Spanish Rabbit in Tomato Sauce

Rabbit stew with tomatoes

Getty Images / Brian Hagiwara

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Otherwise known as Estofado de Conejo en Tomate in Spanish, this simple rabbit recipe is easy, requiring only basic cooking skills. It is common for Spanish to eat rabbit and small game birds often. Rabbits are easy to find in any local food market or chain supermarket in Spain. This recipe cooks the rabbit in a rich tomato-wine sauce and is delicious. Serve in a bowl with home-fried potatoes

Tip: Ask your butcher to cut up the rabbit and the recipe will be even easier! If you can't buy rabbit in your local grocery store, use chicken. It tastes just as wonderful and chicken requires much less cooking time to be tender.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole rabbit (approximately 4 pounds)
  • 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 2 onions (sliced)
  • 1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig tarragon
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 sprig parsley
  • 3​ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Clean the rabbit, if necessary. Cut rabbit into small pieces (approximately 12 to 15 pieces). Chop onions, garlic, and celery.

  2. Pour enough olive oil into the bottom of large, heavy frying pan and heat on medium-high. When hot enough, place rabbit in pan and brown the pieces on all sides. Remove and set aside.

  3. Using the same pan, sauté the garlic, onion and crushed tomatoes for about 5 minutes. (If ingredients begin to stick, add more olive oil if necessary.) Add the bay leaf, tarragon, thyme, and chopped celery.

  4. Return the rabbit to the frying pan. Add the white wine and stir. Turn the heat up to bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by a half or two-thirds. Then, add the water and stir.

  5. Reduce heat. Cover the pan and simmer gently until cooked through -- an hour and a half to two hours. (If using chicken instead of rabbit, it will take only 30 to 45 minutes.) While the meat is simmering, chop parsley.

  6. Adjust salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot in bowls with fried potatoes and rustic bread.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
750 Calories
27g Fat
18g Carbs
96g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 750
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 293mg 98%
Sodium 211mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Protein 96g
Calcium 164mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)