An Italian classic that is the very definition of comfort food, osso buco is all about rich flavors, tender meat that falls apart and that feeling of bliss that only special dishes bring. So, are you ready to make this all-time favorite Italian stew?
Your first taste of osso buco is one you’ll never forget. When made right (and it is easy to make) beef osso buco has that winning combination of buttery meat that tastes divine and a whole mix of fragrances and flavors in a sublime sauce that never fails to hit the spot. It’s a thing of simple beauty.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The beef just falls apart and melts in your mouth
- It’s comfort food at its finest
- Slow cooking makes for incredibly tender meat
- Even the kids will go bananas for it!
Equipment Needed To Make This Recipe
There are a few key items you’ll need to make this traditional osso buco recipe:
- Large casserole dish – go for a well-made, large casserole dish. A recipe this special deserves the best cooking pot, so go for something like a Dutch Oven
How To Make Osso Buco
Season the flour then dust the meat with it.
Brown the meat on all sides. Set aside.
Gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add the wine and passata. Let it sizzle for a few minutes. Add the browned shin.
Cook for 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Your Ossco Buco
You can serve osso buco with any of the following:
Sides
- In northern Italy, polenta is often served with a traditional osso buco recipe. When served warm, it has much the same texture as a mashed potato, making it perfect for scooping off that delicious beef osso buco sauce.
- You can’t go wrong with a side of mashed potatoes. Even better, try my homemade roasted garlic mashed potatoes or these creamy mousseline potatoes.
- You could also make a carrot and parsnip mash or even a butter bean mash.
- As an alternative, go for a celeriac gratin and these delicious honey roast parsnips.
- Slow cooker red cabbage is another delicious healthy side, as is this spectacular sous vide asparagus.
Desserts
Let’s keep it Italian, shall we? Panna cotta or tiramisu are traditionally served in northern Italy, while a delicious Sicilian cannelloni would make for the perfect north/south pairing.
You could also go for mini chocolate trifles for that tiramisu vibe or, for something lighter and less traditionally Italian, why not try a gooseberry fool?
Drinks pairing
It’s got to be a deep red wine – the perfect pairing with this osso buco recipe! Keep it Italian and plump for a Nebbiolo. You’ll be in heaven!
Popular Substitutions For This Recipe
- You can use white wine in place of red wine. This is known as osso buco Milanese and makes for a lighter stew, with a cleaner aftertaste.
- If you’re not a fan of coriander, you can replace it with all kinds of herbs. My tip is to go for either rosemary, bay leaf, thyme or oregano, all of which work fantastically well with beef and tomato.
- You can replace passata with tinned tomotoes. However, add two tablespoons of tomato paste to get the right consistency.
- If you prefer, use olive oil instead of butter.
Variations To This Recipe
Traditionally, braised veal shanks are used but, as they're hard to come by in the UK, I’ve gone with beef shin. If you can find veal shanks and want to go authentic Italian, be my guest! You could also tweak this recipe in the following ways:
Pork osso buco
Although the traditional Italian osso buco is made from beef or veal shanks, there is an alternative. You can easily substitute the beef or veal shanks with pork shanks. Make sure to season well, as the pork shanks are not quite as rich in flavor as the beef shanks.
Osso buco Milanese
You can use white wine in place of red wine. This is known as osso buco Milanese and makes for a lighter stew, with a cleaner aftertaste.
Osso buco with pancetta
Braising veal shanks or beef shanks with pancetta brings some incredible richness to osso buco. I’ve gone without it for this recipe, as I think it’s rich enough. If you want to take things to another level, add pancetta to the pan with the meat and remove at the same time, before adding the vegetables.
Gremolata
A traditional osso buco recipe is often served with this Italian garnish. Gremolata is a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon zest. The finely minced lemon zest brings a wonderful citric flavor. Sprinkle it on top of your osso buco.
Top Tips
- If you want to stay true to the origins of beef osso buco, you should choose a wine from Northern Italy.
- A nice, full-bodied Chianti or a Nebbiolo will pair beautifully with osso buco. If you love beef stews with red wine, check out this beef stew with mushroom and red wine recipe.
How do I store leftovers?
The best way to store your beef leftover osso buco is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to store it long term, you can also freeze it.
How Long Will This Food Last In the Fridge?
When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, your osso buco leftovers will last for around 3 days.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, this dish will keep just fine when frozen.
To freeze osso buco leftovers, simply place in an airtight freezer safe container and place in the freezer. It will stay fresh for up to 4 months.
How do I Thaw This Dish?
As it’s a meat dish, osso buco needs to be defrosted in the fridge. Leave to thaw overnight
How do I Reheat This Dish?
Beef osso buco is best reheated in a casserole pot on the hob. Add a splash of liquid and stir the contents as it heats, until it’s piping hot.
Can this recipe be scaled?
Yes, this osso buco recipe can be scaled! You can double or treble the amounts below to make a large batch.
Can This Recipe be made in advance?
Yes, you can make osso bucco in advance. In fact, it’s even better the next day!
Once it’s cooked, allow it to cool and then place it in the fridge until you need it. When you’re ready to eat, remove any solidified fat. Then simply heat it though in the same pot, giving it a stir until it’s fully warmed.
Do I have to use beef shin for this recipe?
It doesn’t have to be beef shin – it can be pork or veal shank – but the bone is an important part of what makes this dish so delicious!
As it cooks, the rich marrow from the shin bone bastes the meat, keeping it soft and tender. It also infuses the sauce with incredible flavor.
What does ‘osso buco’ mean?
It translates into English as ‘marrowbone’ or more literally as ‘bone hole.’
Other Italian Recipes You’ll Love
Italian cuisine is an absolute joy, which is why I’ve tried my hand at so many Italian recipes over the years. Here are just a few of my favorites:
- Caprese salad – simple Italian cooking at its finest. It’s all about the fresh ingredients and the harmony between them. Simple, elegant and delicious
- Basic risotto – an Italian classic, this is one recipe you’ll want to learn and make again and again. Add parmesan and turn it into a risotto alla milanese
- Chicken cacciatore – otherwise known as hunter’s chicken, this is perfect winter comfort food with a blend of flavors that will make your taste buds tingle
- Courgette involtini – this beautiful little appetizers are sure to get the party started
Food Safety
- When using utensils with raw meat, always wash them thoroughly before using them with anything else
- Wash hands thoroughly after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for long periods
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Osso Buco
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Kosher
Description
Beef ossobuco is an Italian stew from the region of Lombardy. Prepare yourself for the most tender meat you've ever had.
Ingredients
- 2 onions, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 carrots, peeled
- 4 celery stalks
- 450g (1lb) mushrooms, cleaned
- 50g (2oz) all-purpose flour
- 8g (½ tbsp) salt
- 1g (½ tsp) black pepper
- 1g (½ tsp) coriander
- 1g (½ tsp) cloves
- 2.2kg (5bs) beef shin
- 60ml (4 tbsp) olive oil
- 60ml (4 tbsp) butter
- 250ml (1 cup) red wine
- 2 bouillon cubes
- 800g (2 cartons) passata
- 25g (2 tbsp) brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/320°F/gas mark 3.
- Grate the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms with a food processor.
- Season the flour with salt, black pepper, coriander and cloves and stir thoroughly.
- Make cuts in the meat’s rind.
- Coat the meat in seasoned flour.
- Melt half the oil and butter in a heavy ovenproof proof pot until the mixture starts sizzling.
- Place the meat in one layer and brown on both sides. Remove them and place them on a plate while you repeat the process until all the meat is browned.
- Add the remaining butter and oil to the empty pot and let the mixture start sizzling.
- Add the grated vegetable mixture to the pot and fry lightly until semi-cooked.
- Add the meat to the vegetable mixture.
- Add the wine, passata, sugar to the stew and crumble in the bouillon cubes.
- Give it a good stir and place in the oven for 90 minutes. Done!
Notes
- In this recipe, I used beef shin. Traditionally, veal shin is used but it’s hard to come by in the UK!
- If you’re gluten intolerant, use gluten free flour. If you’re lactose intolerant, substitute the butter with more olive oil.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stew
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: osso buco, what to serve with osso buco, sicilian osso buco recipe, easy osso buco recipe, osso buco recipe slow cooker, mediterranean osso buco recipe, veal osso buco
adam
Oh my gosh this looks so wonderful! Fall apart meat is the best type, I need to try and find a butcher with veal....
adam
Oh my gosh this looks so wonderful! Fall apart meat is the best type, I need to try and find a butcher with veal....
Rosa Mayland
Scrumptious! A fabulously comforting dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
I made osso bucco using the River Cafe recipe a few years ago and it was divine - they use a "cartouche" ie circle of baking parchment to cover the meat whilst it cooks and keep the moisture in. How this is any better than a lid I'm not sure.
Lovely to see you blogging again at last... I think your black magimix looks smarter than my white one!
Jan Bennett
Pleased you're back blogging recipes - this looks lovely. I'd go for the red wine one too.
Good to hear you're now getting your life sorted. I don't have any kids but got divorced and have since remarried and am now so happy. Keep up the good work with your businesses x
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Osso bucco, how do I love thee... let me count the ways!!
A fantastic recipe but also a thougful post full of home truths that many people gloss over. Good on you for taking the leap and may things only get better this year. xx
★★★★★
Camilla @FabFood4All
A gorgeous recipe which I have never tried so must right this wrong!
I totally get the point you make about kids escaping situations with their parents and landing in relationships which may or may not be right for them, I've seen it al to often. Hopefully your words of wisdom will help someone;-)
Katie Bryson
What a fabulously wise post Michelle - well done for being brave and standing up for your family's happiness. It can't have been an easy time but you sound so positive and full of relief! Loving the tasty recipe... such gorgeous and light photography 🙂
Laura@howtocookgoodfood
Loved reading this post, so many good points made and more to the point, how good does your osso bucco look. I haven't eaten this in years, I do love the white wine version and that jelly inside the bone is something else! This is the kind of dish I could eat far too much of 😉
Renil M. George
Took a while to get the food.
★★★★★
michelle
Was it worth it? 🙂
Kim Styles
That is a really 'wear your heart on your sleeve' post and I think I and many people will relate to it. But look at what you have achieved and what a strong woman you are on your own. its all about getting up and facing the world , sometimes when it is about your kids and their future, stubborness and will to defy all odds comes into play.