Yummy Oxtail And Butter Beans Recipe

If you want to improve your cooking skills but are on a tight budget, some Spanish recipes can help you accomplish that task.

The oxtail and butter beans dish is a delicious Spanish stew that combines vegetables, oxtail, and butter beans to create a mesmerizing main dish.

In this article, you will learn how to cook oxtail and butter beans, along with some tips for storing, serving, and ways of customizing this recipe.

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

• Rabo de toro

• Basque oxtail stew

• Oven baked oxtail recipe

Background of the Dish

This beef oxtail recipe was only prepared by the lower classes of Andalusia, as it is a less expensive cut of meat, given that the tail is a tough and bony portion that requires slow cooking to become tender.

Since beans are also a relatively inexpensive ingredient, it was only a matter of time until both came together and created an authentic match made in heaven.

The oxtail and butter beans have a similar consistency to the traditional Spanish oxtail stew and are commonly served as a main dish.

In some cases, they may be garnished with grated cheese or chopped fresh herbs on top.

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Things You’ll Need for Oxtail And Butter Beans

To prepare this oxtail recipe you will need oxtail, butter beans, onions, carrots, celery stalk, garlic cloves, and broth.

The only equipment that you need for this oxtail and butter beans is a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg oxtail
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine
• 4 cups (1l) beef broth
• 2 cans (about 350gr each) of cooked butter beans
• 2 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

How to Make Oxtail And Butter Beans – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this simple oxtail recipe, you have to peel and chop the onion, celery stalks, and carrots into small dices. Peel and mince the garlic. Set them aside.

2. Now, pat the oxtail dry with the help of kitchen paper and chop it into bite-sized chunks. Season the pieces with salt, pepper, and paprika on each side.  

3. After that, heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear the oxtail pieces on all sides until golden brown. Remove and set them aside.

4. Using the same pot, add chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. The veggies will finish cooking later in this healthy oxtail recipe, so there is no need to cook them for longer now.

5. Then, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. In the meantime, rinse and drain the cooked canned butter beans.

6. Now, bring the browned oxtail pieces back to the pot. Also, add thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Stir well to coat the oxtail with the mixture.

7. To continue with this oxtails and beans recipe, pour in the beef broth, ensuring that the oxtail is covered. Bring the mixture to a boil.

8. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the oxtail is tender. In the final 30 minutes of cooking, add the drained butter beans to the pot.

9. Do a taste test on the oxtail and beans and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and discard them. 

10. To finish this recipe, ladle the oxtail butter beans into serving bowls.  Serve warm and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

As long as you have oxtail and some sort of beans, you can prepare this oxtail and beans recipe and adapt it to your preferences or what you have on hand.

Just like you would with oxtail soup with mixed vegetables, this oxtail and butter beans recipe pairs well with all sorts of veggies. You can add potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, etc.

If you are a fan of spicier dishes, you can take inspiration from the spicy oxtail recipe and add chili flakes, crushed jalapeño, and hot sauce to this oxtail and butter beans.

The butter beans are interchangeable with all kinds of beans, so you can make this an oxtail and lima beans recipe or go for bolder alternatives like black and white beans.

Try the oxtail casserole, our newest Spanish oxtail recipe.

Lastly, you can make this oxtails recipe with beef or vegetable broth or with water and bouillon cubes if you don’t have broth.

Tips on Serving Oxtail And Butter Beans

This oxtail and butter beans dish is the best recipe for oxtails because you can serve them as a main dish, an appetizer, or include them in different recipes.

The butter beans and oxtails shine on their own as a main dish, and you can top them with grated Parmesan or Manchego cheese.

A match made in heaven would be to serve it like oxtails and rice, as the neutral flavor of the rice leaves room for the oxtail to stand out.

Besides that, the oxtail and butter beans could be the toppings for the classic Spanish oxtail soup, as their consistency is similar to the braised oxtail.

If you want to serve the oxtail and butter beans as an appetizer, you would have to serve them in smaller portions with your favorite type of bread or toasted bread.

How to Store Oxtail And Butter Beans

Once you finish making the easy oxtail recipe, you can store this dish in the fridge or freezer, but there are some steps that you have to follow.

First, let the oxtail and butter beans cool to room temperature, and then place them in a covered freezer-safe container.

After that, you will be able to store the dish from the best oxtail recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 45 days (add a label so you don’t exceed that time).

To reheat the oxtail and butter beans, the best alternative is to do it in the oven or a large pot over medium heat (adding broth or water to recover the liquid content).

We have more Spanish oxtail recipes that you can prepare and store for later, such as the slow cooker oxtail and the roasted oxtail.

Recipe Card: Oxtail And Butter Beans

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