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.
AN EASY RECIPE FOR BEEF BOURGUIGNON
Partly thanks to the fun foodie tale, Julie and Julia, you may be familiar with Julia Child’s famous recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, aka Beef Burgundy. It has quite a few steps and recipes-within-recipes for the bacon, for the mushrooms, the beef, and the sauce, and so on and so forth…
Well, as awesome as that IS, my easy recipe is a tad easier! I’ve cut the recipe down to the bacon-y essentials, so you can put a delectable meal on the table in just a fraction of the time!
WHAT IS BEEF BOURGUIGNON?
So what exactly is Beef Bourguignon? Well, it’s a kind of French beef stew that focuses on key flavors that mesh together perfectly: stewing beef, onions and carrots; mushrooms, thyme and parsley; red wine and bacon.
Similar to its sister dish that comes from the same region of Burgundy, Coq Au Vin, or Chicken in Wine, this recipe is a labor of love! A rich, comforting, and wonderfully delicious dish, especially when served with a starchy side to take advantage of the sumptuous sauce.
WHY IT’S BEST TO USE A DUTCH OVEN FOR THIS CLASSIC RECIPE
Dutch Ovens are the traditional choice for stews, and this one 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.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Bacon: I use 5 slices of thick cut bacon, diced. You can substitute thin cut bacon or chunks of bacon.
- Chuck Roast: You’ll need 2 ½ pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Flour: For coating the beef.
- Salt and Pepper
- 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 you can also use a white onion.
- Mushrooms: This recipe uses 8 ounces of fresh white mushrooms, halved; 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 and Thyme Sprigs: Two of each.
- Bay Leaf: One whole dried bay leaf.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish.
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 pieces; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set the Dutch oven on the heat again, this time at 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 onions are just softened. 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 and thyme sprigs. as well as the bay leaf. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup of beef broth and the cornstarch rice to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the Dutch Oven and whisk to combine. Simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes, or until sauce is thickened.
- Finish the Dish. Remove the Beef Bourguignon from the heat, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.
- Enjoy!
TIPS FOR THE BEST BEEF BOURGUIGNON
- Use Moderately Lean Stewing Meat: You might think that a more expensive cut of meat like ribeye would make this recipe even better, but actually you need the “toughness” of stewing beef in order for the long, low cook time to work its magic, breaking down the stewing beef into a tender and juicy bite. Steak won’t cut it, unless it’s a chuck steak.
- 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 test it now-and-then 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 ten to fifteen minutes. This allows the flavors to mellow and blend properly. Otherwise, you may find it too pungent.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Mashed Potatoes or Cauliflower: Such a delicious way to make the most of that amazing sauce! My Slow Cooker Country Style Garlic Mashed Potatoes make a perfect partner to this dish, or you could go low-carb awesome with Creamy Mashed Cauliflower or Mashed Turnips. Yum!
- Salad: I love serving a fresh and crunchy salad to give a bit of contrast to a hearty dish like Beef Bourguignon. You could do a Caesar or garden salad, or do something different with my Radish Cucumber Tomato Salad.
- Chocolate: You knew I was gonna go there, didn’t you? 😊 Yes, I think chocolate is great anytime, but trust me: it’s the perfect ending to this delicious meal. I recommend a Keto Chocolate Fudge Cake, or a hot cup of my Thick and Creamy Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate. Bliss! 😍
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT 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
ENJOY!
Tools Used in this Recipe
Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 2 ½ 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
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups Red Burgundy wine, like Pinot Noir, or use your favorite dry red wine
- 1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 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 8 minutes, or until crispy.
- Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in the Dutch oven.
- Sprinkle flour over beef chunks; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Set Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, add half of the beef cubes to the Dutch oven and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
- Remove browned beef and set aside.
- Add remaining beef cubes and brown on all sides; remove beef and set aside with the rest.
- Set 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.
- Add 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.
- Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
- In a small mixing bowl combine beef broth and cornstarch; whisk to combine.
- Add the slurry to the Dutch oven; stir to combine.
- Simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes, or until sauce is thickened.
- Remove from heat. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
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.
Yum! This looks so delicious and perfect for my family! I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
What’s not to love about this classic that is so rich and filling? Wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
After finishing the wine, I’ll be craving the Crack Chicken!
Such an amazing comfort dish! I will definitely make it!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is soo much easier, but it’s still the same classic taste I love! Beautiful flavors
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
What a wonderful recipe! The meat was fall-apart tender and all the flavors came together perfectly. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Perfect for those chilly evenings, it looks so filling and hearty!
Served this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! So bold and hearty; the whole family loved it!
Great flavor – I made this last weekend and it was a hit in my house!
This is such a delicious classic dish! Love all of the flavors together!