Italian Pork Ribs Recipe

Italian Pork Ribs are the perfect inexpensive go-to meal for your family. Country-style pork ribs are braised in a tomato, onion, and garlic gravy. Serve over pasta for a simple meal that will stick to your ribs. It may seem like a lot of onions and garlic, but the cooking method brings out the sweetness of the onions and nutty flavor of the garlic. Most of the garlic and onion melt into the sauce. You’ll be amazed at the flavor of this dish, considering there are so few ingredients.

2 to 4 pounds country-style pork ribs, cut into 3- to 4-inch lengths
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
3 medium sweet onions, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rings
1 head (about 12 cloves) garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 (28 ounces) can crushed, peeled tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 pound of pasta of choice, cooked al dente
Chopped parsley for garnish

Sprinkle pork ribs liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the pork ribs on both sides until golden brown, turning only once. You may need to do this in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer the ribs to a platter and set aside.

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Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven, along with the sweet onion rings. Toss to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and sweat the onions, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, both cans of tomatoes, and water to the onions. Stir to combine, then return the pork ribs to the pot along with any collected juices.

Simmer the pork ribs in the tomato gravy 1-1/2 to 2 hours, uncovered, until pork is tender. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if warranted.

Stir 1 cup of the tomato gravy into the cooked pasta as soon as it is done and drained. Portion the pasta into shallow bowls, top with pork ribs, spoon on some tomato gravy, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings