Beef Bourguignon
This Beef Bourguignon is a classic French beef stew recipe adapted from Julia Child, full of flavorful tender beef in a rich red wine sauce. It's so much more than just a beef stew, it's comforting and a must try!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total Time3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: beef bourguignon, beef stew, julia child recipes, stew
Servings: 8
Calories: 552kcal
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional
- 8 slices bacon thick cut, chopped
- 3 pounds stewing beef lean, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound pearl onions peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper ground, or to taste
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound mushrooms chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon thyme fresh
- 2 cups beef broth low sodium or no sodium added
- 3 cups red wine
Add the bacon to a large Dutch oven or a heavy based pot that's oven safe 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. Add a bit of olive oil if needed, in between batches. I did 3 batches, but depends on the size of your pot.
Add all the beef back to the pot. Next, add the chopped onion, carrot, pearl onions, garlic and season with some salt and pepper. 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.
Next add the cooked bacon back into the pot along with the tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. Then pour in the red wine and beef broth. 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, transfer it to the oven and cook for 2½ hours stirring every hour. I like to remove the lid half hour before finished cooking.
Serve over cooked noodles or creamy mashed potatoes.
- 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: Follow all the steps up to and including 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" or manual 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.
- Pat the meat dry. Use paper towels to pat the cubed stew meat dry to remove any excess moisture before you cook it. This helps to get a better sear on the meat, which makes the stew more flavorful.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 1197mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1611IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 5mg