Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto are tender slow cooker braised beef short ribs served over creamy mushroom risotto. This is a flavorful, comforting dish that the whole family will love!
There’s comfort food, and then there’s comfort food. I can tell you right now that these Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto is my idea of the ultimate comfort food.
Beef short ribs are a luxury for me…they’re something I truly love. I don’t make them very often, so when I do, they’re always special. And when I go out to eat, if they’re on the menu, I’m more than likely going to order them.
This dish was inspired by a short rib risotto that I ordered at a restaurant long ago, and I’m so happy that I was able to re-create one of my favorite dishes.
I love risotto as much as I love short ribs, so combining the two is heaven on a plate for me. You can make it the classic way as outlined in the recipe card, or make my Instant Pot risotto or baked risotto!
This beef short rib risotto recipe is special to me because it includes two of my favorite foods and it contains California grown beef and produce. I’ve lived in California all of my life, and I do everything I can to support my home state and eat locally grown California meat and produce.
I jumped at the chance to drive awareness to Cultivate California where you can see the importance of California agriculture, as well as examples of water-saving initiatives that are being put into practice due to one of the worst droughts in California history.
California farmers and ranchers play a critical role in growing delicious, healthy, and affordable foods locally and across the U.S. In fact, over half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables for the U.S. are grown in California.
Because of the serious drought California is in at the moment, farmers and ranchers are consistently looking at innovative ways to use water responsibly to keep up with the demand for fresh food. It’s a difficult job, but they’re committed to using water efficiently and responsibly.
For my dish, I chose California grass-fed beef short ribs, mushrooms, pearl onions, and garlic.
Grass-fed beef is a must for me, because grass is what cows were meant to eat. It’s more costly, but I simply eat less.
I used my favorite cremini mushrooms because they have an even meatier flavor than regular button mushrooms. And as for the garlic, I always add garlic to my dishes. Always!
I chose pearl onions because as they cook in the slow cooker with the ribs, they become so tender and caramelized, and add so much to this dish!
I know peeling a whole bag of these little onions isn’t ideal, but if it wasn’t entirely worth it, I wouldn’t do it. Plus, you can blanch them in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds and the peel slips right off. If you’d rather not mess with them, you can slice one or two yellow onions and place them on the bottom of your slow cooker.
How to make slow cooker beef short ribs
- The short ribs are browned on the stove top prior to slow cooking, and this step shouldn’t be skipped. The ribs get nice and caramelized, and that’s where a lot of the flavor comes in.
- After browning, deglaze the pan with some dry sherry and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and pour them right into your slow cooker. This step adds another great layer of flavor!
- If you don’t have dry sherry on hand, you could use bourbon, vermouth, or simply skip the alcohol altogether and use the beef stock.
- The ribs will take several hours to cook, and the risotto only takes about 30 minutes. When your ribs are tender, it’s risotto go time — you definitely don’t want to make this ahead. All of your ingredients can be prepped and ready to go so it will come together very quickly!
I used a combination of white wine and chicken stock in the risotto, which may sound strange since it’s paired with beef short ribs. The flavors all work together (I promise!), but you can use whatever type of liquid(s) you prefer.
Again, if you’d rather not cook with wine, omit it and add water or more chicken stock in its place.
Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto are tender, falling off the bone short ribs over creamy risotto with caramelized onions and meaty mushrooms. This, my friends, is what the ultimate comfort food looks like, and I can’t wait to make it again.
In a dinner rut? See all of my Dinner recipes.
More beef recipes you’ll love:
- Beef bourguignon
- Ground beef tacos
- Guinness beef chili
- How to grill burgers
- How to pan sear steak
- Instant pot beef short ribs
- Instant pot Irish beef stew
- Korean braised beef short ribs by From a Chef’s Kitchen
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
For the short ribs:
- 3-3 1/2 lbs. beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dry sherry*
- 4 cups beef stock
- 10 ounces pearl onions peeled*
- 3 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 1 bay leaf
For the risotto:
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot peeled and chopped
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
Prepare the short ribs:
- Season the short ribs generously with salt and pepper, and allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour if possible.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough short ribs to fill the pan and brown each side about 2 minutes or until golden and caramelized (if the meat doesn’t release easily from the pan easily, it’s not ready to be turned). Repeat until all of the short ribs have been browned, and place in the slow cooker and set aside.
- Degrease the skillet and add the dry sherry, scraping up the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes, and add to the slow cooker.
- Add the beef stock, peeled onions, garlic, and bay leaf to the slow cooker, and turn on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until the meat is very tender.
Prepare the risotto:
- Place the chicken stock and water in a medium sauce pan and heat over medium heat until simmering.
