Slow Cooker Osso Bucco is an easy way to create a delicious comforting dinner recipe. Sear the beef then set and forget coming home to the amazing aroma of dinner cooking itself. This slow cooker beef osso bucco is rich in flavor and loaded with an array of delightful textures.
Recipes like the Slow Cooker Savoury Mince, Slow Cooker Curried Sausages, Slow Cooker Roast Pork With Crackling and the Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks And Potatoes are all family friendly slow cooker recipes.
The Beef Osso Bucco, Lamb Osso Bucco and Pork Osso Bucco give us a wide variety of proteins when cooking this Italian classic.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients: you can get everything you need to make the recipe from your local grocery store and butcher. They are each year round available ingredients that will be easy to get your hands on. If you can't find the cross cut beef shanks at the supermarket, head to your butcher.
- Set and forget: we do a little bit of prep work like chopping the vegetables and searing the beef to begin with. From there it is all downhill. You can use the term set and forget or dump and start. Simply put, press the button and walk away till its done 😉👌.
- Easy recipe: for night's when you know time will be of the essence and you still want homecooked deliciousness, this easy recipe will do the trick. It is 'hands free' after the initial stages and will tick a lot of boxes.
- Comfort food: from the fork tender fall off the bone meat to the rich tomato flavored sauce, there is a lot to love about this comforting recipe. It is perfect for cool nights, for winter weather and when you are wanting to be well fed and satisfied.
- Popular for a reason: also spelt as 'osso buco' this classic Italian dish is popular for good reason. The bone marrow, tomato based sauce and juicy beef pair incredibly well together. The flavor combination is one you can trust and the results deliver (big time!).
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow cooker osso bucco recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Olive oil: we use the olive oil to sear the beef in a pan on the stove.
- Salt and pepper: the salt and pepper is used to season the beef.
- Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped or store bought minced or chopped garlic. I like to use chunky chopped garlic like you see above for the convenience.
- Oregano: dried oregano gives the dish a lovely fragrant Italian style flavor.
- Stock cubes: these get crushed and sprinkled over the top of the dish before we pop the lid on.
- Bay leaves: for a depth of flavor in the osso bucco. We remove these before serving the dish.
- Onion: we want to use a whole onion which we peel and finely dice.
- Celery: 3-4 celery ribs with top and tail trimmed and then finely chopped into small pieces like you see in the photo above.
- Carrots: we peel and dice these.
- Red wine: alcohol doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker the same way it does on the stove top. For that reason, we use less wine than we would if we were cooking this dish on the stove top and oven. The type of wine used doesn't have to be an expensive one. I use a pinot noir which is smooth and subtle.
- Beef stock: beef stock or beef broth is the primary liquid that creates the sauce for the beef.
- Diced tomatoes: simply open the tins and pour their entire contents into the slow cooker.
- Beef shanks: these are cross cut slices of beef with the bone in. The bone marrow is one of the reasons why this dish is so popular. It has a gelatinous texture and is simply sensational!! 😍👍.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the slow cooker beef osso bucco recipe. We start by adding the prepped vegetables to the slow cooker insert.
- Add the diced onion (Photo 1)
- Then add the carrot (Photo 2)
- Add the celery (Photo 3)
- Season the beef with salt and pepper (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker Osso Bucco
To make the slow cooker beef osso bucco, we start by adding the trio of vegetables to the slow cooker.
Add in the diced onion, followed by the peeled and diced carrots and sliced celery pieces.
Next place the beef shanks onto a clean dry chopping board and season them with salt and pepper. Then use a pair of tongs to flip them to the other side and season the 2nd side with salt and pepper also.
When ready place a large frying pan onto the stove top, add the olive oil and turn the dial to medium-high heat. Then use a pair of kitchen tongs to place each piece of beef into the pan and sear each side for 2-3 minutes.
Once the beef has been seared on both sides, place it into the slow cooker on top of the vegetables as you see me having done in the photos below.
