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freshly made beef bourguignon in a large pot.
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4.62 from 228 votes

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
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: beef bourguignon, beef stew, julia child recipes, stew
Servings: 8
Calories: 552kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

  • 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
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 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.
    process shots showing how to make beef bourguignon.
  • 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.
    process shots showing how to make beef bourguignon.
  • Stir in the mushrooms then sprinkle the flour over. Stir and let it cook for another 2 minutes.
    process shots showing how to make beef bourguignon.
  • 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.
    process shots showing how to make beef bourguignon.
  • 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.
    process shots showing how to make beef bourguignon.
  • Serve over cooked noodles or creamy mashed potatoes.

Video

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Nutrition

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