Beef Bourguignon is slow-simmer comfort in one pot, with a rich red wine gravy. A classic French beef stew where chunks of beef are braised low and slow in gravy with mushrooms, carrots, herbs, and bacon until melt-in-your-mouth tender.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
Don’t let the fancy name fool you; this Beef Bourguignon recipe is actually easy to make!
- Flavor: Rich and cozy with tender beef, savory mushrooms, and a deep, slow-simmered sauce that is warm and comforting.
- Technique: Searing the beef is an important step since it builds deep flavor, and cooking the flour briefly helps create a rich, velvety gravy without extra thickeners.
- Recommended Tools: A Dutch oven helps distribute heat evenly and gives you nice, reliable browning.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with crusty homemade bread & butter for soaking up all that savory sauce.
- Freezing: Beef bourguignon is freezer-friendly and perfect for make-ahead lunches or batch cooking.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef Chuck Roast: My first choice is always beef chuck since it comes out so incredibly tender. And it’s budget-friendly, so it’s the best of both worlds. Trim and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
- Bacon: Thick-cut pieces of chopped bacon are best for this dish. The bacon fat adds flavor when browning the beef.
- Vegetables: Use red or gold baby potatoes, or potato chunks. Mushrooms, carrots, and onions provide the base for an excellent stew.
- Gravy: Red wine is the key ingredient. Choose a dry wine like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Burgundy. Beef broth (or stock if you have it), tomato paste, garlic, and herbs finish the job to perfection.
Variations
- For a more traditional French version (à la Julia Child), saute or braise mushrooms and pearl onions and add them at the end, so they don’t break down in the stew.
- You can also use stewing beef, round steak, or brisket. These cuts of beef will likely need more time in the oven than chuck, so make sure the beef is fork-tender before removing the beef bourguignon from the oven.
- Use pancetta in place of bacon for a milder, less smoky flavor. Taste and adjust the salt as you go, because pancetta is often a bit saltier than bacon.
- Try skipping the potatoes and serve red wine beef stew over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or buttered noodles.
How to Make Beef Bourguignon
- Crisp the bacon, then sear the beef in batches.
- Soften onions and carrots, stir in flour. Add warm broth and deglaze the pan.
- Add remaining ingredients, cover, and bake (full recipe below).
- Adjust seasoning and garnish with bacon.
Tips for the Best Results
- 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.
- Pat the beef dry and sear in batches without crowding the pan.
- Room temperature wine and broth will keep the stew cooking at the same temperature when added.
- Cooking low and slow ensures the most tender meat. If the meat is not tender, it needs more time.
- Thicken beef bourguignon further with a 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.
Storing and Reheating
This dish is perfect for making ahead since flavors marry and it tastes even better the next day!
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat gently either on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of broth to loosen the sauce.
Cozy Cold Weather Favorites
Did you make this Beef Bourguignon? Leave a rating and comment below!
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 Dutch oven or a large oven-safe pot, 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 heat to medium-high and sear the beef in small batches until 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 back 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 2½ 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 and chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
*If using stewing beef, you may need a little bit of extra time for it to become tender.
- Potatoes can be added to this stew or leave them out and serve the stew over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Use baby potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes.
- Choose a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet, or Merlot. Wine is needed to flavor this recipe.
- To Thicken stew further after baking, combine equal parts cornstarch and water. Add to simmering stew a little bit at a time while whisking to reach desired consistency.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 582 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1416mg | Potassium: 1293mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2694IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 5mg
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.
I made this again using baby red potatoes. It is amazing! Thank you Holly!
Absolutely scrumptious!!! Skipped the potatoes, opting to serve over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side. Mmmmmmmmm! Thank you.
you recommended this as an alternative to beef stew cooked in oven…Wow, so easy, so delicious and such a warm, comfy meal during these cold days….left overs were even better.
Thank you!!
Mary
Can this be made in a slow cooker on top of 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!
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.