This slow-cooked beef shin (beef shank) stew is rich and flavorful. It is the perfect comfort food recipe served with fluffy Parmesan dumplings and creamy mashed potatoes.
What is beef shank?
Beef shank is a leg portion. It is also often called beef shin. It’s a very affordable cut of meat. Because it is from the part of the animal that moves the most, the meat tends to be very tough so low, slow cooking (preferably braising) is ideal to break down the connective tissue.
How to cook beef shin stew
- Beef shin / Beef shank: Ask your butcher for beef shin or shank cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) slices. Season the beef on both sides with salt and black pepper and brown in a large, oven-proof pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Brown the beef on both sides then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Vegetables and aromatics: A classic mirepoix or sofrito consisting of onion, carrot and celery is used to add flavor to this stew. Saute the vegetables in a splash of olive oil in the same pot. I like using bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and garlic as well. After the vegetables and aromatics are starting to soften, add tomatoes, sugar and red wine. Stir in the beef back into the pot then pour in beef stock or broth, Balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- Braising: Place the pot in a 160ºC/320ºF oven and allow to braise slowly for 2-3 hours, until the meat is soft and tender. Check the stew every hour or so and top up with beef stock if necessary as the sauce can reduce down quite a bit while cooking.
- Dumplings:Â Combine all the ingredients except for the milk in a food processor and pulse until it resembles rough crumbs. Stream the milk in until the dough just comes together. Form golf-ball sized dumplings and place on top of the stew. Cover with a lid and place back in the oven to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the dumplings are risen and cooked through.
What to serve with beef stew
- Parmesan garlic mashed potatoes
- Easy crusty bread
- Spicy garlic roasted broccoli
- Easy cauliflower mash
- Rosemary Pecorino Potato bread
Beef stew recipes
Beef shin stew with Parmesan dumplings
This slow-cooked beef shin (beef shank) stew is rich and flavorful. It is the perfect comfort food recipe served with fluffy Parmesan dumplings.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 441kcal
Ingredients
for the stew
- 1 kg (2lbs) beef shin / beef shank sliced into 2cm slices
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup celery finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 400 g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
for the Parmesan dumplings
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp butter softened
- 1/3 cup Parmesan grated
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- To make the stew, season the beef shin with salt and pepper and sear in a heavy-based pot in a splash of oil until browned on both sides.
- Remove the shin from the pot and set aside.
- In the same pot, fry the onion, celery and carrots until soft and fragrant.
- Add garlic and herbs and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, sugar and wine and allow to come up to a simmer.
- Add the beef back into the pot and pour in the beef stock and Balsamic vinegar.
- Turn the heat down and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 2 hours until the beef is soft. Alternatively, place in an oven preheated to 160°C/320°F. Check the stew every 30-60 minutes and top up with beef stock if necessary.
- To make the dumplings, place the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
- With the motor running, pour in the milk slowly until the mixture comes together in a ball.
- Remove and form dumplings, just slightly smaller than golf balls.
- Place the dumplings on top of the stew and cover with the lid. Allow to steam for 20 minutes. (Make sure the stew is simmering gently otherwise the dumplings will fall apart.)
- When the dumplings are cooked through, remove the lid and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 705mg | Potassium: 1239mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3716IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 7mg
Fantastic recipe! I subbed a few ingredients as I was missing some however it turned out fantastic and those dumplings were so tender. LOVED IT
I made this tonight — no Beef Shins where I live in Toronto, so I substituted a 3 lb AAA sirloin tip roast, and also added 3 diced potatoes, and a total of 4 cups of broth. Fabulous! Best stew I have ever made, and the perfect way to braise that cut of beef. Also, those dumplings were killer, and will be my new go to recipe!
Hi there
I was wondering if I could do this in the slow cooker instead of stove top? And if so how long it would need to be on? Thanks!
You could! I would say cook for 6 hours on low.
Marry me lol! Ok well I’m already taken but it sounds amazing!!! I love making things like this. The marrow is the best part. Here in Australia we have oyster blade steak which has no marrow or bones but is great for things like this too.
