This Beef Bourguignon is a classic French beef stew recipe adapted from Julia Child. This Beef Bourguignon is so much more than just a beef stew, it’s comforting and heavenly and a must try!
With the super cold weather we’ve been having, one of my favorite things to make for dinner are stews and soups. My version of beef bourguignon takes Julia Child’s classic French recipe and simplifies it a bit. I wanted this to be simple enough for anyone to make and all in one pot. The one thing that is required is to slowly cook this for 2 to 3 hours, until the beef is super tender and melts in your mouth.
WHAT IS BEEF BOURGUIGNON
Beef Bourguignon also known as beef Burgundy because it originates from the Burgundy region in France. It is a very popular and classic French recipe.
Traditionally the dish is made with lardons which are cubes of pork fat, but I made it here with thick cut bacon instead. The bacon is fried first, then the beef is browned in the bacon fat. This will give your stew a deep and savory flavor which we crave, the kind that makes you want to lick your plate clean.
Usually the mushrooms and onions are cooked separately but you all know I love my one pot dishes, so I cooked everything together. I could not tell the difference; the flavors are still all there in this incredible beef stew.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BEEF BOURGUIGNON
This Beef Bourguignon really is simple to make once all your prep work is done, the hardest part is waiting for it to cook in the oven. You do want to cook it for the full 2 1/2 hours because that’s what makes the beef super tender, so tender it will melt in your mouth.
Julia Child’s recipe, while a classic, has an insane amount of steps and let’s be honest, we don’t have that kind of time. If you follow my simple steps for making this, you won’t regret it. Still the same flavor, but so much less effort.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BEEF BOURGUIGNON
I love serving this beef stew over noodles but I have served it with mashed potatoes as well. It’s such a comforting dish perfect for a cold winter night like we’re having here.
CAN I FREEZE BEEF BOURGUIGNON
Yes, you can. Beef Bourguignon will freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost completely overnight in the fridge then warm through over low heat.
CRAVING MORE STEWS? TRY THESE:
Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 slices bacon thick cut, chopped
- 3 lbs stewing beef lean, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 lb pearl onions peeled
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper ground, or to taste
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb mushrooms chopped
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups red wine
- 2 cups beef broth low sodium or no sodium added
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp thyme fresh
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a heavy based pot that's oven safe. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined bowl and set aside.
- Add the stewing beef in batches and brown well on all sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining beef. I did 3 batches, but depends on the size of your pot.
- Add the chopped onion, carrot, pearl onions and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent.
- Stir in the mushrooms then sprinkle the flour over. Stir and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beef and bacon back to the pot.
- Add the red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme and stir. Bring to a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees while you're bringing the stew to a boil.
- Cover the pot with a lid, place in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours stirring every hour.
- Serve over cooked noodles or creamy mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
- Which wine works best: Beef Bourguignon is typically made with a red Burgundy such as a Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. You want a red wine that has enough tannins to counter the rich and tender stewed beef.
- Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon: I would still follow all the steps up to step 5 then transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon: This can easily be done in the IP, use your Saute mode to cook everything as instructed up to and including step 5 then cover up the IP and press the "meat/stew" button and set the timer to 35 minutes. After 35 min of high pressures, allow the IP to naturally cool and release pressure before opening the lid.
- Nutrition: Nutritional information does not include noodles or mashed potatoes. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition
Hi — When using a slow cooker, do I cut down on the amount of liquid used (wine, broth)?
If you cut down any of the liquid cut down the beef broth to 1 cup.
I made this for dinner, last night, using some stew beef I got on sale. It’s getting seriously wintery here, north of Washington DC, and that means stews, roasts and hearty soups season!
After browning the bacon, beef, onions, carrots and garlic, and mushrooms according to Jo’s recipe, I dumped it all in my Instant Pot with the remaining ingredients and set it to the Slow Cooker-High setting. I also added 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce (for added umami mouth-feel) and used arrowroot powder in place of the flour, including an extra Tbsp. for a bit thicker gravy.
Six hours later I had the richest, most fragrant and delicious beef bourguignon I’ve ever tasted! My g/f, a self-admitted food snob, said it was ever better than the aroma wafting through the house led her to imagine. This recipe is a guaranteed dinner party win, and using a slow cooker instead of the oven frees it up for the accompanying side dishes.
Thank you, Jo, you’ve hit another tough pitch out of the park for a walk-off win!
We love it! The Instant Pot is in high use this time of year, we’ll have to try out your version.
