Here’s a simple guide to making Ossobuco with Pasta, a rich Italian dish that combines braised veal shanks with tender pasta 🍖🍝
Ossobuco with Pasta
Ingredients
For the ossobuco
- 4 veal shanks (about 1½–2 inches thick)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup flour, for dredging
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef or veal broth
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
For the pasta
- 12 oz pasta (pappardelle, fettuccine, or tagliatelle work well)
- Salt, for boiling water
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the ossobuco
- Pat veal shanks dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Dredge lightly in flour.
- Brown the meat
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown shanks on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables
- In the same pan, sauté onion, carrots, and celery until softened (5–7 minutes).
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Deglaze & braise
- Pour in white wine to deglaze, scraping up brown bits.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Return shanks to the pan, making sure they’re mostly submerged.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat. Cook 1.5–2 hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- Cook the pasta
- About 15 minutes before ossobuco is done, boil salted water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain and set aside.
- Finish & serve
- Remove ossobuco from sauce and keep warm.
- Stir lemon zest and parsley into the sauce.
- Toss pasta with some of the sauce, plate, and place a shank on top.
- Spoon extra sauce over the meat and pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Tips
- Gremolata topping: Mix lemon zest, garlic, and parsley for a classic bright garnish.
- For extra richness, add 1 tbsp butter to the sauce at the end.
- Ossobuco pairs well with wide pasta like pappardelle, which holds the sauce beautifully.
If you want, I can also give a quick version using the slow cooker so it’s mostly hands-off. Do you want me to do that?
