When the cooler temperatures roll in, there’s nothing better than a hearty and cozy dinner. These braised beef shanks with carrots and white beans definitely check that box! They take a bit of time to make, so I recommend preparing this on a weekend (where you’ll get the bonus of the delicious smells wafting through the house in the afternoon). Luckily, they’re easy to whip up and you don’t need any fancy ingredients.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need to make this recipe, with some selected ingredient notes:
- Beef shanks – This is a cut of meat that comes from the leg of the cow. You want bone-in cross-cut shanks. As these braise, they create incredible flavor (thanks to the bones, fat breakdown in the meat, etc).
- White wine – While wine does not contain dairy by nature, some wines do use casein in the fining process to clarify the wine. Research suggests this presents very low risk for food allergy patients, but you should always check with your doctor. If you would like to avoid wines with casein as a fining agent, you can find a list of vegan white wines here.
Instructions
You’ll find the full instructions and recipe amounts in the recipe card below. Here is a helpful overview with photos. While this takes a bit of time, it is quite easy to make and doesn’t require fancy chef skills or specialty ingredients!
Start by seasoning the beef shanks with a little salt and pepper, then searing them in olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Cook for a few minutes per side; you want to brown both sides. Set those aside on a plate when they’re browned.
Heat a little more olive oil, then sauté the onions and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until tender.
Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for another minute.
Add the carrots, beans, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and the beef shanks to the pot.
Cover that, pop it in the oven, and cook for about 2 ½ to 3 hours. When it’s ready, the meat will be super tender and fall off the bone.
I like to serve a scoop of this over mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes. It’s also delicious alongside some crusty bread. These allow you to soak up the delicious braising liquid. Obviously if you are dairy free, you’ll want to make sure you’re choosing dairy-free versions of any accompaniments. As an alternative to a starch, you can also serve this alongside a simple green salad – just don’t add as much braising liquid to your plate in that case.
Recipe Tips
Don’t skip the searing. This browning step adds a lot of flavor and depth to the dish.
If your beef shanks are still tough when you take the pot out, return it to the oven for another 30 minutes and check again. Shanks contain a lot of collagen, and it takes time for that to break down into the dish. Undercooking – not overcooking – is generally what leads to tough beef shanks.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Allergens in This Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is easily made dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, fish/shellfish, and wheat/gluten free – but you must choose a broth and wine that fits these needs. (For example, in addition to wine using casein as a fining ingredient, it may also use albumin from egg or isinglass from fish – so someone with these allergies might want to look for a vegan wine if these cause issues). Double check these ingredients.
Keep in mind the allergens of anything you plan to serve this with as well.
More Hearty Dinner Ideas
If you’re looking for more dinner ideas for cold nights, here are a few of my favorites:
- Dairy free buffalo chicken chili
- Leftover turkey curry (great after the holidays)
- Dairy free lasagna
- Easy ham fried rice
- Dairy free chicken broccoli pot pie with biscuits
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe review or comment below.
Braised Beef Shanks with Carrots and White Beans
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in beef shanks (about 2 ½ lbs total)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine (see notes regarding dairy)
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat the beef shanks dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear shanks 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned. Remove and set aside on a plate for now.
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Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the onion and celery, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to get tender.
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Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute, stirring often.
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Pour in the wine, deglazing the pan, and cook for a minute.
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Add carrots, beans, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and beef shanks to the pot.
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Cover and place in the preheated oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until beef is tender and falling off the bone. Serve over mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or alongside crusty bread.
Recipe Notes
- Wine sometimes uses casein as a fining agent in the clarification process. Some people with severe dairy allergies choose to or are instructed to avoid wines using this. If so, you can choose a vegan white wine that does not use it.
- It is difficult to determine a nutrition analysis for this recipe, as the exact facts will depend on the size of the beef shank, proportion of bone versus meet, how much marrow renders out, etc. The nutrition analysis below assumes 2 ½ pounds of shanks and assumes approximately 25 percent of the shanks were inedible bones, but this is a rough estimate.
Nutrition analysis (approximate per serving): 575 calories, 28 g fat, 9.5 g saturated fat, 855 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 0 g added sugar, 46 g protein, Vitamin D: 5%, Calcium: 11%, Iron: 30%, Potassium: 28%
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