- Country of origin
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Category
- Main Course
- Difficulty
- ●●○ Medium
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 2h
- Servings
- 4 servings
Cooking method
Technique: slow, covered braising of veal shank until fork-tender, with the bone marrow enriching the sauce as it cooks.
Traditional equipment: a wide cast-iron pot large enough to hold the shank slices flat, without stacking them.
Signs it’s ready: the meat should pull away from the bone easily without falling apart; the sauce should lightly coat a spoon without being watery.
History
Osso buco, thick-cut veal shanks braised low and slow, is a specialty of Milan whose name literally means “bone with a hole,” a reference to the marrow-filled bone running through each slice, traditionally scooped out with a small spoon at the end of the meal.
Originally served without tomato, in a version known as “in bianco” built on white wine and broth, osso buco later picked up tomato in many households, but it has always kept its partner: gremolata, a fresh condiment of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley that cuts through the richness of the braise.
Ingredients — serves 4
- 4 veal shank slices with bone (about 10 oz/300g each)
- Flour, for dredging
- 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
- Dry white wine, meat broth
- Lemon zest, garlic, parsley (for the gremolata)
Osso Buco, step by step
- Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour, then brown them on both sides in a little butter and oil.
- Set the meat aside and sauté the diced onion, carrot, and celery in the same pot.
- Return the meat to the pot, deglaze with white wine, and let it reduce by half.
- Add broth to come halfway up the shanks, cover, and simmer very gently for about 2 hours.
- Prepare the gremolata by mixing finely grated lemon zest, chopped garlic, and minced parsley.
- Serve the shanks coated in their reduced pan juices, scattered with fresh gremolata just before serving.
Nutrition, per serving
Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities above, divided by four servings.
Veal shank is unusually protein-dense. At 65 g of protein per serving, osso buco is one of the higher-protein dishes in this collection, reflecting the lean, connective-tissue-rich cut. Most of the carbohydrate comes from the dredging flour and the vegetable base rather than from any starch served alongside — traditionally saffron risotto, which adds its own calories and carbohydrate on top of these figures.
Economic context
Veal shank is a specific, less commonly stocked cut compared to everyday beef or pork, and osso buco is generally a dish for a proper Sunday lunch rather than a weeknight staple in Milanese households. It sits above the everyday baseline reflected in Italy’s cost-of-a-healthy-diet figure.
Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in Italy generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.
Who this dish suits
Fits well with
- High-protein eating patterns — 65 g per serving
- Diets that welcome collagen-rich, slow-braised cuts over quick-cooked lean meat
Worth knowing
- Contains gluten from the dredging flour
- 14 g of saturated fat per serving, before any risotto or bread on the side
- The marrow inside the bone is optional to eat and adds further fat if scooped out and included
What about you?
Where do you think is the best place or restaurant to enjoy a great osso buco?