Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe from Spain

Can you feel the cold breeze knocking on your window? Then it is a sign to hop into the kitchen and prepare the best Spanish recipes

Among them, none is a better weapon to fight against the cold weather than the Spanish oxtail recipes, especially the easy oxtail soup recipe.

Keep reading this article and you will learn how to prepare the easy recipe for oxtail soup from scratch, with some tips for storing, serving, and customizing it.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish oxtail recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Basque oxtail stew

• Oven baked oxtail recipe

• Red wine oxtail stew

Background of the Dish

This Spanish oxtail recipe is one of the oldest in its category, representing the traditional method of preparing this cut of meat: boiling it for a couple of hours with the oxtail broth recipe and a mix of veggies.

Over time, Andalusian oxtail recipes have evolved to include more modern approaches, such as roasted or fried oxtail recipe, but the traditional ones have a special charm.

This is the best oxtail soup recipe because it captures the essence of easy oxtail soup recipes: it is meant to be made with basic ingredients that everyone has, it is cost-effective, and anyone can make it.

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Things You’ll Need for Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe

To make this easy oxtail soup recipe you only need oxtail, carrots, onions, garlic cloves, and beef broth as the main ingredients.

For the equipment, all it takes is a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, but you could prepare it as a slow cooker delightful slow cooker oxtail recipe, or in a pressure cooker (adapting the cooking times).

Ingredients

• 1.5kg oxtails
• 1/2 cup (120ml) red wine (optional)
• 8 cups (2l) beef or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this easy oxtail soup recipe, pat the oxtail dry with paper towels, then cut it into bite-sized chunks and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Set them aside.

2. Now you have to prepare the vegetables. For that, peel and chop the carrots, onions, and celery stalks into small pieces. Peel and mince the garlic cloves, and wash and dice the tomatoes (discarding the seeds). Set them aside.

3. Grab a large pot or Dutch oven and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the oxtails on all sides until they develop a nice crust, as this will add flavor to the soup. Remove them from the pot and set them aside.

4. Using the same pot, add chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 7 minutes until the vegetables get a softer texture. Keep in mind that with this easy oxtail recipe, the veggies finish cooking with the rest of the soup, so there is no need to cook them for longer.

5. To continue with this Spanish oxtail soup recipe, stir in the diced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. If using red wine, pour it into the pot to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

6. For the next step on this basic oxtail soup recipe, return the browned oxtails to the pot. Pour in the beef or vegetable broth until the oxtails are fully covered. Also, add bay leaves, smoked paprika, and dried thyme.

7. After that, bring the  Spanish-style oxtail soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until the oxtails are tender.

8. For the final step on the best oxtail soup recipe, do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, discard the bay leaves.

9. Now you can serve the easy oxtail soup warm and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

In essence, this is a pretty simple oxtail soup recipe, but with a few tweaks on the ingredients you can change that, or you can simply adapt it to fit your preferences.

The best way to start is by taking inspiration from other beef oxtail soup recipes, for example, you can copy some parts from the hearty oxtail soup recipe and add chopped cooked Spanish Chorizo to the recipe.

To add different flavor profiles to this easy oxtail soup recipe, you can do something like the Mexican oxtail soup and add chili flakes and hot sauce, or like the tomato oxtail soup and add tomato sauce and a bit of tomato paste.

To stay on the old-fashioned oxtail soup, you can do something similar to the oxtail vegetable soup and add your favorite veggies, such as bell peppers, potatoes, leek, sweet potatoes, etc.

in case you’re on a keto diet, try our keto oxtail soup that’s just perfect and quite easy to make.

Tips on Serving Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe

You can enjoy this delicious dish as soon as you finish preparing the easy oxtail soup recipe, and it works for lunch or dinner, all year round.

To take this old-fashioned oxtail soup recipe to the next level, you can top it with fresh chopped herbs, as it will infuse a new layer of flavor into the dish.

To embrace the classic feeling of this homemade oxtail soup recipe, top it with grated parmesan or manchego cheese, as it will melt with the heat of the Spanish oxtail soup and add texture and flavor.

Lastly, you can do something like the oxtail stew with potatoes and serve it with your favorite roasted or steamed veggies, or follow the oxtail noodle soup and use your favorite type of cooked pasta as a complement.

How to Store Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe

Something that we love about this Spanish oxtails recipe is that it can be stored both in the fridge or freezer, making it a dream come true for all the meal-prep lovers out there.

Once you finish preparing the Spanish-style beef oxtail recipe you have to let it cool to room temperature, and only then place it in an airtight freezer-safe container, covered with plastic wrap on top (to prevent the forming of a crust) and a lid.

Then, take the soup to the fridge where it can last up to 3 days, or to the freezer where it can be stored for 45 days (add a label so you don’t go over that time).

To reheat this Spanish soup, you can do it on the stove over medium-low heat, or in the microwave for a couple of minutes, but in both cases, you might need to add 1/2 cup of water if it loses water content.

Besides this easy oxtail soup recipe, there are different oxtail soup recipes that you can make and store, such as the braised oxtail and the tender oxtail recipe.

Recipe Card: Easy Oxtail Soup Recipe

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