- Heat the olive oil in a separate medium saucepan or saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms have softened and the liquid has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. Add the arborio rice and toast in the pan, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds.
- Add the white wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the wine until it has reduced by half , about 2 minutes, then add 1 cup of the warm stock mixture. Stir the risotto occasionally, and repeat adding another cup of the stock mixture when the liquid has almost been absorbed. When all of the stock has been added and the risotto is tender, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Strain the short ribs and pearl onions from the slow cooker and serve over the risotto. Garnish with chopped parsley, if using, and enjoy!
Notes
- *The easiest way to peel pearl onions is by blanching them in a pot of boiling water for 30-45 seconds. Drain under cold running water, and carefully peel off the skins. There’s some work involved here, but the tiny, caramelized pearl onions are completely worth the effort! You can always substitute the pearl onions with a sliced yellow onion — simply place the slices on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- *The dry sherry adds another layer of flavor that I love. If you don’t have any on hand, simply deglaze the pan with some of the beef stock and add it to the slow cooker.
- The risotto should not be made until the short ribs are tender, but if you’re ingredients are all prepped ahead, it will come together in a breeze!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
99 Comments on “Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto”
This is definitely my definition of pure comfort food! This reminds of a dish that I always order at my favorite restaurant. There’s just something about risotto and mushrooms that go so perfectly together! Love this, Marcie!
Risotto pretty much has to have mushrooms in it for me! 🙂 Thanks, Gayle!
I’m a recent convert to beef short ribs! I made them for the first time ever at school a few weeks ago and I immediately fell completely in love! It’s the fall-apart tender texture—SO good! I’m definitely adding your recipe to my must-make list along with that GORGEOUS risotto! This whole dish is just screaming my name!
The first time I made short ribs was in school too — it must be a school thang! 🙂 I love making them every now and then and they were so good with this risotto! Thanks, Sarah, and have a great rest of the week!
What a delicious meal! I really need to cook short ribs more often. They have the most amazing flavor!
Thank you, Christin! They really do have amazing flavor, and I have no idea why I don’t make them more often. 🙂
Risotto sounds so good right now. It’s been a long time since I’ve had some. And those short ribs look perfectly melt in your mouth tender!
Thank you, Jen! Risotto comes together so quickly — I need to make it at home more often!
Marcie,
Now, this is comfort food!!!!! I love beef short ribs and this mushroom risotto looks amazing!!!!!
Thank you, Alice! This truly is the ultimate comfort food for me — it doesn’t get much better! 🙂
Love short ribs….great recipe. Thanks.
Thank you, Mary! 🙂
So yum! Rice dishes are always my absolute favorite, and I just made a risotto this week 🙂
I love rice dishes, too! Sounds like we’re on the same wavelength this week. 🙂
Swoooon – I’m totally with you, if short ribs are on the menu, I’m definitely ordering them! They’re one of my favorites, and paired with risotto?! Perfection 🙂 I’m coming over for dinner!!
Come on over, Rachel — I need to cook up another batch! 🙂
Thank you, Dannii! I always thought risotto was so hard but thank goodness it’s so easy — it’s a pretty quick dinner, too!
Oh wow, ultimate comfort food indeed, Marcie! I love short ribs and risotto, so this dish is totally screaming my name… and saying stop drooling and devour me now! So much deliciousness on one plate! Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend and Happy St. Patty’s Day!
P.S. So cool you are promoting California agriculture! If I didn’t live across the country I’d join you. 😉
Happy St. Patty’s Day to you, too, and thank you for the nice compliment! I’d love to down a plate of this with you! 🙂
I can’t imagine what life would be like without California’s agriculture. Being able to live here and have direct access to such quality food has been a blessing! You know I’m not much for beef but I love how creamy that risotto looks. And the mushrooms are plenty beefy enough for me! 😉
The short ribs were a bit of a splurge for me and honestly on normal days I’m fine with just the risotto with plenty of beefy mushrooms! Thanks, Sarah!
You took two of my ultimate comfort foods and combined them! I would be in heaven enjoying this … especially with a glass of wine! 🙂 And I’m the same way now with the grass fed beef only … I’d rather eat way less of it and spend the money to really be able to enjoy it when I do!
Oh yes…we can’t forget the wine! Grass fed beef is so much better, so yes to eating less and paying more — it’s totally worth it! Thanks, Ashley, and hope you had a great St. Patty’s Day!
I don’t eat beef anymore, but I think my hubby would fall in love with me all over again if I made him this! Sounds awesome!
Thank you, Abbe! This made the men in my house VERY happy. 🙂
This is some awesome looking risotto, Marcie. This sounds so flavorful and would be perfect for any weeknight meal .
