Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs Gluten Free Pizza

Slow cooker beef short ribs that braise themselves all day long, while you go about your day. Come home, shred the beef and top your Freschetta gluten free pizza with a homemade touch. Dinner is served!

This post is sponsored by Freschetta frozen pizzas, in celebration of their thin and crispy gluten free pizzas. Thank you for supporting and patronizing the companies that support GFOAS!

The classic American last-minute meal is pizza. But when you're gluten free, most of us can't just order a terrific gluten free pizza from the corner pizza parlor. We have to get creative. We all know how much I love making my own gluten free bread and pizza crust, but sometimes, it's just not possible on a busy weeknight. That's why we all see so many pizza boxes curbside when it's paper recycling day!

We all know how much I love making my own gluten free bread and pizza crust, but sometimes, it's just not possible on a busy weeknight. That's why we all see so many pizza boxes curbside when it's paper recycling day!

I've teamed up with Freschetta frozen pizza today to bring you this recipe for slow cooker beef short ribs gluten free pizza. It may take a few short minutes of planning ahead in the morning, but you can still have a super quick weeknight meal. Just like the neighbors.

I'll be honest. When Freschetta first contacted me about working together on this post, I wasn't sure how I felt. I do very few sponsored posts on this blog, since I'm very protective of my readers. I won't compromise my integrity at all, so I politely decline most offers. But once I found Freschetta's frozen gluten free pizza in my local grocery store and tried it, I was sold.

It's certified gluten free by the Celiac Support Association, so I feel comfortable serving it to my gluten free son—in my completely gluten free house. And it seems that taste in frozen pizzas has come a long, long way since my childhood! The crust is crispy and chewy, and it holds together like “regular” pizza.

Of course, you can serve just the pizza alone to your family for the quickest weeknight meal (they even have a pepperoni variety). But today we're dressing it up Mexican style with beef short ribs braised all day in the slow cooker. They make their own sauce as they cook in a combination of tomato puree and paste, beef broth and adobo, plus some spices.

I've made the short ribs in both the slow cooker and baked in a Dutch oven, and the slow cooker version is the big winner—in convenience, but most importantly in taste and texture. Beef short ribs are the sort of inexpensive cut of meat that the slow cooker was made for.

The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender (discard the bones or save them to make bone broth!), and the slightly spicy Mexican sauce is perfect for serving.

For an even simpler version, I'd love to try the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from Sandi at Fearless Dining on this pizza!

I added some Monterey Jack cheese to the pizza, but Freschetta has tons of cheese on there already. I just wanted to make sure the beef and jalapeño peppers stayed put on top when I added them halfway through baking.

The shredded beef keeps for days in the refrigerator, as does the sauce. Make this meal once, and serve the leftover beef over rice a few days later and you've got a foolproof dinner in the bag times two.

Freschetta?Giveaway—Now Closed!

Thanks to everyone who entered. This was great fun! The winner will be notified by email.

Please leave a comment below about your favorite pizza toppings for a chance to win 5 coupons, each good for any one free Freschetta pizza of 5.5 ounces or larger—and a $50 VISA gift card. Contest open to U.S. residents only (sorry—Freschetta's rules, not mine!). No purchase of any kind necessary to enter, of course.

The contest will close and the winner will be chosen on Sunday night, September 25, 2016 at 8:00 pm Eastern.

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Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs Gluten Free Pizza

Sample rating item

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: >9 hours in slow cooker; 15 minutes in oven

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can tomato puree (or whole peeled tomatoes, pureed in a blender)

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from a can/jar of prepared peppers; optional)

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (optional—recommended to use either canned peppers or chili powder)

1/2 6-ounce can (3 ounces) tomato paste

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) beef broth/stock

4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced

1 Freschetta Gluten Free Thin and Crispy 4 Cheese Medley Pizza

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed and sliced thinly by cross-section (optional)

3 to 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (optional)

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

• In a blender or food processor, puree about 1/2 cup of the tomato puree with the (optional) chipotle peppers until smooth. Pour the pureed peppers and puree into the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. If not using the peppers, there is no need to blend the puree. Add the remaining tomato puree, (optional) chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder and broth/stock. Whisk until smooth. Season the short ribs on all sides with the kosher salt and black pepper, and place into the sauce in the slow cooker. Add the sliced onion and mix gently to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. The meat should fall off the bones completely. Remove it from the slow cooker, trim obvious excess fat and shred the meat into a bowl. Discard the bones, and strain any large pieces from the sauce remaining in the slow cooker. Set the sauce aside.

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Place a pizza stone or overturned baking sheet in the oven as it preheats. Remove the Freschetta pizza from the carton, remove the plastic and cardboard and slide the pizza into the hot oven on the stone or baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt and the pizza has begun to rise.

• Remove the pizza from the oven, top with shredded short rib meat, jalapeño slices, and the optional Monterey Jack cheese. Drizzle with the reserved sauce from the slow cooker. Return to the oven and bake for another 7 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pizza is browned on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and allow the cheese to set for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the optional chopped fresh cilantro, slice with a pizza wheel or sharp knife and serve while warm.

• Refrigerate any leftover pizza and warm in a toaster oven before serving. The rest of the shredded beef and sauce can be stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve it over rice for a no-fuss meal later in the week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!

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