Beef Short Rib Lasagna

When it comes to comfort food, lasagna is undoubtedly at the top of the list. But what if we took this Italian classic and elevated it with rich, tender braised beef short ribs? This version of lasagna is the perfect blend of deep, slow-cooked flavors and creamy, cheesy goodness, making it an unforgettable dish for special occasions or a cozy weekend meal.

The Magic of Braised Short Ribs

Beef short ribs are one of those cuts that transform into something truly magical when cooked low and slow. Braising them in a robust red wine and tomato sauce allows the meat to become incredibly tender while infusing the sauce with an intense depth of flavor. The result? A luscious, melt-in-your-mouth filling that takes this lasagna to another level.

What will you need?

For the short rib ragu

• beef short ribs
• salt
• black pepper
• yellow onion
• celery
• carrot
• garlic
• tomato paste
• red wine
• thyme
• rosemary
• bay leaf
• beef stock
• avocado oil
• pancetta, bacon also works
• strained or crushed tomatoes
• parmesan rind (optional)

For the pasta

You can use store bought if you do not want to make your own pasta.

• flour
• eggs

For the bechamel sauce

• unsalted butter
• flour
• whole milk
• freshly grated nutmeg

For garnish

• parmesan cheese
• grated mozzarella cheese
• fresh parsley

How to make beef short rib lasagna

Start by seasoning the short ribs with salt on all sides. Sear them in a large pot or Dutch oven with some oil until a crust forms on all sides. Remove from the pot and add in the pancetta or bacon. Cook until crispy and remove.

Lower the heat and add in the soffritto. A soffritto is a flavor base of sauteed carrots, celery, and onion. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and sauté. Once softened, add in the garlic.

Now add in the tomato paste and cook out before adding in the wine. Let the alcohol burn off and then add in the beef stock and strained tomatoes. Add back in the bacon and nestle in the short ribs to the sauce. Tie some thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf together and add it to the pot. Optionally add in a parmesan rind. Cover with a cartouche and place in the oven until the meat is fall off the bone tender. A cartouche is a parchment paper lid or “false lid” used to cover stews, sauces, or soups, helping to trap steam, reduce evaporation, and prevent a skin from forming on the surface. It is made by using parchment paper, folded and cut to fit the size of the pot. You can also just cover the pot with a lid and you will be just fine.

Once the meat is tender, remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and parmesan rind. The remove the bones from the ribs and shred the meat. Mix the meat in with the sauce to form a ragu. If the sauce is too thin, you can bring to a simmer and let reduce.

Now lets make the bechamel sauce. Melt some butter in a pot then whisk in some flour. Once the flour is fully incorporated and a paste forms, take off the heat and slowly mix in the milk. Once all the milk is mixed in and smooth, bring to a simmer and add a pinch of salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool while you make the pasta.

If you do not want to make homemade pasta, you can skip this part. Make a well in the center of a mound of flour and pour in your eggs. Start whisking he eggs using a fork. Slowly incorporate the flour until the dough is thick enough to handle with your hands. Use your hands to kneed the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and bounces back. Form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and cut into for equal parts. Dust your work surface with flour. Start by rolling one part out with a rolling pin to fit the width of your pasta machine. Pass the dough through the largest (thickest) setting two times. Continue passing the dough through the pasta machine, reducing the size by one each pass until the pasta sheet is slightly translucent.

Trim the pasta sheets to fit your 9×9 inch baking pan. When finished, place the lasagna noodles onto your parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper so they don’t dry out. Repeat to roll and cut the remaining 3 pieces of pasta dough.

Add 2 lasagna noodles into a pot of boiling, salted water. Boil for 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to wash the starch off to halt the cooking process. Place onto clean kitchen towels, separated, to dry.

Now lets assemble the lasagna. Spoon a thin layer of the ragu on the bottom of the baking pan. Then drizzle and spread some of the bechamel sauce over followed by some freshly grated parmesan. Add a layer of the pasta noodles over. Spread another layer of the ragu over the noodles. Drizzle and spread some bechamel sauce followed by grated parmesan. Repeat this process until you have enough layers of noodles, ragu, and bechamel to fill the entire pan from bottom to top. The top layer of the lasagna should consist of ragu, bechamel, parmesan and topped with shredded mozzarella. Place in the oven until the top layer is nice and golden. Remove from the oven and let rest before topping with fresh parsley.