I don’t even care what my sweetheart thinks we’re having for dinner. I officially will not be happy until I have this dish in my mouth.
I hope you get to make some soon! 🙂
The perfect comfort food! Love how short ribs are paired with risotto, I’ve had a similar dish at a restaurant and can’t wait to try your recipe! I totally agree about buying local! Awesome dish Marcie!
Eating like this is such a luxury when I do! Thanks Mira and I hope you get to try it soon!
Oh this is so so comforting. I have made rissotto a whopping one time and it was a failure so I’ve never gone back. This will am,e me want to attempt again.
The first time I made risotto I forgot to heat up the stock before adding it which resulted in an epic fail (AKA crunch rice). 🙁 I hope you try again, Z — you got this! 🙂
This looks so hearty and delicious!
It really was — thanks, Laura!
That’s a great initiative the California farmers are doing – water usage is something we should all be more aware of! This dish looks off-the-chain delicious!!
I totally agree! Thank you so much, Jamie! 🙂
This is the ULTIMATE comfort dish! Looks so good Marcie!
Thank you, Deb — it really was! 🙂
Marcie! This looks absolutely incredible!!! I love risotto but this really makes it so much better!
Thank you, Cathy! Tender short ribs were one great way to jazz up risotto!
There is a restaurant here in Chicago called Cooper’s Hawk that has this dish. You’re recipe was the closest to their dish! 2 things I did different… 1. 1 cup of beef stock added with the chicken stock and water. 2. I added in about 1 cup of the broth from the short ribs. I had also cooked whole mushrooms with the short ribs, and took those out and put them in the risotto.
Thank you so much for your feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish! I really love the idea of cooking whole mushrooms with the short ribs — I’ll have to try that!
Is there a way to make this without using a slow cooker?
Hi, Alicia! Yes, you can do the entire thing on the stove top in a Dutch Oven. Follow the instructions all the way to Step 4 preparing the short ribs and simply turn the heat down to medium low and cover, OR cook at 325 degrees in the oven covered. Cook until tender for 3 – 3 1/2 hours.
Didn’t see that anyone else asked but do you think this can be done with boneless short ribs? What might you do differently?
Hello — the ribs will still take just as long to cook, so there’s really nothing that you would need to do differently. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you! I’m excited to try this over the weekend 🙂
The short ribs are currently cooking in my crock pot now and my house smells incredible! Do you use bone-in or boneless short ribs? I purchased bone-in at the store for added flavor.
Hi Ashleigh! I always use bone-in to get more flavor. I hope you enjoy the ribs! 🙂
Time saver tip is to use frozen pearl onions. No blanching, no peeling and same great taste. I get mine at Whole foods z
I’ve never thought to use frozen pearl onions — great idea!
THANK you for a short ribs recipe that didn’t involve cooking in red wine. Not that I dislike red wine, mind you, but I don’t like cooking with it. But this recipe…Ermagherd. SO freaking delicious. And thank you so much for the fantastic directions on cooking the risotto. I have NEVER had risotto turn out correctly and this did! My risotto confidence is boosted and I am not ashamed any longer. 🙂
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it!! Can you tell me what size slow cooker you used? We have a smaller one – 3 1/2 quarts, and so I just want to make sure I’m adjusting the measurements accordingly.
Mine is a 6-quart. I hope you enjoy the short ribs Chelsea!
Thank you! 🙂
This was delicious! Hubby and I both LOVED it! I read in the comments that someone used the braising liquid in the crockpot in the risotto to replace a bit of the chicken stock. Great idea and can’t wait to try that next time. I too am trying my best to replicate Cooper’s Hawks Short Rib Risotto. The thing I did differently than the recipe was to drizzle with a small amount of truffle oil over the top. It was perfect! Can’t wait to make it again!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this meal Kelly and the truffle oil sounds amazing! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback! 🙂
I made this last night and my guests think I am the best cook ever! It was so easy and delicious!!!
Hi Meg! I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a success for you! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This looks amazing!! I am excited to cook this for some friends and family later this week. A few little questions for you.. are the ribs served bone-in? If so, is it best to cut the ribs into smaller pieces before searing, or after? And if so what size? Or, do you shred the short ribs as is kind of pictured? Thank you in advance, and more importantly for sharing such a lovely recipe!
Hello! Either way is fine really. I hope you enjoy this!
It doesn’t look like the ribs are plated with the bone, do you shred the beef and then put it back in the juices for a bit or remove the bone upon plating? If I’m having a small dinner party is there a way to make the risotto ahead and keep warm?
