Impressive & Easy Osso Buco With Creamy Polenta

Slow cooking in an oven has never looked this good. ❤️

Say hello to your new favorite dinner: osso buco.

This irresistible, cozy Italian classic is comprised of fall-apart, melt-in-your-mouth meat in a rich and flavor-packed broth that will warm you from the inside out.

We’re serving it with buttery, creamy polenta to soak up the succulent juices that come from hours of slow cooking the meat. If you aren’t obsessed with polenta yet, I hope this recipe wins you over.

Impressive enough to serve for special gatherings, but easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner, this osso buco is so good you’ll make it over and over.

What is Osso Buco?

Osso buco literally translates to “bone with a hole”, referring to the bone in the center of the shank—a traditional Italian dish made with veal shanks, vegetables, broth, and sometimes wine. The bone and its marrow are what adds the rich depth of flavor to this dish, and when braised, the tough meat of the shank becomes tender and succulent. Oh baby.

You can, of course, make this osso buco recipe with the traditional veal shank or even lamb (see our recipe notes), but the easiest cut of meat for the recipe found in the States is beef shank.

Is Polenta the Same as Grits?

Polenta and grits are both different forms of ground cornmeal. Polenta is the Italian version made with yellow corn while grits are typically made with white corn. When shopping for this recipe, look for stone-ground dried polenta as your best option. Avoid using a product labeled just “cornmeal” as it is typically ground much finer than polenta and can yield a mushier texture.

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t rush the process. The name of the game when it comes to cooking exceptional osso buco is taking things low and slow. If you only have an hour to get dinner on the table, save this recipe for another day.

• The sear is everything. Searing the meat is crucial for developing excellent flavor before braising the osso buco. The combination of a nice hot dutch oven, extra virgin olive oil, and your seasoned & floured meat will lend to beautifully browned beef, primed for its low and slow braise.

• Polenta loves salt. When making your polenta, don’t be afraid to add a good amount of salt and taste as you go. Don’t skimp here—polenta can taste very bland if you under-salt it.

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• large dutch oven

• microplane zester, for garlic & lemon zest

OSSO BUCO

• 3 pounds beef osso buco or beef shank* (see notes for where to purchase and veal/lamb instructions)

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper

• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 2 large carrots, peeled & diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 Tablespoons tomato paste

• 4 cups chicken or beef stock

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

GREMOLATA (OPTIONAL)

• 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• zest of one lemon

• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste

CREAMY POLENTA

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 cup polenta**

• 1 teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1-1½ cups water, as needed

• 4 Tablespoons butter

• 1½–2 oz. finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano

OSSO BUCO

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pat the rounds of beef shank dry with paper towels, and liberally season with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper before coating in a dusting of flour.

2. Warm 3 Tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the seasoned beef to the dutch oven and sear until deep golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Remove meat from the dutch oven and set aside.

3. Lower heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, onion, and remaining Tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste and sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (if the vegetables are browning instead of sweating, turn the heat down). Add minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes before pouring in 4 cups of stock. Use butcher’s twine to tie the fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs into a bundle, and add to the pot.

4. Nestle the seared meat back into the pot and any juices. The meat should be mostly submerged with the tops above the liquid line. Spoon some of the vegetables over the tops of the meat to keep them moist while braising. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a simmer before putting on a lid and transferring to oven.

5. Braise in the oven for 2.5-3 hours until the beef is tender and pulls away easily with a fork, removing the lid at the 2 hour mark to allow sauce to slightly thicken and meat to brown on top. While the beef is braising, make the gremolata (instructions below)

6. Serve each piece of beef with a spoonful of the cooking liquid and braised vegetables on top of the creamy polenta (instructions below). Top each portion with a Tablespoon of gremolata if desired.

GREMOLATA

1. In a small bowl combine the parsley, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and kosher salt to taste. Set aside.

CREAMY POLENTA

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of stock to a simmer. Very slowly pour in 1 cup of polenta while whisking continuously.

2. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and continue simmering for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the polenta is tender and bubbling. Pour in additional water as needed to thin the cooked mixture (the polenta should be the consistency of porridge) and remove from heat.

3. Add the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano and stir to combine. Taste and add kosher salt if needed. Serve immediately with osso buco.

Female Foodie Osso Buco With Creamy Polenta

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*This recipe can be modified and prepared with 2” thick rounds of veal or lamb, which can be found at specialty butchers, gourmet grocery stores, or can even be specially ordered from supermarket meat counters. Veal will take closer to 1.5-2 hours to braise, and lamb will take approximately 2 hours. Per recipe instructions, beef takes 30-60 extra minutes as the beef is a tougher cut than veal or lamb.

*I like to purchase beef shank from Costco, which commonly come in a 3 pack of very large beef shanks (2 of them would be more than enough meat for this recipe).

**To make creamy polenta, look for packages of dry polenta in a box or bag rather than the premade polenta in a tube (great for some recipes, not for this one).

- Gremolata is a delicious herbaceous topping that’s traditionally served with osso buco and wonderfully complements the richness of the dish. If you have time, make it while the osso buco is braising, but otherwise you can skip. If preparing lamb instead of beef, you can swap the parsley for mint.

Have any questions about this recipe? Leave a comment below and I’ll answer ASAP! :)

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