Easy beef bourguignon recipe is a rich, flavorful beef stew that’s traditionally served over mashed potatoes for a hearty meal. This easy version is simplified for home cooks but still tastes incredible!
This Beef Bourguignon recipe a more simple take on the lengthy 8-page long recipe made famous by Julia Child and it tastes delicious. The recipe comes together much quicker while still giving the flavors time to meld. It’s a rich, hearty beef dinner that will have you fighting for the leftovers.
Dutch Oven Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon, also called Burgundy Beef is like beef stew only it doesn’t have potatoes in it. Instead it’s served over mashed potatoes. It’s honestly one of my favorite meals- the tender beef & rich, flavorful gravy are just amazing. It’s the perfect dish to make for dinner parties!
Beef Bourguignon Ingredients
-Bacon: You will need 6 ounces of fried and crumbled bacon. This is about 5 slices.
-Olive oil: Use 4 tablespoons of olive oil to help cook the veggies in.
-Garlic: You will need 2 teaspoons of minced garlic for added flavor.
-Beef chuck: Use 2 pounds of trimmed beef chuck that has been cut into 2-inch sized cubes. Pat them dry with paper towels.
-Salt and pepper: To help add flavor you will want to use salt and pepper.
-Flour: you will need about 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour to help coat the meat in.
-Onion: use one chopped medium-sized onion for added flavor.
-Carrots: You will need 1 cup of sliced carrots. This is about 2 or 3 large carrots.
-Red cooking wine: To make this more traditional use 1 1/2 cups of red cooking wine. It’s been tested with pricier wine and less expensive and no one can tell the difference!
-Beef stock: You will need 2 cups of beef stock or canned beef broth for added flavor in the broth. This is half of a 32-ounce carton.
-Diced tomatoes; You will need a can of diced tomatoes that have been drained. you can select a larger or smaller can depending on how much you want in your Bourguignon.
-Bay leaf: To add a lot of delicious flavor to your stew you will want to use 1 bay leaf.
-Seasonings: You will want to use 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon of allspice for a wonderfully spiced stew.
-Mushrooms: Add in an 8-ounce container of sliced mushrooms for a great tasting bourguignon.
How to Make Easy Beef Bourguinon
Prep Ingredients: Fry Bacon, Brown Beef
In a 6-8qt dutch oven, fry the bacon pieces until they’re crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut the beef up into 2″ cubes and then lightly pat them dry with paper towels. Put 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl and add in a few shakes of both salt and pepper. Coat the beef pieces in the flour and then set them aside until the bacon is done cooking.
Once the bacon is crispy, set it aside on a paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add in an additional 2 TBSP of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the beef and brown all of the sides. The meat doesn’t have to be cooked completely, but you want the sides to get nicely browned.
Dice the onion and slice the carrots. Crumble the bacon slices.
Combine Carrots, Onion & Beef. Deglaze pan with red wine.
Once the meat is browned, transfer it to a bowl. Don’t wash out the pan or feel like you have to scrape the pan out each time. Add in another 2 TBSP olive oil and warm that up over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced garlic, onions, and carrots. Toss the vegetables and cook for about another 5 minutes. Add the beef back into the pan, along with the bacon.
Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the mushrooms. Start with the cooking wine, adding it all at once and allowing it to boil slightly before adding in anything else.
Simmer Burgundy Beef to meld flavors
Stir the stew to combine the spices with the other ingredients. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring once every hour or so. Remove the lid for the last hour of simmering, to allow the stew to thicken.
About 15 minutes prior to serving, add in the mushrooms.
Serve as a main dish alone, or atop mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Burgundy Beef Sides
Being as this stew is just meat and vegetables, it is usually served with a starchy side dish. Most common it’s served on top of mashed potatoes. (Even sweet potatoes would be amazing!) If you don’t care for mashed potatoes, you can serve it on top of egg noodles, or even a low carb side like mashed cauliflower.
Do I have to add wine to Burgundy Beef?