Hi Lisa! You can certainly plate with the bone — I’ve gone to restaurants that serve them this way and I never mind at all. Risotto is one of those things that’s best served right away unfortunately. I do have an Instant pot or pressure cooker risotto recipe that’s hands off (no stirring!), so that would be ideal. You can search my site for risotto.
I made it tonight. Everyone loved it. I added a garlic powder to taste and salt. Which in my opinion improved the flavor on top of the garlic already in it.
Thank you for your feedback Mary, and I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! And adding more garlic is always a good thing!
Hi!! Do you have the modified version for an instant pot?
Hi Jennifer! I have two instant pot risotto recipes and one pressure cooker short rib recipe that you could follow if you like. I will get around to updating this in the future for sure.
Made this tonight, it was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!☺️
I’m so glad you loved this Alli! This is a favorite of ours!
Such a delicious meal! I had a meal at a restaurant With pork cheeks and mushroom risotto and was looking for a similar recipe to make at home. I stumbled upon your recipe and now it has become a favorite, so thank you for sharing!!
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me Raquel, and I’m really glad to hear that you love this recipe! This dish is a favorite of mine. 🙂
I was meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time and they came over to our house, and I offered to cook dinner and made this for them with some asparagus on the side. It was a huge hit – thanks so much!
Thank you for sharing your feedback Gabby, and I’m so glad that this was a hit!
Absolutely LOVED this! My first time eating short ribs and I must say, they were excellent! I’m not a big meat eater, I truly don’t like the taste, but these were very tasty!! I did as one reviewer suggested, and added 1 cup of the juices from the slow cooker to the risotto. I’d also never had risotto before and I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms (it’s a texture thing) but… OMWoW!!! It was delicious (I did cut the mushrooms up into little pieces – due to said texture thing… lol) A truly outstanding dish! The only reason we won’t be eating this regularly is due to the cost, but I believe it’ll be my go to for special occasions!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this dish Marti! Thanks for the feedback, and I agree that the cost does make this a special occasion dish. 🙂
“turn on low for 7-8 hours or low [sic] for 4-5 hours”
Undoubtedly, you mean HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
You are right. I just modified the recipe and thanks for letting me know about my error. 🙂
This dish is absolutely delicious. I have made it several times. It’s like the recipe I order from one of my favorite restaurants. Just perfect.
I’m so glad you feel that way about this recipe LaShaunda! Thanks for the rating and for taking the time to leave your feedback. 🙂
Have you found it makes a difference if you do then on high vs low? I’ve made them on low once before and they were amazing. I want to make these again for my in-laws when they come to visit, but we’ll have to eat later than I think they will want to eat if I do them on low. So want to make sure it won’t make a difference if I do them on high.
Hi Crystal! I’ve found low and slow to be best…high can result in short ribs that’s aren’t as tender. You could easily make them the day before and warm them in the crockpot on low the day you plan to serve them as they only taste better the next day.
Thank you so much! That’s a great idea! Making them the day before would actually be easier for me.
Enjoy!
Is there a way to use the liquid from the crockpot?
You could use it as gravy. Remove on everything from the slow cooker, then add a cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons cornstarch plus same amount of water) and stir. Cook on high in the slow cooker until thickened, stirring often.
Excellent recipe!! I followed instructions exactly… except I added like double Parmesan in the risotto lol. Turned out perfect.
I’m so glad this worked out for you — thanks for letting me know!
This is one of the best risotto’s my family and I have ever eaten. 5 stars hands down and we will be making this again in the near future !
Thank you for the feedback Jillian…I’m so happy that you loved this recipe!
Is there a cooking time difference between ribs with bones vs. boneless?
Thanks
Boneless should take less time…I suggest checking for doneness after 20 minutes and go from there.
20 minutes? That doesn’t seem like nearly long enough. FYI we cooked them @ 250 for 7 hours and they are not completely tender. No problem though, per your earlier comment we will finish cooking and eat today.
My apologies Rick — I was on my phone and misread the recipe completely. I thought it was my instant pot ribs! I’d love to hear how long your boneless short ribs took…I would assume they’d finish up a bit sooner than bone-in.
Opps, I understand. The boneless ribs took about 9 hours over 2 days and were wonderful. Your earlier suggestion to partially cook and then reheat worked great. No stress to get them done the same day. Thanks
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback Rick!
Wow! Can’t rave about this enough. It was better than a quality restaurant meal but so easy!! Will definitely be making this again
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I can’t wait to make this! It reminds me of a short ribs and farro recipe I made a few years ago. Since I started a gluten free diet I can no longer eat farro. I’m sure the mushroom risotto will be a delicious substitute. Thanks so much!
I love farro as well but don’t eat it as often since I watch my gluten intake. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes — I hope you enjoy it!