- Sear the beef shanks (Photo 5)
- Add them to the slow cooker (Photo 6)
- Pour in the diced tomatoes (Photo 7)
- Add the tomato paste (Photo 8)
Next pour in the 2 tins of diced tomatoes and then dollop in the tomato paste as you see in the photos above.
- Add the garlic (Photo 9)
- Sprinkle in the oregano (Photo 10)
- Crush the stock cubes over the top (Photo 11)
- Pour in the beef stock (Photo 12)
🥘 Slow Cooker Beef Osso Bucco
When ready add in the garlic then sprinkle the oregano across the top. Next use your fingers to crush the 2 stock cubes and sprinkle these across the top of the tomato layer.
Then pour the beef stock into the slow cooker like you see in the photo above.
- Pour in the red wine (Photo 13)
- Add each bay leaf then cook (Photo 14)
- Gather the ingredients to make the gremolata (Photo 15)
- Stir to combine (Photo 16)
Next pour the red wine in and pop the bay leaves on top. Then put the lid on and cook. Choose low heat for 7- 8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
You can use this time to make the gremolata if you want to serve the dish with it. All you need to do is gather the ingredients (chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic) then stir them together in a small bowl as you see in the photos above. The gremolata has a lovely fragrant flavor and is delightful to use as a garnish with serving the dish.
When the cook time is up, you can take the lid off, turn the heat off and remove the bay leaves. Then get ready to serve your osso bucco. I have some suggestions to help below 😄👍.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving the osso bucco, creamy polenta or mashed potatoes are a great choice. Both of these help to absorb the tomato sauce and have a contrasting texture to the beef and veg combination.
Or of you prefer to serve the dish with potato bake, try the Potato And Cauliflower Bake, Potato And Broccoli Bake, Potato And Onion Bake or the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake.
For other potato options try the Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Skin on Roast Potatoes or the Horseradish Mashed Potatoes.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftover osso bucco in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. These leftovers can be kept for 3-4 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
Allow the osso bucco to fully cool. Then portion into sealed, airtight containers with the polenta and spoon the sauce over the top. These portions can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat
For refrigerated leftovers, add them to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Reheat on high in the microwave using 1 minute increments until warmed through.
For frozen portions, allow these to fully thaw. Then use the method above to reheat in the microwave on high.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- For other proteins, you can use pork shanks or cross cut lamb shanks. Veal shanks are still beef but from a younger aged animal.
- You can use crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes if you wish too.
- You can use the equivalent amount of dried Italian seasoning in place of the oregano if you prefer to.
- If you want to use white wine in place of the red wine, you can make that switch (equivalent amount).
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- You don't need to grease the slow cooker insert with oil. You can simply throw everything in there.
- It is not essential that you sear the beef. However, you will find that doing so locks in flavor, so it is a wise step to take if you have the time.
- The longer the dish cooks the more likely it is that the meat will fall off the bone. The marrow will also pop out of the marrow hole. So if you do want to serve the osso bucco with the bone still in, aim for the 3 hours (high) or 7 hours (low). Or for a full proof method, use kitchen string to tie the beef shanks with bone in after searing them before adding them to the slow cooker.
- If you love slow cooker recipes then you might also like the Sausage And Peppers, Dahl, Chicken Spaghetti, Chicken And Corn Soup, Chicken Barley Soup, Bean And Bacon Soup or the Chilli Con Carne 😉👌.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Beef shanks are slices of beef with the bone in them that have been cut from the leg of the cow. Osso bucco is the name of the recipe that sees these beef shanks being cooked in a rich tomato sauce with an array of vegetables.
Yes. Beef shank can be overcooked. We want to cook it so that it is incredibly tender and falls of the bone but not so much that it because tough and chewy.
