• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Pasta Project logo

  • Home
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Pasta Types
  • Italy's Regions
  • About
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Pasta Types
  • Italy's Regions
  • About Me
  • SHOP
×
Home » Recipes » Meat Pasta Recipes

Published: May 21, 2019 · Modified: Aug 25, 2022 by Jacqui

Italian Braised Pork Ribs with Pasta.


Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The best pork short ribs ever!

Italian braised pork ribs with pasta is a classic dish enjoyed throughout Italy. This particular pork short ribs recipe comes from Emilia-Romagna. The ribs are cooked in a tomato sauce until succulent and fall off the bone tender.

Traditionally, this dish is served on Sundays and holidays as two courses. But, you can also make it into two meals or eat it as a one plate dish!

Italian braised pork ribs with pasta

Elicoidali pasta con costine di maiale.

Like many nationalities, Italians love to eat grilled pork ribs. However, their favourite way to cook ribs is braised in a rich tomato sauce. In fact, you can find variations of this recipe throughout Italy. Traditionally, like other similar slow-cooked meat pasta recipes, this Italian braised pork ribs is served as 2 courses. 

Italian braised pork ribs with pasta

Cook once eat twice!

I say 2 courses because Italians usually eat pasta as a first course or ‘primo’ on Sundays, holidays and special occasions (sometimes 2 or 3 different pasta dishes!). The pasta is then followed by a main course of meat or fish.

ingredients for braised pork short ribs on white plate
Step 1 Gather your ingredients

In Central and Southern Italy in particular, there are many recipes in which cuts of meat are slow cooked in a sauce (usually tomato based). The sauce is then used as a pasta condiment and the meat eaten as the main course. This is actually how most Italians eat meatballs (not the pasta and meatballs together).

pork ribs rubbed with seasalt on white plate. Finely chopped onion, carrot and celery in white bowl.
Step 2 Prepare the ingredients

You can find links to other similar recipes at the end of this post. I often prefer to use this type of dish for 2 meals! I love these cook once eat twice recipes! You can use these recipes on 2 consecutive days or freeze the sauce for another day.

Different versions of Italian braised pork ribs.

This recipe for Italian braised pork ribs with pasta comes from Emilia- Romagna. However, there are very similar recipes in other parts of the country. In Tuscany, they use pork ribs called ‘rosticciana’. These have been grilled first.

pork ribs browning in olive oil in Dutch oven
Step 3 Brown the pork ribs in some olive oil.

In Calabria as well as Campania, you are more likely to find basil, garlic and/or peperoncino in the sauce rather than onions, celery and carrots. I also added peperoncino to satisfy my Sicilian hubby’s love for a bit of spice. But, it’s optional. Some people add pancetta or sausages to their braised pork ribs as well.

chopped onion, carrot and celery with small tomatoes and a bay leaf in Dutch oven.
Step 4 Remove the pork ribs from the pan and add the onion, carrot and celery,. Sauté for a minute then add small tomatoes, chilli pepper and bay leaf.

The pasta.

In Emilia-Romagna, the pasta for this braised pork ribs recipe is often garganelli, little pasta tubes made by rolling squares of egg pasta dough around a stick and over a ridged board. You can read more about this pasta in my garganelli post.

Dried elicoidali pasta from Rummo

I used elicoidali, a medium sized pasta tube with spiraling ridges on the outside. Elicoidali are very similar to rigatoni or tortiglioni.  Grooved pasta tubes are great for chunky sauces like in this braised pork ribs recipe. The sauce sticks to the grooved surface and even gets inside each piece of pasta!  I bought elicoidali made by Rummo, a company in Campania. Their pasta is very good quality and widely available outside of Italy.

Pork ribs in Dutch oven with vegetables, tomato passata/pulp and bay leaf.
Step 5 Put the pork ribs back in the pot. Add white wine. When alcohol has evaporated add the tomato paasata or pulp.

Making this Italian braised pork ribs with pasta.

This recipe takes between 2 and 2.5 hours to make, so not a week night option for most of us. However, The sauce actually tastes better made in advance so you can make it the day before or in the morning. 

Ready braised pork ribs in sauce in Dutch oven.
Step 6 Mix everything together and simmer the short ribs and sauce covered for about 2 hours.

Like the Italians, you can remove most of the short ribs and a little sauce from the pot and serve them as a main course or the next day. These braised pork ribs are so delicious with mashed potato and a lot of Italians also eat them with polenta.

Italian braised pork ribs with tomato sauce in large oval white dish.
Step 7 Remove the ribs and some of the sauce from the pot. Remove the meat from 3-4 ribs and add to the sauce.

Whether you serve these Italian braised pork ribs with pasta or something else, I’m sure you are going to love this dish. The sauce is rich and full of flavour and the meat just falls off the bone. Despite the slightly long cooking time, this is a pretty easy recipe to make! It's also the best pork short ribs recipe ever!

Italian short rib pasta in white bowl
Step 8 Cook the pasta and mix it with the sauce. The rest of the ribs can be your main course or another meal!

If you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon appetito!

Save this recipe for later?

If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

Other traditional recipes that can be 2 courses or 2 meals.

