
These rich and delicious Beef Shank Ravioli with Zinfandel Red Wine Reduction are worth the time and effort. They have an absolutely wonderful taste that reminds us of our trip to Northern Italy. This is one of those recipes that will absolutely WOW anyone you make it for and tastes like it should be on a fancy restaurant menu.
Red Wine Braised Beef Shanks
The beef shanks are first braised for a few hours in red wine before creating the filling. You could make the beef shanks for a stand alone meal if you want to as well, but we take the extra step to make these into ravioli.
Another option is to make the braised beef shanks for dinner one night then take the leftovers and make the ravioli filling from there. But if you decide to do this recipe beginning to end for the ravioli, you may have extra filling depending on the size of the beef shanks that you are able to find. Beef shanks are generally on the large side, but that is OK, the filling is not terribly difficult to make, but it is time consuming. Once it is made, use what you need and freeze the rest for future use.
We prefer beef shanks in this recipe over short ribs. This is because the shanks have an extraordinarily beefy flavor without being as fatty as short ribs. But beef short ribs are outstanding in this recipe if you'd like to explore that option.

Zinfandel Red Wine Reduction
This sauce requires patience. Trust us on this one. Sure, you could reduce the sauce on medium or even higher heat and it would finish faster, but the flavors will not have a chance to develop as much and the sauce simply won’t be as good. Period.
The key to this sauce is to allow the wine to reduce slowly over about 30 minutes until there are only a few tablespoons, then add the stock, strain and reduce again until it thickens to the desired consistency. Then mounting the reduction with butter creates a luscious and rich sauce that is perfect to drizzle over the ravioli.
Once the sauce is done, you’ll be so happy you took the extra time to make it perfect! And generally, we are assuming that anyone who makes this lengthy ravioli recipe likely isn't too concerned about 30 minute meals. This is a weekend project type of recipe, but it is completely worth every minute!
Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Beef Shank Ravioli with Zinfandel Red Wine Reduction. If you give it a try, leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!

Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out!
- Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce
- Beer Braised Short Ribs
- Mushroom Ragù with Parmesan Polenta
- Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Ragù
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