made slow-cooker red wine–braised short ribs, and finally adapted a version to mimic Olive Garden’s braised beef with tortelloni and a basil-marsala cream sauce.
To simplify the process I used the slow cooker. After braising, I removed the meat to rest, strained the liquid, separated the fat, then reduced the sauce on the stove. I finished it with sautéed portobello mushrooms and half a cup of heavy cream for a silky, flavorful marsala cream sauce.
The result was fantastic. Store-bought cheese tortelloni worked perfectly, and for anyone who prefers a different pasta—fettuccine pairs nicely as well. Serve with garlic bread or buttery rolls for an indulgent Italian comfort meal.
Carefully remove the short rib meat from the bones. Stand the rib upright to get the maximum amount of meat off the bone.
Microwaving the bones briefly helps release flavor; place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Brown the short ribs in batches to build a deep sear and flavor.
Place the browned meat on top of the bones in the slow cooker.
Sauté the vegetables until softened and scrape the bottom of the pan to capture browned bits.
Deglaze with marsala and reduce to concentrate flavor before adding tomatoes and other liquids.
Pour the wine-and-vegetable sauce over the short ribs in the slow cooker, add broth and bay leaves, then braise until fall-apart tender.
Using a fat separator makes removing excess fat from the braising liquid quick and easy, leaving a cleaner, richer sauce.
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Tortelloni in a Marsala Cream Sauce (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in short ribs, meat and bones separated
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, chopped medium
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups marsala cooking wine
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 large portobello mushrooms, remove gills, cut into quarters and sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 9 oz. package of refrigerated cheese tortelloni
Instructions
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Place beef bones in a microwavable dish and microwave 10–12 minutes, then add to the slow cooker.
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Pat short rib meat dry, season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. In batches, brown short ribs 7–10 minutes per side and add them to the slow cooker on top of the bones.
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Add garlic, onion, carrot, thyme, and basil to the pot and cook over medium-high until the onion is translucent, about 4–6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute.
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Whisk in marsala and balsamic, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce about 5 minutes to cook off alcohol, add drained tomatoes and simmer 2–3 minutes. Pour this sauce into the slow cooker.
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Add chicken broth and bay leaves, stir, cover and cook 9–11 hours on low or 5–7 hours on high, until meat is very tender.
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Transfer short ribs to a platter and tent loosely with foil. Rest 15–20 minutes before shredding or slicing.
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Strain the braising liquid through a fine strainer into a fat separator. Discard solids and remove fat.
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Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms 4–5 minutes until browned; set aside.
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Bring the reserved, defatted braising liquid to a simmer in the skillet and reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook tortelloni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions.
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Reduce heat to low, add mushrooms, half the diced tomatoes, and heavy cream. Simmer 4–5 minutes to thicken, then keep warm. Serve sauce over cooked tortelloni and garnish with remaining diced tomatoes.
Notes
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Disclosure: Olive Garden is not affiliated with this recipe and the post includes an affiliate link.