The beef shanks need to be slow cooked for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
Dinner can be the most looked forward to meal of the day if you have some inspiration behind it! Here are some more recipes to offer you that inspiration:
- Savoury Mince Pies
- Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Chorizo Pasta Bake
- Scallop Linguine
- Seafood Risotto
- Chorizo and Prawn Linguine
- Roast Pork Shoulder
- Greek Leg Of Lamb
- Easy Chorizo Fried Rice
It is time to get our slow cooker osso bucco on my friend! You can also find all of my popular recipes or dinner recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Osso Bucco
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion skin peeled and diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 4 ribs celery top and tail trimmed and sliced into small pieces
- 4 bone in beef shanks Note 1
- ½ teaspoons salt Note 2
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 2
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Note 3
- 800 grams/28 oz diced tomatoes this is 2 standard size tins, Note 4
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic Note 5
- 1 teaspoon oregano Note 6
- 2 beef stock cubes Note 7
- 1 cup/250 ml beef stock (beef broth) Note 8
- ¼ cup/60 ml red wine Note 9
- 2 dried bay leaves
To serve (optional):
- 2 tablespoons parsley stems removed, leaves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic chunky, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- polenta Note 10
Instructions
- Vegetables: layer the diced onion, chopped carrots and celery pieces into the slow cooker insert.
- Beef shanks: place the beef shanks on a clean, dry chopping board. Season each with salt and pepper then flip to the other side and season the 2nd side with salt and pepper.
- Sear: place a large frying pan onto the stove top, add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. Place the seasoned beef shanks into the hot pan and sear each side for 2-3 minutes. Once the beef has been seared, turn the heat off and transfer the shanks into the slow cooker, onto the trio of vegetables.
- Sauce: next pour the 2 tins of diced tomatoes of the top of the seared beef shanks and then dollop in the tomato paste. Next add the garlic and oregano then crush the beef cubes and sprinkle over the top. Pour in the red wine, followed by the beef stock and then place the bay leaves into the centre of the slow cooker.
- Cook: place the lid on and cook the dish. You can use either high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 7-8 hours. After the cook time is up, remove the lid from the slow cooker, turn the heat off and discard the bay leaves.
- To serve: serve in bowls with creamy polenta on the base and gremolata sprinkled over the top of the dish.
Notes
-
- Note 1 - Beef shanks: these are cross cut slices of beef with the bone in. The bone marrow is one of the reasons why this dish is so popular. It has a gelatinous texture and is simply sensational!! 😍👍.
- Note 2 - Salt and pepper: the salt and pepper is used to season the beef. We want to ensure that both sides of each shank are seasoned.
- Note 3 - Olive oil: we use the olive oil to sear the beef in a pan on the stove.
- Note 4 - Diced tomatoes: simply open the tins and pour their entire contents into the slow cooker. You can use crushed tomatoes as a substitue.
- Note 5 - Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped or store bought minced or chopped garlic. I like to use chunky chopped garlic like you see above for the conveinece.
- Note 6 - Oregano: or you can use dried Italian seasoning to the equivalent amount.
- Note 7 - Stock cubes: these get crushed and sprinkled over the top of the dish before we pop the lid on.
- Note 8 - Beef stock: beef stock or beef broth is the primamry liquid that creates the sauce for the beef. I think you get the best results from a good brand packaged stock but you can use cubes and water to make your own if you prefer.
- Note 9 - Red wine: alcohol doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker the same way it does on the stove top. For that reason, we use less wine than we would if we were cooking this dish on the stove top and oven.
- Note 10 - Bay leaves: for a depth of flavor in the osso bucco. We remove these before serving the dish.
- Note 11 - Polenta: read and follow the instructions on the packet to cook the polenta. It is a combination of the dried polenta, cold water, boiling water and then I add a sprinkle of salt and a couple of knobs of butter. These get stirred in as the polenta absorbs the water.
Belinda says
Yum! So delicious.
Erin Smith says
Fantastic recipe! The meat was very tender. We did do the polenta and the gremolata and I know we will make it again. Thanks.
Adrianne says
You are very welcome Erin. 😄