Slow Cooked Osso Bucco

Written By Alicia Bevc

There’s something incredibly satisfying about slow-cooked meals that meld simple ingredients into rich, comforting dishes.

This recipe brings together tender, marrow-rich osso bucco slowly braised in a fragrant blend of Merlot, tomato passata, and bone broth for added depth.
Cooking low and slow in a Dutch oven allows the meat to fall away from the bone, releasing nutrients and flavour in every bite.

Osso bucco contains marrow and connective tissue that provide nourishing collagen, minerals like calcium and phosphorus, and essential fatty acids that support tissue repair, joint health, and hormonal replenishment.
Slow cooking maximises these benefits by gently extracting gelatin and minerals into the sauce, making this dish ideal for postpartum recovery or anyone seeking deeply restorative nourishment.

Ingredients

  • 4 pieces of osso bucco (approx. 1.2–1.5 kg total)

  • 700g organic tomato passata

  • ½ cup organic Merlot (dry red wine)

  • 1 cup bone broth

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped

  • 2 carrots, diced

  • 1–2 handfuls green beans, trimmed

  • 2–3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp thyme or rosemary (dried or fresh)

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Grass fed butter, for browning

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160°c

  2. Heat a heavy-based Dutch oven or cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Pat the osso bucco dry and salt generously. Brown each piece in butter until golden on both sides. Set aside.

  3. In the same pot, lower the heat slightly and sauté onion, carrot, and garlic until softened and aromatic. Stir in herbs and the bay leaf.

  4. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping any browned bits from the bottom.

  5. Add the tomato passata, bone broth, and green beans.

  6. Nestle the osso bucco pieces into the sauce. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat; adjust with a little more broth if needed, and bring to a gentle simmer.

  7. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 4 hours at 160°c until the meat is soft and gelatinous, easily pulled with a spoon.

  8. Remove the meat gently to keep the marrow intact. Simmer the sauce on the stove if you prefer it thicker. Return meat to sauce and finish with chopped parsley and lemon zest, if desired.

  9. We love to serve ours over wholemeal spelt pasta, soft mashed potato, a celeriac-parsnip mash, or simply with torn sourdough to soak up the sauce.

Alicia Bevc
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