The recipe below calls for red wine in the cooking process. It’s a fairly important part of the dish and is why it’s called “Burgundy Beef.” You can use any variety you want, don’t feel that you need the expensive stuff to do the trick, cheap works too. You can also switch out the alcohol completely for some apple or grape juice to make this recipe 100% alcohol-free. If you don’t want alcohol or juice, you can increase the beef broth to a total of 3 ½ cups.
Easy Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon (about 5 slices) fried and crumbled
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 lbs trimmed beef chuck cut into 2-inch cubes patted dry with paper towels
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 onion chopped
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 ½ cups red wine ***
- 2 cups beef broth or beef stock
- 14.25 oz diced tomatoes drained
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp allspice
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
Instructions
- Fry the bacon pieces until they’re crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut the beef up into 2″ cubes and lightly pat dry with paper towels. Put ¼ cup of flour in a small bowl and add a few shakes of both salt and pepper. Coat the beef pieces in the flour and set aside until the bacon is done cooking.
- Once the bacon is crispy, set it aside on a paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add an additional 2 TBSP olive oil and increase the heat to medium high. Once the oil is hot, add the beef and quickly brown all sides. Meat doesn’t have to be cooked completely, but you want the sides to get nicely browned.
- Dice onions and slice carrots. Crumble the bacon slices.
- Once meat is browned, transfer it to a bowl. Don’t wash out the pan or feel like you have to scrape the pan out each time. Add another 2 TBSP olive oil and adjust heat to medium. Once the oil is hot, add the diced garlic, onions and carrots. Toss the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beef back into the pan, along with the bacon.
- Add in the cooking wine, adding it in all at once and allowing it to boil slightly before adding in anything else. Add remaining ingredients, except for the mushrooms.
- Stir stew to combine spices with the other ingredients. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring once every hour or so. Remove the lid for the last hour of simmering, to allow the stew to thicken.
- About 15 minutes prior to serving, add the mushrooms. Serve as a main dish alone, or atop mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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What cut of beef is best for beef bourguignon?
You should want a nice lean stewing meat like chuck, brisket, or even round steak. These will yield far better results. I personally make this using a chuck steak. If you want to splurge, use short ribs. They taste incredible, but they are a much pricier option.
What is beef burgundy served with?
You can eat it also as-is or you can serve it with (or on top of) some mashed potatoes. Adding a side of cooked green beans or a loaf of French bread is also a great choice too!
How do you thicken beef bourguignon sauce?
You can thicken your bourguignon by adding a cornstarch slurry to the mix as it simmers. You won’t need much, maybe a tablespoon of each cold water and cornstarch. Just keep the ratio 1:1. Stir after adding and wait a minute for it to start doing its job. The hotter the stew the quicker it works.
Is beef bourguignon better the next day?
YES! This is one of those dishes where you actually WANT to eat the leftovers. After sitting in the fridge all day/night the stew has a great amount of time to let the flavors develop and it tastes incredible. As an added bonus once the dish has been chilled in the fridge for a few hours it’s easier to scoop off the fat layer making the soup a little healthier and less greasy when reheated.
More Stews and Soup Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- The Best Crockpot Beef Stew
- 20 Minute Chicken Stew
- Summer Vegetable Stew
- Sweet Chicken and Vegetable Curry Stew
- Crockpot Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- French Onion Tomato Soup
- Southwestern Chicken Verde Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 20 Minute Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Pizza Soup
- Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup
This easy beef bourguignon recipe is one that you’ll want to keep! The recipe comes together much quicker than its inspired counterpart. It’s a rich, hearty beef dinner that will have you fighting for the leftovers.
Nicole says
What liquid did you choose- cooking wine, apple juice, grape juice or beef broth? That can make a HUGE difference in overall taste, so I'm curious which you used and liked!
Jessica Williams- UDD, Butter with a Side of Bread says
Nicole- I use red cooking wine. 🙂
Nicole says
Made this tonight and it received rave reviews. It has been a while since I had Boeuf Bourguignon (Julia Child's recipe), but this version tasted as good as I remember the original. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
Marie says
Would this recipe work well in slow cooker?
Jessica says
Yes, it would Marie!