The slow cooker most often gets used for humble, everyday dishes like chicken soup, pot roast or chili. But it can also produce elegant dishes like this one. The recipe below takes beef short ribs and slow braises them in a rich gravy of wine and beef broth. And it gets even better with a surprising add-in — gnocchi cooked right in the slow cooker along with the meat.
This recipe turns the chunky beef ribs into a hearty ragu that would be right at home over tender noodles but is even better over plump potato gnocchi. And by cooking the gnocchi right in the slow cooker along with the stew, they soak up all that delicious flavor. This is one of those fantastic dishes that's easy enough for a weekday dinner but special enough for an elegant dinner party.
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Slow Cooker Braised Beef Short Ribs with Gnocchi
6
10minutes
9 hours
9 hours and 10 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 ½ cups dry red wine
2 cups beef broth
4-6 fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1 1-pound) package gnocchi
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook until they're browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
Transfer the browned short ribs to the slow cooker, and add the celery, carrots, onion, tomato paste, wine, broth, sage and bay leaves.
Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. The meat will be falling off the bone. Use a fork to pull the meat from the bones. Discard the bones.
Add the gnocchi to the pot, stir to coat and add the water. Cover again, and cook for 30 to 60 minutes more, until the gnocchi is tender.
