Italian-American · Noodles & Pasta
Braised Short Rib Lasagna with Italian Sausage
Serves 8 · Prep: 45 minutes · Cook: 4 hours · Rest: 30 minutes · Total: about 5 hours 15 minutes
Five layers of pasta with braised short rib and Italian sausage ragù, herbed ricotta, provolone, Parmesan, and fresh basil.
I don’t make short rib lasagna on a weeknight unless the beef is already cooked. The braise takes a few hours, although most of that time is just the pot sitting in the oven. Once the meat pulls apart, I stir it into a thick tomato sauce with browned Italian sausage, then layer it with ricotta and provolone.
The sauce is the part to watch. It should sit on a spoon instead of running off it. If it looks loose in the pot, keep simmering. That matters more than squeezing in another layer of cheese.
Ingredients
For the short rib and Italian sausage ragù
- 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 15-ounce can tomato puree
- 1 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 fresh basil sprigs
For the ricotta filling
- 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For assembling the lasagna
- 15 dried lasagna noodles, plus 2 extra in case any tear
- 8 ounces mild provolone, thinly sliced or freshly shredded
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- Olive oil, for the baking dish
- Fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 325°F.
- 2
Brown the short ribs
Pat the short ribs dry. Season them all over with the salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in two batches so the pieces have room around them. Give each side 3 to 4 minutes before turning it. Transfer the browned meat to a plate.
- 3
Brown the sausage
Lower the heat to medium. Add the Italian sausage and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned. Transfer it to a bowl. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pot. Spoon out anything beyond that.
- 4
Cook the vegetables
Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a small pinch of salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for another 2 minutes. The tomato paste should turn a darker brick red and start sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- 5
Braise the short ribs
Pour in the red wine. Scrape up everything stuck to the bottom of the pot and let the wine reduce by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, oregano, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and basil sprigs. Return the short ribs and sausage to the pot. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Braise for 2½ to 3 hours. The short ribs are ready when a fork slides in easily and the meat pulls apart without much effort.
- 6
Finish the ragù
Transfer the short ribs to a plate. Remove and discard the bay leaf and basil stems. Skim excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Shred the beef, discarding any large pieces of fat, then return it to the pot. Set the pot over medium heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 25 minutes. Drag a spoon across the bottom of the pot. The line should stay open for a second or two before the sauce moves back into place. You should have roughly 7 cups of thick ragù. Taste and add more salt if needed. Let the sauce cool for about 20 minutes before assembling the lasagna.
- 7
Prepare the noodles
Raise the oven temperature to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for about 2 minutes less than the package directions. They should be flexible but still quite firm. Drain the noodles and lay them flat on clean kitchen towels. Do not leave them in a pile or they will stick together.
- 8
Mix the ricotta filling
Stir together the ricotta, egg, ½ cup Parmesan, chopped basil, salt, and black pepper. If the ricotta looks watery when you open the container, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer before mixing. There is no reason to put that extra liquid into the lasagna.
- 9
Assemble the lasagna
Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread about ¾ cup of ragù across the bottom. Arrange three lasagna noodles over the sauce. Add one quarter of the ricotta mixture in small spoonfuls, then spread it gently. Top with 1¼ cups ragù, about 1½ ounces provolone, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat this order three more times: lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, ragù, provolone, and Parmesan. Finish with the final three noodles. Spread the remaining ragù over the top, making sure no dry pasta is exposed. Add the remaining provolone and Parmesan.
- 10
Bake
Place a sheet of parchment paper over the lasagna, then cover the dish tightly with foil. The parchment keeps the cheese from sticking to the foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and parchment, then bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling around the edges and the cheese should have browned in spots. For a darker top, broil the lasagna for 1 to 2 minutes at the end. Watch it closely.
- 11
Let it rest
Let the lasagna sit for at least 25 minutes before cutting it. It will still be hot, but the layers will have time to settle. Finish with torn fresh basil and a little more grated Parmesan.
Useful substitutions and shortcuts
Using chuck roast instead of short ribs
Use 2 pounds of boneless chuck roast cut into large pieces. Follow the recipe without changing the braising time. The flavor will be slightly less rich, but the texture is close enough that the substitution works.
Ground beef does not give you the same result. You lose the larger pieces of braised meat that make this lasagna different from a standard meat-sauce version.
The shortcut I would actually use
Brown the Italian sausage as directed. Add 3 cups of shredded cooked pot roast and two 24-ounce jars of good marinara. Simmer everything together for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick.
This replaces the short rib braise and gets the lasagna into the oven much sooner.
Using fresh pasta sheets
Use about 1 pound of fresh lasagna sheets, trimmed to fit the baking dish. Most fresh sheets can go directly into the lasagna without boiling. If they are unusually thick, blanch them for about 30 seconds first.
Using oven-ready lasagna noodles
Add ¾ cup additional beef stock to the finished ragù so the noodles have enough moisture to soften. Keep every noodle completely covered with sauce.
Bake the lasagna covered for 45 minutes instead of 30, then uncover and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes.
Making the lasagna ahead
The ragù can be made up to three days before assembling the lasagna. It is actually easier to remove the excess beef fat after the sauce has chilled.
The assembled lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake it directly from the refrigerator, adding about 15 minutes to the covered portion of the baking time.
Baking individual portions
Divide the ingredients among six small oven-safe gratin dishes. Break or trim the noodles to fit.
Bake the dishes covered for about 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
How to keep lasagna from becoming watery
Three things matter: reduce the ragù until it is noticeably thick; drain watery ricotta before mixing the filling; and let the finished lasagna rest before cutting it.
More cheese will not fix a loose sauce.
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