🙂 Love that marrow!
I found there was way too much liquid in the recipe but I used passata as a substitute for canned tomatoes, would this affect the dish, also I simmered for about 5 hours and my shins although soft didn’t break down as much as yours, can you advise what I did wrong please?
Yes, the passata could have made it more watery. The best way to combat this is to allow it to simmer uncovered until reduced. It’s very strange that your shins didn’t soften as much after such a long cooking time. Were they very thick?
This is a great recipe. I didn’t have any wine because i’d drunk it all but otherwise closely followed the recipe. I cooked the stew slowly in the oven for 5 or 6 hours – at the end i put the dumplings on the top and cooked them with the lid on for 10 mins but then i took the lid off and grilled them until they were brown on top (not sure you Americans call a grill! It’s how you would melt cheese on toast) and they went big and fluffy. Even my fussy children liked it.
Hi I can’t get beef shin what can I use
Any cut of beef good for stewing will work well. Chuck, oxtail, etc.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious. The stew had so much flavor and the dumplings were very tasty. Great beef shin recipe.
Thanks so much Abigail.
This is absolutely amazing. Whole family loved it, kids and adults alike, even the toddlers. Was devoured in no time. Could also be good with egg noodles if you don’t have time for dumplings or with gnocchi or store bought cheese dumplings or ravioli.
I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂
Thiss recipe was delicious. I will definitely make again!!
Hi Alida, do you think I can pre make the dumplings and leave them in the fridge for the day? Then transfer them to the stew once I get home from work?? Thank you 🙂
I don’t see why that would a problem. Just cover them with clingfilm so they don’t dry out in the fridge.
Hey hey Alida, can not wait to try this recipe. One quick question, what do you mean by 2 tins (use the tomato tin) beef stock?
What I always do when making a stew/soup is to use the can of the tomatoes I’ve just emptied into the stew for the stock/water. That way every last little bit of tomato is washed from the can. Alternatively, you can just use 2-3 cups of beef stock. 🙂
Just made the Parmesan Dumplings to go with the Beef Tips! Very Good Recipe to even have with Chicken ‘N’ Dumplings as well! Highly Recommend trying this one for any occasion! Absolutely turned out Great with an Amazing taste! Thanks for Sharing this one! Will be sending forward to family members!
Sue T.
I’m so pleased you liked it Sue. Thanks for your comment.
OMG this is just so gorgeous!!!! And the recipe looks like utter perfection!!!! YUM!
Thanks Mila!
This was good, but incredibly rich! Which is not a bad thing, but it might be a bit much for people with more sensitive stomachs. I loved it, though.
Katie, beef shin is an incredibly rich cut of beef due to the fat and connective tissue that melts down into the sauce while it’s cooking. Glad you liked it though!
I’ve now made this four or five times. I’m allergic to dairy, so I forego the dumplings, sadly, but even without them this is so rich and flavorful. One of my favorite soups for sure!
Shauna, I’m so glad you like it. Oh dear, if you’d like, why don’t you give the dumplings a try by making them with cold beef stock and no cheese?
So glad you liked it Alexa.
Delicious. I’ve never seen dumplings on beef stew. I’ll be making this again.
Alice, I’m not sure if they’ll become a bit heavy and dense if you do. If you don’t have a food processor, I’d suggest rather rubbing the ingredients together with your fingertips. That will create a light dumpling, just like a food processor would.
Hi Alida, is it possible to make the dumplings with a stand mixer (like KitchenAid) instead of food processor? Thanks!
Can you translate to pounds and ounces…I really want to make this
If you enter the grams you’d like to convert into ounces/pounds, it will give you an accurate conversion.
If you enter your amounts into Google with Grams to Pounds conversion it will give you a very accurate conversion.
What is the Best Wine to use for this? Can’t wait to try it.
Dani, I’m so glad you liked this stew so much. I must say, it definitely is one of my favourites. Thanks for the lovely comment.
