Beef Bourguignon Recipe - Old Fashioned Comfort Food! (2024)

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This easy Beef Bourguignon will wow your family and delight your appetite! A classic dish of tender beef stew simmered in a hearty sauce prepared with red wine, beef broth, bacon, and mushrooms. It’s old fashioned comfort food at its finest.

For a complete meal, serve it with my freezer mashed potatoes and a refreshing butternut squash salad. The creamy mashed potatoes go perfectly with the rich flavors of the stew, while the salad adds a touch of sweetness and freshness.

Thanks to the fun foodie tale, Julie and Julia, you may be familiar with Julia Child’s famous recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, pronounced booff-boar-gone-yawn, and also known as Beef Burgundy. Similar to its sister dish, Coq Au Vin, this recipe is a labor of love. However, as awesome as that is, I’ve cut the recipe down to the essentials so that you can make this stew in just a fraction of the time!

Why You’ll Love Beef Bourguignon

• Classic Flavor Fusion: Combines essential flavors of beef stew like onions, carrots, chuck roast, mushrooms, herbs, wine, and bacon for a rich, traditional taste.
• Streamlined Recipe: Simplifies Julia Child’s classic recipe, maintaining deliciousness while reducing complexity. She was known for her love of French cuisine and the classics like bouillabaisse and chicken paillard.
• Simplified Yet Rich: Retains the depth and richness of a traditional stew but with fewer steps for a rewarding yet easier cooking experience.

What You’ll Need

When it comes to making an authentic beef bourguignon recipe, the classic French dish features a rich and savory sauce made with Burgundy wine, tender chuck roast, and a mix of aromatic vegetables. Here’s a detailed list of the ingredients you’ll need to bring this timeless recipe to your table.

• Bacon: I use 5 slices of thick cut bacon, diced.
• Chuck Roast: This primal cut of beef is great for low and slow cooking and perfect for bourguignon. Keep the thinner, smaller cuts for beef stroganoff. You’ll need 2 ½ pounds of boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Flour: For coating the beef.
• Carrots: You’ll need a pound of carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds.
• Onion: I use a yellow onion, but you can substitute 8 to 10 pearl onions to make it more authentic or use a white onion.
• Mushrooms: This recipe uses halved 8 ounces of fresh white mushrooms; if you wish, you can use baby bellas (crimini mushrooms) instead.
• Fresh Garlic: Mince the garlic, or put it through a garlic press.
• Tomato Paste: Be careful not to get tomato sauce, which is less concentrated and not as flavorful.
• Red Wine: Red Burgundy wine is preferred, or Pinot Noir, but you can use any good quality dry red wine.
• Beef Broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth or making your own beef broth ahead of time. You’ll need 1 ½ cups for the beef and ¼ cup to thicken the sauce.
• Fresh Parsley, Bay Leaf, and Thyme Sprigs
• Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce.

How To Make Beef Bourguignon

1. Sauté the Bacon. Set a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook them for about 6 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving the bacon drippings in the Dutch oven.
2. Brown the Beef. Sprinkle flour over the beef chunks; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set the Dutch oven on the heat again over medium-high. Working in batches, brown half of the beef cubes on all sides. Then brown the other half. This will take about 3 minutes per batch. Set the beef aside.
3. Sauté the Veggies. Add the carrots and onions to the Dutch oven and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions soften. Stir in the garlic and the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir to coat.
4. Add Remaining Ingredients and Simmer. Add the wine, broth, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, beef, bacon and bay leaf; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.
5. Remove Herbs and Thicken Sauce. Remove the parsley, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup of beef broth and the cornstarch to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the pot and whisk to combine. Simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes or until sauce is thickened.
6. Finish the Dish. Remove the stew from the heat, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

My slow cooker mashed potatoes, or these easy mashed potatoes, always make a perfect partner to beef bourguignon. You could also try something lighter like this creamy mashed cauliflower or my delicious mashed turnips. Consider serving it with a radish cucumber tomato salad or my kale quinoa salad.

I think chocolate is great anytime, and I recommend a slice of this chocolate mousse cake, or maybe a bite of chocolate fudge cake, or a hot cup of my thick and creamy slow cooker hot chocolate.

Storing Leftovers

To refrigerate, cover tightly or store in airtight containers. This stew will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To reheat, place the desired portion of stew in a covered saucepan over medium heat. Cook until just heated through.

More Beef Recipes

• Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy
• Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
• Rosemary Garlic Roast Beef
• Irish Guinness Beef Stew
• Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf