Beef Short Ribs with Lemon Parmesan Pasta
This is one of those dinners that tastes like I fussed over it all day, but it really comes together in a couple of easy moves. I marinate the short ribs in tomato paste and a big Cajun-leaning seasoning mix, brown them off, then let them braise low and slow in the oven while I build a creamy Parmesan sauce on the stove. The lemon pepper at the end is what makes it pop — it cuts through all that richness and keeps every bite bright. Pile the tender short ribs over the pasta and you've got something special.
I say it right at the top of this video: I'm dropping some longer content for you guys — and the dish earns the runtime. The short ribs take a full hour in the oven at 350, and there's a whole creamy Parmesan sauce to build while they're in there. If I'm moving fast on camera, don't sweat it — like I say in the video, I got you.
The trick worth stealing is how the marinade gets built: tomato paste loosened with olive oil first, then the ribs, then the seasonings over the top, and one more drizzle of oil to blend it all in, so every rib hits the hot skillet fully coated. Make this on a night you want dinner to eat like a weekend cook — once the ribs are wrapped up in the oven, that hour belongs to the noodles and the sauce.
Watch me make it — video from my YouTube channel
The recipe
Beef Short Ribs with Lemon Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- tomato paste, enough to coat the short ribs (for the marinade — I keep the exact seasoning amounts in the video's description box)
- olive oil, a couple of drizzles (for the marinade — one mixed into the paste, a little more over the seasoned ribs)
- beef short ribs (use what fits your skillet for browning)
- paprika, to taste
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- cumin, to taste
- oregano, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, to taste
- about 1 tablespoon olive oil (for browning the short ribs)
- about 1/2 cup beef broth
- rigatoni (cook as much as you like — if there's more noodles than sauce, just add more cream)
- 1 tablespoon butter (for the sauce)
- garlic, minced, chopped, or sliced
- onions
- mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (for the sauce)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (depending on how creamy you want it)
- garlic powder, to taste (for the sauce)
- salt, to taste (for the sauce)
- onion powder, to taste (for the sauce)
- Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, to taste (for the sauce)
- about 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- Parmesan cheese, to taste (fresh preferred)
- garnishes, to taste
How to Make It
- Add tomato paste to a bowl, drizzle in some olive oil, and mix it in well.
- Add the short ribs to the bowl.
- Season the short ribs with paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and Slap Ya Mama.
- Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top to help blend the seasonings in.
- Mix until the short ribs are well coated.
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the short ribs in the hot skillet and brown them on each side until each rib is browned all around (just browning, not cooking through — they finish in the oven).
- Transfer the short ribs to a glass baking dish.
- Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to the pan.
- Cover the pan and bake at 350°F for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles for about 9 to 12 minutes.
- Drain the noodles and shock them in cold water, then set aside while you make the sauce.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet and mix it in well.
- Add the garlic and onions and sauté them down well.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and blend it in until the paste and vegetables are well combined, a couple of minutes.
- Pour in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, depending on how creamy you want it.
- Season with garlic powder, salt, onion powder, Slap Ya Mama, and about 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper.
- Stir to combine and bring the sauce to a bubble.
- Once the sauce starts to thicken, stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Add the noodles back to the pot and toss to coat (add more cream if there isn't enough sauce for the noodles).
- Pull the short ribs from the oven after the hour and chop them down to your desired size.
- Place the chopped short ribs on top of the pasta and mix in.
- Add your garnishes and serve.
Curtis's Tips
- You don't have to mince the garlic — I just chop it, slice it, or mince it. It's up to you.
- Heavy cream is flexible: a cup to a cup and a half depending on how creamy you want it and how many noodles you have. Sometimes you just underestimate, so start with a cup and add more.
- If there isn't enough sauce compared to the noodles, just add more cream.
- For the oven, use a cast iron skillet, or whatever oven-safe pan you've got is fine.
- Go easy on the lemon pepper — about a teaspoon, because it's pretty spicy. You can use regular Cajun seasoning instead if you'd rather, and be careful with the Slap Ya Mama too.
- Use fresh Parmesan if you can — the packaged stuff works, but fresh Parmesan melts a lot better.
- Brown the short ribs only — we're not cooking them all the way through, just getting them brown on each side.
- Chop the short ribs as small or as large as you like before adding them to the pasta.
Why this works
Browning the short ribs isn't cooking them — I say it plainly in the video: we're just getting them brown on each side. The real work happens in the covered pan, where about a half cup of beef broth and an hour at 350 take them to where they chop right down over the finished pasta. The noodles get boiled, shocked in cold water, and set aside while the sauce comes together, then go back in once it's ready. The cream range is a built-in fix too: a cup to a cup and a half, because sometimes you just underestimate the noodles.
- Tomato paste — pulls double duty: worked into the ribs with the olive oil at the start, then a tablespoon blended into the sautéed garlic, onions, and mushrooms before the cream goes in.
FAQ
Do you use heavy cream or half-and-half?
Heavy cream in this one — a cup to a cup and a half, depending on how creamy you want it and how many noodles you're saucing. That range is on purpose — sometimes you just underestimate — so start with a cup and add more if there isn't enough sauce for your noodles.
Why is my sauce too thin?
Look at the timing right before the cheese goes in. On camera I bring the sauce to a bubble and let it start to condense before the Parmesan hits the pot — hold yours at that same point before you add your cheese. Fresh Parmesan also melts a lot better than the packaged kind, so go fresh if you can.
Do I have to mince the garlic?
No — mince it, chop it, or slice it; it's up to you. I just chopped and sliced mine. Either way it sautés down in the butter with the onions before the mushrooms go in.
How spicy does this turn out?
You control that with two ingredients. The lemon pepper is the one I flag on camera — about a teaspoon, and it's pretty spicy, so swap in regular Cajun seasoning if you'd rather. The Slap Ya Mama shows up twice, on the ribs and in the sauce, and I tell you to be careful with that one.
Where are the exact seasoning amounts?
The full ingredient list sits right above on this page. In the video I say it up front: the seasonings and instructions live in the description box, and don't worry if I'm moving too fast — I got you. The rib coat itself I season by eye on camera, so treat the paprika, cumin, oregano, and the rest as to-taste.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 6 servings): ~710 calories · 30 g protein · 44 g fat · 49 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