  1. Orecchiette with braciole (beef rolls) recipe from Puglia
  2. Corzetti pasta with Genovese meat sauce recipe from Liguria
  3. Maltagliati pasta with braised veal and onions recipe from Sicily
Italian braised pork ribs with pasta

Italian Braised Pork Ribs with Pasta

Jacqui
This classic Italian Sunday lunch recipe is made with pork ribs cooked in a rich tomato sauce until the meat is succulent and tender. Traditionally, this dish is divided into 2 courses but you can make 2 meals out of it. Cook once eat twice! 
5 from 43 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Central Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Italian
Servings 4
Calories 897 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 320 g elicoidali pasta tubes (11oz) or rigatoni, tortiglioni, penne etc
  • 800 g pork ribs (28 oz) in or off bone
  • 1-2 carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 1-2 celery stalks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ chili pepper (peperoncino) optional
  • 350 g tomato passata or chopped peeled tomatoes (11oz)
  • 8-10 cherry tomatoes
  • ½ glass dry white wine (or red if you prefer)
  • 1 cup beef or chicken stock if required
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 4-5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Trim some fat off the ribs and cut them in half. Most of mine didn’t have a hard bone. You can ask your butcher to do this or look for boneless ribs. Rub the ribs with some sea salt.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and finely chop the celery and carrots. Wash the cherry tomatoes. If using, chop the chili pepper into small pieces. Remove most the seeds so it’s less spicy!
  • Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan and brown the ribs. Remove and set aside. You may need to do this in batches. 
  • Add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Don’t let them burn. Add more olive oil if necessary. 
  • Add the bay leaf, chili pepper and cherry tomatoes mix together and cook for a minute. Then add the browned pork ribs. Pour in the wine and turn up the heat so the alcohol evaporates. 
  • Now pour in the tomato passata/chopped peeled tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything together and reduce the heat.
  • Cook the sauce covered over a lowish heat for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender and easy to remove from the bone. Exact cooking time depends on the size of your ribs. Check them after 90 minutes. Add some water or stock if the sauce reduces too much. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes is the sauce is too liquidy.
  • Put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
  • When the braised ribs are ready remove them from the sauce. Strip the meat from 3-4 and put back into the sauce. Keep the rest of the ribs with some sauce for another meal or course. You can serve them with potatoes or polenta. 
  • Alternatively you can strip the meat from all the ribs and eat with the pasta or serve the pasta and sauce with whole ribs! 
  • When the pasta is ready drain and add to the sauce. Mix together well and serve immediately. If you like, you can add chopped parsley or grated Parmigiano before serving!
Prevent your screen from going dark

Notes

I prefer the pork ribs to be shorter. If I can only find long ones with a bone, I get the butcher to cut them in half or I buy boneless ribs. But you can keep longer bone-in ribs intact if you prefer.
This recipe can be made with any ridged pasta tube such as rigatoni, penne rigate, tortiglioni, maccheroni etc

Nutrition

Calories: 897kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 36gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 279mgPotassium: 1199mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3167IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 5mg
Keyword braised pork ribs, Italian recipe, pasta recipe, pork ragu, pork rib ragu, pork ribs,, Sunday sauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Pin for Later
Italian braised pork ribs with pasta

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of my autumn/winter pasta recipes cookbook!?


More Meat Pasta Recipes

  • Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham.
    Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham.
  • Pasta alla Genovese recipe (beef and onion ragù)
  • Rigatoni pasta with shallots and guanciale.
    Easy Rigatoni Pasta Recipe with Shallots and Guanciale
  • Homemade garganelli pasta with sausage ragu.
    Homemade garganelli pasta with sausage ragu recipe.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 43 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Tell us what you think Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Jeffrey Howard Brown says

    December 06, 2024 at 12:01 am

    Delicious and easy to make. Takes time, but it's well worth it.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      December 07, 2024 at 11:55 am

      Thanks for your comment Jeffrey. I agree this is a delicious and easy to make recipe even though a little time consuming. I make it for Sunday lunch. It's always a hit!

      Reply
  2. JC says

    June 19, 2024 at 8:49 pm

    My whole family loved this. Will be making again and again!

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    June 19, 2024 at 2:35 pm

    I got some pork ribs today and made this. So delicious! And easier than I would have thought. I'll have to get your fall/winter cookbook and try out some more recipes. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Claudia-Cristina says

    June 18, 2024 at 9:31 pm

    Tried the Italian Braised Pork Ribs with Pasta – absolutely delicious! The flavors are incredible and the meat was so tender. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!

    Reply
  5. Gloria says

    June 18, 2024 at 3:13 pm

    No need for fancy meals. These rustic, made from the heart dinners win hands down. So good!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Close up of Jacqui

Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

More about me →

TOP ITALIAN FOOD BLOG

3rd place in Top 50 Italian Food Blogs Awards by Feedspot

Italian Food Blogs

FEATURED IN

A few website logos showing where the pasta project has been featured in: Insider, Wikipedia, Food52, Buzzfeed, The Guardian, Parade

FOLLOW ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

VISIT MY SHOP

Shop Icon

In my weekly newsletters, I write about my life in Italy, Italian places, traditions and culture, as well as other foods not just pasta! As a Pasta Project subscriber you'll also get a FREE recipe e-book series! Plus links to the latest recipes and posts.

So, sign up now and get the first recipe e-books to download!

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Legal Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Web Stories

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Contact

  • Copyright & Disclaimer/ Terms of Use

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 The Pasta Project

Italian braised pork ribs with pasta
Italian braised pork ribs with pasta

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.