Easy Beef Bourguignon (French Beef Stew with Red Wine)

Looking for a rich and comforting dinner? This Easy Beef Bourguignon (French beef stew with red wine) is the ultimate one-pot meal. Tender beef slowly simmered with bacon, mushrooms, and vegetables in a silky red wine sauce – a classic that feels fancy yet simple enough for any home cook.

This simplified version keeps all the traditional flavor but with fewer steps, perfect for cozy weekends or special family dinners.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Beef Bourguignon is a world wide loved classic for a reason. This is one recipe where you want to take your time cooking it, drinking a glass of wine or two while preparing it, and show it a lot of love. Every step is worth it. Even though it’s been remade all over the world countless times by families over the decades, it’s an extremely forgiving recipe. We cut out a few steps to make it a little easier.
You don’t need to be an experienced cook to try this in your kitchen at home.

How to Make Beef Bourguignon Step-by-Step

For the best flavor, make the stew a day ahead and sauté the mushrooms and onions just before serving…

Best Cut of Beef for Bourguignon

The best cuts are well-marbled and suited for slow cooking: chuck, brisket, or stewing beef. We love brisket for its tender, fall-apart texture and deep flavor. Use what you can find, just avoid lean grilling cuts, which turn dry.

Which Red Wine is Best for Beef Bourguignon?

Choose a dry, drinkable red wine such as Pinot Noir (classic for Burgundy), or a medium bodied Merlot/Cabernet blend. A lighter style may sound surprising for a hearty stew, but it delivers balanced, complex flavor without overpowering the sauce.

Prefer to cook without alcohol? Substitute the wine with beef stock plus 1–2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar to mimic the wine’s brightness.

Tips for the Best Beef Bourguignon

Brown ingredients in batches. Proper browning builds deep flavor you can’t get by cooking everything at once.

Let it rest overnight. Like most stews, Beef Bourguignon tastes even better the next day as flavors meld and the sauce thickens slightly.

What do you serve with Beef Bourguignon?

Mashed Potatoes! You can also serve it with plain rice or noodles, or bread.

Love cozy one-pot meals? Try my Easy Pork Stew or these ultra-juicy Garlic Butter Chicken Bites.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing it is easy, even though the ingredients list may look daunting and long. You already know from our other recipes Pork blanquette or your favourite, that a long list of ingredients means incredibly delicious results!

It’s well worth taking the time to brown each of the ingredients individually before slow cooking in the braising liquid. The browning adds a depth of flavour you just can’t achieve by dumping everything in at the same time!

Bacon – Cook the bacon to render the fat (we’ll use it to brown the rest). Add 2 tablespoons oil and sauté the bacon over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned; remove and set aside.

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Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all side. Once browned, remove into a bowl;.
Be sure to use enough oil so the beef browns rather than burns. Work in batches and don’t crowd the pot otherwise the beef will just braise instead of brown.

In the remaining oil/bacon fat, add 2 tbsp. of butter. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, once browned remove into a bowl, then add carrots and diced onions and cook until softened, (5-6 minutes). Return the mushrooms and bacon into the pot, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 6 cloves minced garlic and cook for 3 minute.

Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add wine 2 cups and water 3 cups, return beef to pan, add thyme, salt, black pepper, bay leafs.

Stir well, cover the lid and simmer for 90 minutes.

Uncover and simmer 10–15 minutes more if needed to reduce the sauce to a silky, glossy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

Beef Bourguignon is Ready! Bon Appetit!

If you’ve never made Beef Bourguignon before, give this easy version a try – it’s the perfect way to impress family with minimal effort.

Serving Suggestion

Serve your Beef Bourguignon over creamy mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or fresh baguette slices to soak up the rich red wine sauce.

Storing & Reheating

Fridge: 3–4 days in an airtight container. Flavor improves overnight.

Reheat: Warm gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of beef stock or water to loosen the sauce.

Freeze: Up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as above.

More Delicious Comfort Food

You may also like this Best Pork Blanquette A traditional French dish of slow cooked Pork, is French cuisine at its best!
Of course, one of the Best Creamy Chicken Thighs deliciously creamy, easy to make and all made in one skillet!
Some of the best comfort foods, Best Creamy Beans Recipe!