Braised Beef Short Ribs with Tortelloni in a Marsala Cream Sauce (Slow Cooker Recipe)

This is a very good dish- rich!  It's a copycat recipe I found online that is inspired by an Olive Garden dish.  It does take a little bit of time but worth it!  It smells wonderful cooking throughout the day!

If you have teenage boys, you will probably need to prepare 2 pkgs of the tortelloni!  -Lisa

4 lbs bone-in short ribs, meat and bones separated
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups marsala wine
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 large portobello mushrooms, remove gills, cut into quarters and sliced
1/2 c heavy cream
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
9 oz package of refrigerated cheese tortelloni
...
-Place beef bones in a microwavable casserole dish and microwave, 10 to 12 minutes; add to slow cooker.
-Use paper towels to dry short rib meat and add salt & pepper.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet at medium high heat.  In batches, if needed, brown short ribs on each side for about 7 to 10 minutes; add to slow cooker on top of the bones.  (Repeat for each batch.)
-Add garlic, onion, carrot, thyme, and basil to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute, mixing the entire time.
-Whisk in wine and vinegar; use the whisk to scrape up browned bits at the bottom of the skillet.  Reduce heat and cook until the alcohol is reduced. approx 12-15 minutes.  Add drained tomatoes to wine sauce and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  Add wine sauce to slow cooker.
-Add broth and stir in as best you can in slow cooker.  Add bay leaves.  Cover and cook for 9 to 11 hours on low or 7 hours on high.
-Remove short ribs to platter and add foil but do not cover tightly.  Allow meat to rest at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
-Using a strainer on top of a fat separator, strain braising liquid.  Set aside and discard solids.
-Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil at medium heat in skillet for about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes.  Remove and place mushrooms on a clean plate.
-Add set aside braising liquid to pan and heat for about 5 minutes.  While the sauce is being heated, start a large pot of salted water and cook tortelloni according to package directions.
-Reduce the sauce in the pan's heat to low.  Add mushrooms, half of the diced tomatoes and heavy cream.  Reduce sauce for 4-5 minutes and then leave on warm until you're ready to serve with tortelloni.  Garnish dishes with remaining diced tomatoes.