This easy Beef Bourguignon will wow your family and delight your appetite! A classic dish of tender beef stew simmered in a hearty sauce prepared with red wine, beef broth, bacon, and mushrooms. It’s old fashioned comfort food at its finest.
Thanks to the fun foodie tale, Julie and Julia, you may be familiar with Julia Child’s famous recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, pronounced booff-boar-gone-yawn, and also known as Beef Burgundy. Similar to its sister dish, Coq Au Vin, this recipe is a labor of love. However, as awesome as that is, I’ve cut the recipe down to the essentials so that you can make this stew in just a fraction of the time!
Why You’ll Love Beef Bourguignon
- Classic Flavor Fusion: Combines essential flavors of beef stew like onions, carrots, chuck roast, mushrooms, herbs, wine, and bacon for a rich, traditional taste.
- Streamlined Recipe: Simplifies Julia Child’s classic recipe, maintaining deliciousness while reducing complexity.
- Simplified Yet Rich: Retains the depth and richness of a traditional stew but with fewer steps for a rewarding yet easier cooking experience.
Ingredients For Beef Bourguignon
- Bacon: I use 5 slices of thick cut bacon, diced.
- Chuck Roast: You’ll need 2 ½ pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Flour: For coating the beef.
- Carrots: You’ll need a pound of carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds.
- Onion: I use a yellow onion, but you can substitute 8 to 10 pearl onions to make it more authentic or use a white onion.
- Mushrooms: This recipe uses halved 8 ounces of fresh white mushrooms; if you wish, you can use baby bellas (crimini mushrooms) instead.
- Fresh Garlic: Mince the garlic, or put it through a garlic press.
- Tomato Paste: Be careful not to get tomato sauce, which is less concentrated and not as flavorful.
- Red Wine: Red Burgundy wine is preferred, or Pinot Noir, but you can use any good quality dry red wine.
- Beef Broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth or making your own beef broth ahead of time. You’ll need 1 ½ cups for the beef and ¼ cup to thicken the sauce.
- Fresh Parsley, Bay Leaf, and Thyme Sprigs
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
How To Make Beef Bourguignon
- Sauté the Bacon. Set a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook them for about 6 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving the bacon drippings in the Dutch oven.
- Brown the Beef. Sprinkle flour over the beef chunks; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set the Dutch oven on the heat again over medium-high. Working in batches, brown half of the beef cubes on all sides. Then brown the other half. This will take about 3 minutes per batch. Set the beef aside.
- Sauté the Veggies. Add the carrots and onions to the Dutch oven and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions soften. Stir in the garlic and the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir to coat.
- Add Remaining Ingredients and Simmer. Add the wine, broth, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, beef, bacon and bay leaf; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.
- Remove Herbs and Thicken Sauce. Remove the parsley, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup of beef broth and the cornstarch to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the pot and whisk to combine. Simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes or until sauce is thickened.
- Finish the Dish. Remove the stew from the heat, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Beef Choices: We tried this with stewing beef and chuck roast; the chuck roast yielded juicier and overall better results.
- Wine: Beef Bourguignon is traditionally made with red burgundy.
- Use a Dutch oven: Dutch Ovens are the traditional choice for stews, and this recipe works particularly well with a Dutch Oven. The reason is because of the heavy thickness of the Dutch oven, as well as the tight-fitting lid. It’s easy to brown meat and veggies thoroughly, bring soups and stews to a boil, and simmer quietly for low-and-slow recipes.
- Cook Times Are Approximate: Keep in mind that it may take a longer or shorter amount of time to cook the beef until tender, so keep an eye on it to prevent over/undercooking. I usually start to test around the 45-minute mark.
- Let It Rest: It’s best to give the stew a slight rest before serving it, about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the flavors to mellow and blend properly.
Serving Suggestions
My Slow Cooker Country Style Garlic Mashed Potatoes or these easy Mashed Potatoes always make a perfect partner to beef bourguignon. You could also go low-carb with Creamy Mashed Cauliflower or Mashed Turnips. Consider serving it with my Radish Cucumber Tomato Salad or my Kale Quinoa Salad. I think chocolate is great anytime, and I recommend a slice of this Chocolate Mousse Cake, or maybe a bite of Keto Chocolate Fudge Cake, or a hot cup of my Thick and Creamy Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate.
Storing Leftovers
- To refrigerate, cover tightly or store in airtight containers. This stew will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, place the desired portion of stew in a covered saucepan over medium heat. Cook until just heated through.
More Beef Recipes
- Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Rosemary Garlic Roast Beef
- Irish Guinness Beef Stew
- Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf
Beef Bourguignon
A wonderfully classic dish of Beef Bourguignon simmered in a hearty sauce prepared with red wine, beef broth, bacon, and mushrooms.
Servings : 8
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 2½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ cups red Burgundy wine, like Pinot Noir, or use your favorite dry red wine
- 1½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup beef broth, for the slurry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, for the slurry
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Set a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced bacon to the Dutch oven and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in the Dutch oven.
- Sprinkle flour over the beef chunks; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Set the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, add half of the cubed beef chunks to the Dutch oven and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned on all sides.
- Remove the browned beef and set aside. Add remaining beef cubes and brown on all sides; remove beef and set aside with the rest.
- Set the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil, if needed. To the heated oil, add carrots and onions; cook for 5 minutes or until onions are just softened. Stir in the garlic, then stir in the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Stir in the wine, broth, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, beef, prepared bacon, and bay leaf; bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.
- When done, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from the stew.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the beef broth and cornstarch; whisk to combine.
- Add the slurry to the Dutch oven; stir well to combine and simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
- Remove from heat. Taste the stew for salt and adjust accordingly.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Slow Cooker Method:
- Sprinkle flour over the beef chunks, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Add diced bacon to a large skillet and cook until crispy; transfer it to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the burner and sear the beef cubes in batches until browned. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
- Return the skillet to the burner over medium-high heat and add olive oil; saute the carrots and onions for 3 minutes or until the onions are just softened. Add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a minute. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add wine, broth, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf; bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the stove and stir it into the slow cooker.
- Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.
- Use a Dutch Oven: A Dutch Oven is great for this stew, thanks to its thick structure and snug lid. It’s ideal for browning ingredients, boiling soups, and slow-cooking dishes.
- Beef Choices: We tried this with stewing beef and chuck roast; the chuck roast yielded juicier and overall better results. Brisket, chuck steak, and stewing beef work best.
- Cook Times: Keep in mind that it may take a longer or shorter amount of time to cook the beef until tender, so test it from time to time to prevent overcooking or undercooking. I usually start to test around the 45-minute mark.
- Let It Rest: It’s best to give the stew a slight rest before serving it, about ten to fifteen minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 478 kcal | Carbohydrates: 13 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 29 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 116 mg | Sodium: 738 mg | Potassium: 947 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 9585 IU | Vitamin C: 7 mg | Calcium: 50 mg | Iron: 4 mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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