Rich and Hearty Osso Buco | Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

Name: Slow Cooker Osso Buco
Prep time: 00:10
Cook time: 08:00
Total time: 08:10
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: olive oil; beef shanks; salt; black pepper; onion; celery; carrots; garlic cloves; tomato past; canned crushed tomatoes; beef broth; rosemary; thyme; parsley

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This slow cooker osso buco turns out fork tender and mouthwateringly delicious! Easy to make with simple ingredients, choose beef, pork, or traditional veal.

Slow cooker osso bucco on a white plate. The text overlay reads. "Slow Cooker Osso Buco".

Recently, during one of our active weekends at the Crumbs’ homestead, I was in the mood to treat my family to something really hearty and delicious – a slow cooker casserole. I wanted it to look “knock-your-socks-off” fancy (like the kind you get at an expensive Italian restaurant), yet still be seriously easy for me to make.

Enter slow cooker osso buco (also commonly spelled osso bucco and ossobuco – they’re all the same to me!)

Traditionally, osso buco is made with veal, but I had beef shank on hand (so never mind running out to spend $14.99 a pound on veal while you have beef or pork at home). Use what you have!

The beef shank turned out so well in this dish – what you’ll get is fork-tender beef, vegetables, and herbs in a rich and delicious gravy. Plus, you get to enjoy the healthy and hearty bone marrow that slowly cooks into the gravy. YUM!

Trust me, your family will be begging to have any leftover slow cooker osso buco for lunch the next day!

WHY MAKE OSSO BUCO

This wonderful slow cooker osso buco recipe is so good! It’s also:

Hands-off. After a quick sear of the meat and a few chopped veggies, dinner cooks on its own.
Fancy frugal. This is what I call those meals that might have one higher-priced ingredient (the beef shanks, if you don’t have them), but overall are way cheaper than going out to a fancy restaurant.
Easy. Traditional osso buco is braised on the stovetop or in a Dutch oven and needs more attention than this slow cooker version. You don’t need any special cooking skills to make this Sunday dinner-worthy meal.
So, so yummy! Did I mention that this osso buco is mouthwateringly delicious?

Osso buco served over rice on a white plate.

EASY OSSO BUCO RECIPE INGREDIENTS

This wonderful slow cooker osso buco recipe is so simple that it uses the same ingredients as Minestrone Soup (using beef stock instead of chicken stock).

Olive Oil. For searing the meat.
Beef Shanks. Pork or veal shanks are traditional but are usually more expensive, so use whatever you have or can find the best deal on.
Salt. Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
Onion + Celery + Carrots + Garlic cloves. Mix and match veggies – whatever you have on hand works!
Tomato Paste. Since you only need 1 Tablespoon, freeze the rest for future recipes.
Crushed Tomatoes. Mix with the tomato paste and beef broth for a rich, savory sauce.
Beef Broth. Many osso bucco recipes use dry white wine for the sauce, but we’re sticking with beef broth. Along with the juices and marrow from the meat, you get plenty of beefy flavor.
Fresh Rosemary + Fresh Thyme + Black Pepper. A few fresh herbs really brighten this dish!
Chopped Fresh Parsley or Sliced Green Onions. Optional for garnish.

Some ossobuco recipes call for dredging the meat in flour before searing it, but that’s not necessary for great flavor!

HOW TO SLOW COOK OSSO BUCO

Step 1. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet (I love my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Season the beef shanks (or pork, or veal) with salt and sear on all four sides until they’re nicely browned but not cooked through.

Step 2. Place the seared beef shanks in the slow cooker insert.

Seared meat in a crock pot insert with onions, garlic, tomatoes, green peppers, seasonings and herbs.

Step 3. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Stir gently to mix.

Seared meat in slow cooker with crushed tomatoes.

Step 4. Cover your slow cooker and cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours. Once cooked and ready to serve, discard sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Spoon the braising liquid over the meat to distribute the juices.

Note: If desired, garnish with freshly chopped parsley or sliced green onions before serving.

Save any leftover osso buco in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer (you can buy containers locally at Walmart or have them shipped to you via Amazon).

SLOW COOKER OSSO BUCCO RECIPE NOTES

Use beef shanks, pork, or traditional veal for this osso bucco slow cooker recipe – whatever meat you have.
No carrots? No problem. Try whatever veggies you have on hand – green peppers, for example, also go well with the onions, tomatoes, and celery.
If you are short on time, you can always skip the searing step and just slow cook osso buco. Of course, the searing step deepens the flavor and locks in the juices, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you need to skip this step. Your dish will still be delicious!

WHAT TO SERVE OSSOBUCO WITH

Since ossobuco has meat and veggies, I like to serve this main dish with a carb of some sort.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Instant Pot Brown Rice
Serve over cooked pasta or polenta or risotto
Add No-Knead Artisan Bread to sop up the extra sauce

OSSO BUCO SLOW COOKER FAQS

What is the best cut of meat for osso buco?

The best cut of meat to use for an osso buco (osso bucco or ossobuco) dish is shanks. Although veal is traditionally used, this slow cook osso buco recipe works really well with whatever meat shanks you have on hand – pork, beef, or veal.

What part of the animal is the shank?

Beef shanks (or shanks of other animals) come from the top part of the leg. Because the animal uses these muscles often, they can be tough or dry, so slow cooking them in a sauce is the best way to get tender meat.

Why is my osso buco tough?

Osso buco is best when you slow cook it for a long time. I really love to cook it for 8 hours on low. The minimum cooking time for fork-tender meat is 4 hours on high.

Do you eat the marrow in osso buco?

Some people might want to take the marrow out before cooking, but I would definitely recommend you leave it in to slow cook in the gravy. Osso buco is so flavorful and savory when it is cooked with the bone marrow.

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Slow Cooker Osso Buco

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This slow cooker osso buco turns out fork tender and mouthwateringly delicious! Easy to make with simple ingredients, choose beef, pork, or traditional veal.

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4-8 Hours
Total Time: 4-8 Hours + 10 minutes prep
Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Category: Main Meals
Method: Slow cooker / crock pot
Cuisine: Italian

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet (I love my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Season the beef shanks (or pork, or veal) with salt and sear on all four sides until they’re nicely browned but not cooked through. No time to sear? See recipe notes for a tip!
Place your seared beef shanks (or pork, or veal) in your slow cooker insert.
Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme (if you are not searing your meat, add your salt here too). Mix by stirring.
Cover your slow cooker and set it to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Once cooked and ready to serve, discard sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
Note: If desired, garnish with freshly chopped parsley before serving.

Notes

Use beef shank, pork, or traditional veal for this recipe – whatever meat you have on hand.
No carrots? No problem. Whatever veggies you have on hand – green peppers for example, also go well with the onions, tomatoes, and celery.
If you are short on time, you can always skip the searing step and go right to the slow cooker. Of course, the searing step deepens the flavor and locks in the juices, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you need to skip this step. Your dish will still be delicious!