Giada De Laurentiis’ Updated Short Rib Ragu Is Now Made in a Slow Cooker

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

How do you improve upon perfection? If you’re , you get involved. The author and television star had already mastered her short rib ragu recipe, but perfectionists never sleep. So when De Laurentiis announced her updated recipe, which now includes San Marzano style tomatoes and is made in the slow cooker, we knew we’d have to give it a try.

Short rib is one of our favorite cuts of beef to slow cook. It’s full of fat and connective tissues that break down over a long cooking time, becoming succulent, tender, and juicy. But having a pot simmering on the stove top or in the oven for hours isn’t always ideal, which is why we love that recipe can be made with a slow cooker. We recommend using a multi-cooker like the or an Instant Pot that has a slow cooker function, so you can sear your meat and aromatics in the same pot they will be slow cooked in, saving you the extra dishes.

Adding complex and comforting flavor to the dish are red wine, parmesan rind, cocoa powder, and San Marzano style tomatoes. This offers up a blend of acidity, umami, earthiness, and sweetness that help balance the richness of the short ribs. But the real stunner in this dish is the finish.

That’s because, not only does De Laurentiis include cocoa powder in the slow cooker short rib ragu, but she also garnishes it with a microplane grating of . The depth of flavor this draws out of the ragu will stun you and your dinner guests, because who ever expects that sort of bold taste from a dish made in the slow cooker? But leave it to the queen of Italian cooking to find a way to take a classic recipe, make it in the slow cooker, and still have it taste just as good (if not better!) than the real thing.

Before you go, check out :

Watch: How to Make Giada De Laurentiis’ Stuffed Lasagna Rolls