Homemade Oxtail Soup Recipe from Spain

Spanish soup recipes come in all shapes and forms: you have the cold tomato gazpacho, the Spanish vegetable soup, and for the meat lovers you have the homemade oxtail soup.

This one is truly the best oxtail soup because it is super easy to make at home, and it only calls for ingredients that you can find in any store no matter where in the world you are.

Here we will show you how to prepare oxtail soup, with other pieces of advice for serving, storing, and the best ways to customize this recipe.

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

• Mexican oxtail soup

• Braised oxtail

• Oxtail pasta recipe

Background of the Dish

We know that the region is filled with Spanish soups, but the homemade oxtail soup captures the essence of Andalusian flavors, seamlessly blending classic ingredients from the area such as oxtail, garlic, onion, and olive oil.

The homemade oxtail soup used to be a dish consumed mainly by the lower classes in southern Spain, especially during times of famine in the early 1900s, as oxtail is an inexpensive cut of meat, and the same goes for the rest of the ingredients used.

Over time, this dish began to be incorporated into restaurant menus until almost all of Spain had it at their fingertips. Now, with our delicious recipe, you can also enjoy it in the comfort of your home.

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Things You’ll Need for Homemade Oxtail Soup

To make this fantastic homemade oxtail soup you will need oxtail, beef broth, carrots, onions, garlic cloves, and olive oil as the main ingredients.

When it comes to the kitchen appliances you just need a large pot or Dutch oven, or you could prepare this recipe in a pressure cooker (adjusting the cooking time).

Ingredients

• 8 cups (2l) beef broth
• 1.5kg oxtails
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

How to Make Homemade Oxtail Soup – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this easy oxtail soup recipe, you have to prepare the vegetables. For that, peel and chop the onions, carrots, and celery stalks into small squares. Also, peel and mince the garlic cloves. Set them aside for a bit.

2. After that, pat the oxtail dry with kitchen paper, with the help of a sharp knife cut it into cubes and remove the excess fat. Season each cube with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Then grab a large pot or Dutch oven and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot add the oxtails and brown them on all sides, for about 7 minutes.

4. Now, add chopped onions, carrots, celery, and minced garlic to the pot with the oxtails. Sauté for another 5 minutes until the vegetables get a soft texture.

5. For the next step in this beef oxtail soup recipe, stir in the tomato paste, smoked paprika, chili flakes, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. At this point, you can add your favorite herbs and spices to the mix.

6. Then, pour in the beef broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until the oxtails are tender. Skim off any foam that appears on top of the hearty oxtail soup.

7. Do a taste test on this old-fashioned oxtail soup and add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Also, make sure to remove the bay leaf.

8. Your simple oxtail soup recipe is now ready. Just serve the homemade oxtail soup hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Substitution of Ingredients

The best part about making a homemade oxtail soup is that you can adapt the ingredients to your -and your guests- personal tastes and dietary preferences.

For example, you can prepare the recipe for oxtail soup with vegetable broth, use homemade broth, or the same amount of cups of water and a bouillon cube.

To give a modern twist to the old-fashioned oxtail soup recipe you can add ginger and soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, baby spinach, or corn.

To go back to the hearty roots of this easy oxtail soup then you can add more proteins such as Andalusian chorizo, pork belly, veal, lamb, or cubed chicken thighs.

Also, the keto oxtail soup is a delicious Spanish oxtail soup that’s perfect for those who are on a keto diet.

Tips on Serving Homemade Oxtail Soup

The serving is one of the most important steps while making a dish because it gives you the chance to enjoy your food simply or elevate it to the next level.

When it comes to the homemade oxtail soup, you can stay on the classic Andalusian style and serve it just with some chopped fresh parsley on top, or do like the oxtail stew with potatoes and serve it with a side of roasted vegetables.

Now to elevate the traditional oxtail soup recipe, grate some manchego or parmesan cheese on top, or you can add a drizzle of different sauces such as balsamic glaze, basil pesto, etc.

Besides that, you can enjoy your homemade oxtail soup as a main dish (with some bread slices to dip in), or serve a small portion and use it as an appetizer.

How to Store Homemade Oxtail Soup

The reason why most of the recipes for oxtail soup stand out is that you can follow the full recipe step by step and then store them for later, saving time and effort.

Once you finish making the Spanish soup recipe you have to let your soup cool to room temperature, and then pour it in a covered container with a lid and plastic wrap on contact with the top of the soup (so that it doesn’t form a crust).

Then, take your homemade oxtail soup to the soup for up to 3 days or to the freezer for up to 45 days (add a label on the container so that you keep track of the dates).

After that, you can thaw your simple oxtail soup overnight in the fridge, and then reheat it over medium heat at the stove or in the microwave, also stirring from time to time.

Are you looking for more oxtail soup recipes that you can prepare and store to enjoy later?

Then we invite you to check our oxtail noodle soup and our classic Spanish oxtail soup.

Recipe Card: Homemade Oxtail Soup

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