Lamb Osso Buco is a great cold weather family meal or Sunday night dinner. It’s an elegant choice for a dinner party or special occasion too.
Lamb shanks are braised on the stove, swimming in a sauce full of vegetables, garlic, wine and fresh herbs, for 1 1/2 hours. The flavors really meld together with the long cook time. It’s a hearty lamb osso buco recipe with rich flavors!
What is Osso Buco?
It’s a classic Northern Italian comfort food dish that originated in Milan, Italy. It’s traditionally made with veal shanks that are braised and cooked slowly in a tomato-based sauce to create a rich, savory, tender meat. In this recipe, we’re substituting lamb shanks (less expensive) for the veal shanks to create a lamb shank Osso Buco.
“Osso Buco” is Italian for “bone with a hole.” This refers to the large, marrow-filled bone in the center of the shank used to make the dish. The marrow melts into the sauce during the slow cooking process, creating a robust and impressive flavor.
What cut of meat is Osso Buco?
It’s the cut of meat taken from the “shank” of an animal (the cross cut section of the leg), which includes a large, marrow-filled bone in the center. Osso Buco can be made with veal shanks, beef shanks or lamb shanks.
You may also wish to try my recipe for Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks topped with Artichoke Caponata.
Ingredients needed for making Lamb Osso Buco:
- Kitchen Tools: You’ll need a cheesecloth (for the spices) and some kitchen twine for making this recipe.
- Flavor Enhancers: fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, dry bay leaf, whole cloves, fresh Italian parsley, garlic, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lamb Shanks: Ask for these at the butcher counter in your market. You can also use veal, but lamb should be cheaper!
- Flour: Use all purpose flour. This is to coat the lamb before braising, but it will also help thicken the sauce. Use sweet rice flour if you want to make this recipe gluten free.
- Oil: The oil is used in the pan to braise the meat. Since you’re going to use very hot oil, it’s wise to use an oil that has a high smoking point. Use canola or vegetable oil.
- Vegetables: You will need carrot, celery and onion for the osso buco.
- Tomato Paste: If you can find a squeeze tube of tomato paste, that’s ideal. It’s easy to save the leftover in the fridge. If you buy a can, save the leftover tomato paste in a little plastic baggie or freezer-safe container. It freezes well!
- Wine: Use a dry white wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
- Chicken Broth: Use chicken broth (unless you’re lucky enough to find lamb broth).
- Lemon: You’ll be using the zest of the lemon. Squeeze the juice out and save it for another use (or freeze it).
How to prepare Lamb Osso Buco:
Wrapped in a cheesecloth, you’re going to place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves. Set this aside.
Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels. They’ll brown much better if they’re dry. Then you’re going to wrap each lamb shank with kitchen twine. This will help the meat adhere to the bone while cooking. Season those with salt and pepper, and then dunk them in some flour. Then brown the floured lamb shanks in some hot oil in a large Dutch oven. Remove the lamb from the pan and set them aside.
In that same pot, you’re going to saute the veggies until they’re softened. Then stir in the tomato paste.
Return the lamb shanks to the pan, and pour in the wine. Reduce it a bit. Then add the cheesecloth spice bag and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the lamb shanks from the pan and transfer them to a serving platter. Cut off the twine and discard. Toss the spice bag too. Pour all of the juices and sauce onto the platter with the lamb shanks. Garnish with the fresh parsley and lemon zest.
What’s a good time to make Osso Buco?
- On a cold and blustery night! It’s great comfort food that will warm you up!
- It’s the perfect, lovely dish to make for Sunday supper.
- It’s a nice dish to make for guests because it’s easy to prepare, but it’s impressive too!
What I Love About This Recipe:
- There is plenty of sauce/gravy for whatever you’re serving it with.
- The lamb turns out incredibly tender.
- The hands-on time to make this is minimal and then it just slow cooks on the stove without being tended to, so that makes this an easy, impressive dish to make!
What to serve with Lamb Osso Bucco:
- Serve lamb osso bucco over creamy polenta.
- It’s also terrific served with mashed potatoes.
- A simple, light salad is a good pairing with osso bucco.
- It’s perfect for serving over Risotto.
- Be sure to add a hunk of crusty bread to the meal to soak up all of that delicious gravy.
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Wrap the spices in a cheesecloth and secure with twine.
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Pat the shanks dry with paper towels (they’ll brown better if dry). Wrap the kitchen twine around the shanks to secure the meat to the bone. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge each shank in flour, and shake to remove the excess.
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In a large Dutch oven pot, heat the vegetable oil until smoking. Add the tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the browned shanks and set aside.
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Turning the heat to medium, in the same pot, add the veggies and garlic. Season with salt to help draw moisture from the vegetables. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
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Return the browned shanks to the pan, add the wine, and reduce the liquid by half (about 5 minutes), adjusting the heat as needed. Add the tied cheesecloth spice bag and 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 1½ hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning the shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should be about ¾ way up the shanks.
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Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot. and place on a deep platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and toss. Remove the cheesecloth bag from the pot and toss that, too.
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Pour all of the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
- You will need cheesecloth and kitchen twine in the preparation of this dish.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 379mg, Potassium: 492mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1655IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.