Don’t let the fancy name fool you; this Beef Bourguignon recipe is actually easy to make!
A French classic, this stew is filled with tender beef, vegetables, and bacon all slow-cooked in a rich, red wine broth.
You’ll Love Beef Bourguignon Because…
- It’s a complete meal in just one pot with a rich red wine gravy.
- It’s fancy to say, fancy to eat, and easy to make—this is a simplified version of a Julia Child recipe.
- The beef is slow-cooked until it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the flavor is unmatched.
- This meal is great to prep ahead since it reheats and freezes well.
What Goes Into Beef Bourguignon
Beef: My first choice is always beef chuck since it comes out so incredibly tender. I buy a roast, trim off the fat, and cut it into 1-inch cubes. You can also use stewing beef, round steak, or brisket.
Bacon: Bacon adds flavor and salt to this recipe, and the fat is used to simmer the beef.
Wine: Wine flavors the broth in addition to tenderizing the beef. Choose a dry red like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Burgundy. No need for pricey bottles of wine for cooking, although Julia preferred to ‘test’ the wine while she cooked—and I’m right there with her!
Vegetables: This cozy country stew uses onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. You can add other root vegetables as well.
Seasonings: Use fresh or dried herbs in this recipe. Other flavor boosters include bacon,
Option: Potatoes on the Side
I add the potatoes to the stew as I like it all to cook at once—I find it a bit easier since I don’t need to cook a second side dish.
If you’d prefer, leave the potatoes out of the stew and spoon the stew over mashed potatoes or homemade egg noodles. Other veggies to add are celery, diced sweet potatoes, or pearl onions.
How to Make Beef Bourguignon
- Cook the bacon until crisp. Set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Sear the chunks of beef and soften the onion.
- Stir in remaining ingredients, cover, and bake (recipe below).
- Stir half the bacon, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with the remaining bacon.
While it seems fancy, it’s actually easy to make! Serve it with crusty bread for dipping and dunking.
Holly’s Tips and Tricks
- Wine is an essential ingredient in this beef bourguignon recipe. If you don’t have wine, I would recommend making either beef stew or a goulash for a similar dish.
- Cooking low and slow ensures the most tender meat. If the meat is not tender, it needs more time.
- The onions will dissolve into the sauce—if you’d like chunks of onion in the stew, soften them with a bit of butter and add them after 90 minutes of cooking.
- Thicken beef bourguignon further with cornstarch slurry. Combine 2 tablespoons each of cornstarch and cold water. Drizzle into the simmering stew while whisking to thicken—you may not need all the mixture.
Storage and Leftovers
Beef bourguignon is one of those meals that tastes just as good (or even better) the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat on the stovetop. Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 4 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
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Did your family love this Beef Bourguignon? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon chopped, thick sliced preferred
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast trimmed and cubed, or stewing beef*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth or beef stock, heated
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 12 ounces mushrooms halved
- 1 pound baby potatoes halved, optional
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 whole bay leaf
- chopped fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it's crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Gently dab the beef dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Increase the stove to medium-high and sear the beef, in small batches, until browned. Once browned, transfer to a plate.
- In the same pot, add the onions and carrots. You can add a bit of oil if needed. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions soften slightly.
- Add the browned beef to the pot and sprinkle with flour, stirring to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth all at once and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add wine, mushrooms, potatoes (if using), tomato paste, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the oven. Bake the stew for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in ¾ of the bacon. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with remaining bacon.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, French© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Great recipe, but I might add the carrots and potatoes later on if you like a firmer texture. I added my potatoes about a half hour before taking it out of the oven. I also fried the mushrooms until golden brown for additional flavor, although it did introduce more fat, I think it was worth it.
Beef Bourguignon Well I have never tried this so it’s gonna be interesting looks delicious and Red wine with this can’t go wrong thanks again spendwithpennies again you have made my day looks delicious and I have to try it out 100percent.
Can I use my slow cooker for this recipe? Low for 4 hours?
While I haven’t tried it, I do think it would work in a slow cooker. I would suggest preparing the recipe as directed and following the cook times on our Crock Pot Beef Stew. Let us know how it goes for you!
I don’t drink. Can you replace the wine with something else?
You can use additional broth however, a big part of the flavor of this recipe is from the wine.
I got another question. I’m a little cautious about putting my Dutch oven in the oven. Can you do whole dish on the stove instead?
While I haven’t tried this recipe on the stove, I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work—I would suggest following the cooking times in my beef stew recipe. Hope that helps!
Looks great…can’t wait to make. One question…could I use a slow cooker for this? 8 hrs on low, or 4 hrs on high…recommendation? Thanks in advance! ;)
While I haven’t tried it, I do think it would work in a slow cooker. I would suggest preparing the recipe as directed and following the cook times on our Crock Pot Beef Stew. Let us know how it goes for you!
White mushrooms or are baby bells ok?
Either will work!
I have made this several times and my family loves it. We have something going on and I am wondering how this might do in the crockpot vs. simmering on the stove.
While I haven’t tried it, I do think it would work in a slow cooker. I would suggest preparing the recipe as directed and following the cook times on our Crock Pot Beef Stew. Let us know how it goes for you!
Gorgeous! I made it for a dinner party and it was a hit. I had a seafood dish planned and discovered that one of the guests wouldn’t eat it. So I scrambled to prepare this at the last minute, let it cook during during the afternoon, and just left it in the oven on warm until dinner. Didn’t change a thing, and it had just the right consistency. I used to live near France and know that the French would add a chunk of chocolate at the end to get that glossy, rich sauce, but this this recipe was amazing on its own and didn’t need it. It went perfectly with your garlic mashed potatoes, some buttered green beans and crusty bread. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Thank you, Holly!
I’m so glad you loved it Kay, sounds like a delicious meal to share with your guests.
I have never written a recipe review in my life but this was just fabulous. I used a bit less beef and added a couple of russet potatoes and it turned out perfectly. My kitchen smells amazing and it’s the perfect meal for a rainy night in New England!
Thank you so much for leaving a review Krys, I really appreciate it! I’m so glad you loved this meal.
So delicious!!! Starting a family tradition. This will be our New Year Day dinner. We bought a 3 lb chuck roast and cut it up into 1 inch pieces. It was perfect you could cut it with a fork!!! Thank you Holly !!!
Can I double the recipe for a party of 12? Also, if we don’t eat pork, will turkey bacon work?
Hi Atia, I have not tried doubling this recipe but it should work as long as you have a big enough pot or dutch oven. Turkey bacon will work as a substitute for bacon for sure! We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Made this today. It was absolutely delicious. Served over mashed with a side of French bread. I have never rated or commented on a recipe before but just had to let you know. The smell as it cooked was divine and the recipe is very easy.
So happy to hear that, Ann!
I made it without changing anything, but left the potatoes out. It smelled absolutely amazing while it was cooking in the oven, and my husband and I couldn’t wait for it to be done! I thickened the sauce with a little bit of cornstarch and then we devoured it with mashed potatoes on the side. Tomorrow I’ll cook some wide egg noodles, because I’m sure that’ll be delicious as well!!!
Really really good, but extremely rich! I made it with potatoes and will serve it over mashed potatoes next time.
How to substitute the red wine?
You can replace it with additional beef broth.
I made this last and it’s quickly become my favorite dish! Thank you for your recipes! I live on your app! Lol.