Hi, i have the 6 quart instant pot, would i still be able to make the recipe for 8 servings.I dont want to overload it. thanks
We used a large dutch oven for this recipe, so I would cut this down to 6 or 4 servings for a 6 qt instant pot. You can adjust this by hovering you mouse cursor over the number of servings in the recipe card. A sliding bar will appear.
This sounds amazing! If I cut the recipe in half, would I still need to cook it for the same amount of time in the oven or slow cooker?
Yes you would keep the time the same, the beef still would take the same amount of time to cook.
Made yesterday for dinner. It was fantastic! I did add a few extra carrots. I also browned the mushrooms (baby bellas) in a pan and added them the last half hour. I didn’t want them to get over cooked. Other than that followed as directed in dutch oven. This is definitely one of my new favorites. Thanks for sharing.
Made this tonight for dinner and it turned out amazing!! I did add a few more carrots, other than that I followed the recipe as written. I served it with some mash potatoes and it was a hit, I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the great recipe!!
Oh my goodness! So so yummy! I used baby carrots and they soaked up a lot of flavor. The beef I sent very tender and the sauce is delish. I used 2x garlic just cuz I love it. Used a whole bottle of Mondavi Merlot—$12–I didn’t intend to pay so much but I couldn’t find a price. Anyway, I couldn’t wait to cook noodles or potatoes, so just ate a dish of it. And it’s 95 degrees in NC — not a day for a hot dish, but who cares when it’s as good as this one. Thanks for the recipe and great details.
So so glad you enjoyed this dish, Maggie!! xoxo
Can I freeze this a couple of weeks ahead of time?
Yes, it’ll freeze up to 3 months.
Do I need to use beef chuck roast. I’ve read that in other recipes. Stew meat isn’t recommended. What do you think
Stewing meat is usually chuck or round, tougher cuts which is what you want for this, so stew meat is fine. When cooked for a long time they become super tender.
Enjoyed this immensely. Served with crunchy French bread.
This recipe looks delicious. I’m not a fan of beef broth. Can you recommend anything as a replacement?
I suppose you could use chicken broth or vegetable broth, but if you don’t want to use any broth at all, you could just add water.
I have this in my crock pot and it doesnt seem to be thickening
You could always whisk a bit more flour with some of the liquid from the stew and add it back to the pot, that should thicken it nicely.
This was so delicious and well worth the extra prep work! I made mine int he crock pot and it turned out perfect.
Delicious! My doesn’t-much-care-for-meat daughter raved about this dish. I added about five more carrots and sauteed the mushrooms separately to be added on the side due to mushroom haters and my son’s allergy.
Having this for dinner. My house smells so good. I added two extra carrots. Anyway, I cannot wait to serve this. I have tried several of your recipes and they have been delicious. Thank you. I would like to make your chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I know I will have no portion control, so I will wait till I lose a few more pounds.
Ha, I know all about no portion control. 🙂
I cooked it and it was great but I personally would add at least 3 carrots to this dish to make it a little fuller.
Jan. 17, 2-18
Jo, I made this bourguignon dish last night. I followed it to the letter, but nowhere in the final steps was it mentioned when to put the beef and bacon in. Fortunately, I’m not a novice cook so knew when to add both. I scoured the directions over and over just to make sure I had not overlooked anything.
The dish is very good, tasty and my husband liked it too. I will recommend this to my family and friends. I’m a 72 year old grandma and found it too labor intensive. That’s on me. Was so good on a cold evening. Maybe my husband can make it.
I have enjoyed your other recipes and your blog, reading about your trips and where and what foods to eat. Love your blog, keep up the good work!
Oh it’s in step 4, I had initially forgot it but added it a couple days ago. It is a labor intensive recipe, which is why I tried to simplify it as much as possible. Glad you liked it though. 🙂
The instructions do not tell when to add the beef and bacon back in the pot.
Oops, there now, good thing there’s a video. 🙂
Yes I did see it in the video! Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious!! It was a lot of prep work, but well worth it. Will try it in the instant pot next time 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!!
My pleasure!
I cooked Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon for Christmas a few years ago and it was delicious! I love the fact that you simplified it, I also prefer using less pans when cooking, nobody ever seems to help with the dishes… 🙂
I know, right? We’ll just have to work harder on getting others to do the dishes. 🙂
Wonderful! Have always wanted to make this dish and love the scene of it being prepared in the movie Julue&Julia.
Supreme comfort to be sure. Your other recipes listed at the bottom of the page look delicious also. Thank you for this recipe. Will take a photo when able.
Oh I love that movie! Please do, and share it on facebook on instagram with me. 🙂