I made this Tuesday morning for dinner that night but plans changed & we didn’t reheat it until tonight. I don’t know if this recipe got better after sitting or it’s just this amazing the same day but WOW! One of the best recipes I’ve ever made, will be looking on Pinterest for more deliciousness!
I made this for a dinner party last night. Instead of simmering it on the stove I baked it in the oven for 3 hours, added the dumplings and then returned to the oven without a lid for 30 mins. I served it on chunky orange sweet potato mash.
It was absolutely delicious, and the leftovers today were even better! Thanks for a great recipe collection!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment Amelie. So glad you liked the stew so much.
Oh my goodness! I have always wanted a “walk-in-the-door-and-smell-sumptuous-dinner” stew recipe. I made this today, and I didn’t even have to leave the house and come back in to get that effect. My whole family (husband and 2 daughters) kept coming into the kitchen asking what the heavenly smell was. This stew is AMAZING! I love how you can spend good time on preparation but the set it and forget it quality make it good for a busy family. Mashed potatoes and buttered peas served along with the dumplings and stew veggies made this a PERFECT stew meal. THANK!
Mary, of course. I’d say around 160°c should be safe.
Can you bake this in the oven instead of simmering it on top of the stove and at what temperature/
I can’t believe that I only love the dumplings in stews as well as soups, my Mom used to make extra only so the others would actually be able to have some. I, like you have grown to appreciate stews and soups, with or without the dumplings, although always so much more delish with them. Thanks for this and for taking me back to my childhood with an old South African Ma while living in Canada.
Nerina, I’m glad I’m not alone! 🙂
This looks amazing! I must try this at home. I always see this cut of meat at the farmers market and never know what to do with it. Now I do! Cheers! Liza http://www.thebluebirdpatch.com
You must! And please let me know what you think.
Sandy, the tomato tins I use are around 400g in weight and approximately 300-400ml in liquid measurement.
Hi Alida..
Your recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it. I was wondering however, how much is in 2 tins of beef stock. I don’t beleive the tomato tins are available here.
Thanks for your lovely comment Gloria. I hope you love this stew and let me know what you thought of it once you have tried it!
Alida,
I’m thrilled to find your blog! This stew looks incredible — can’t wait to make it. I’m a total novice, but I love to cook and this recipe is right up my alley as far as taste and level of cooking. Thank you for sharing it!
Hallo Alida,
Dit klink heerlik!
Kan ek die parmesan kaas met cheddar kaas vervang?
En die rooiwyn met gewone stock of sal dit die smaak beinvloed.
Ek het ‘n 2 jarige seuntjie en is altyd bang om met wyn te kook.
Annette, jy kan altyd die wyn vervang maar ek moet se, ek kook graag met wyn omdat die alkohol weg kook en die heerlike smaak na laat en my twee eet altyd hul vingers af. En ja, jy kan die parmesan vervang maar cheddar gaan nie heeltemal dieselfde, ryk smaak gee nie.
Ek was altyd ook onder die indruk dat die alkohol wegkook, maar het intussen geleer dat dit net gedeeltelik weg kook, en ook net met goed soos stews wat baie lank kook (3 ure). Maar as mens kyk na die hoeveelheid wyn wat mens gebruik, teenoor die hoeveelheid van die res van die kos, en die porsies wat kinders eet dan kry hulle baie min alkohol in, en so ‘n klein hoeveelheid behoort nie skadelik te wees nie.
Dis interessant, ek het dit nie geweet nie. Maar ek stem, ek dink die hoeveelheid wat hulle (en selfs ons) in kry is bitter min.
This looks delicious! Beef stew is a big hit in my house, and we’re always looking for new versions – I love the addition of the dumplings.
My guess is that beef shin is a less expensive cut, since it’s sort of unusual (at least in my area) – would you say that’s the case? That of course, is one of the best features of stew, it works well with less expensive meat!
AMy, beef shin is definitely one of the cheaper cuts. And SO versatile!
what can I use instead of beef shin?
ANy stewing beef will do fine for this.