Servings
Font
Back
4.9 from 246 votes

French Beef Stew (Boeuf Bourguignon)

This is hands-down a favorite dish to serve for friends and family. If you plan ahead, you can have this entire dish made the night before to let flavors meld, which makes your dinner party that much easier.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Servings: 8
Calories: 471 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French , American

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 12 oz thick applewood smoked bacon diced
  • 3 lbs chuck beef trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 lb carrots peeled and cut into chunks or coins
  • 2 yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 10 cloves chopped garlic
  • ½ cup cognac
  • 2 cups good quality Pinot Noir or other full-bodied Burgundy wine
  • 3 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 2 TB tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 4 TB butter room temperature
  • 3 TB flour
  • 1 lb frozen pearl onions whole
  • 1 lb fresh button or cremini mushrooms thickly sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position.  Heat 2 TB oil in large Dutch oven (or heavy, oven-safe pot with tight fitting lid.)  Add bacon and cook over medium until evenly and lightly browned throughout.  Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a large plate.  Remaining oil and grease should stay in the pot.
  2. Using paper towels, thoroughly dry uncooked beef and sprinkle the cubes evenly with a thin layer of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Reheat the oil/bacon grease in the Dutch oven and sear the beef cubes in a single layer, working in batches, until each cube is brown on all sides.  Do not over crowd the pan, making sure to leave some space between each piece of beef.  Add more oil as needed to finish browning.  Set beef aside in plate with the bacon.
  3. If needed, heat 2 TB oil in pot. Add carrots, onions, garlic, 1 TB kosher salt, 2 tsp black pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until onions are lightly browned. Deglaze bottom of pot, adding 1 TB oil as needed.  Add Cognac and cook another 10 minutes on medium.
  4. Add beef and bacon back into Dutch oven with their juices.  Add the wine and enough beef broth to almost cover all the meat.  Add tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaves.  Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally.  Once liquid is reaches a simmer, cover the pot with tight fitting lid and place in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender when pierced with fork.
  5. Meanwhile, mix together 2 TB butter with 3 TB flour in small bowl and set aside. Sauté mushrooms with 2 TB butter in skillet just until mushrooms start to become soft.
  6. Remove stew from oven.  Add the butter/flour mixture, frozen pearl onions, and mushrooms to the stew.  Bring to a boil on stovetop and immediately reduce to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Skim off any fat off the top. Remove bay leaves.  Season with additional kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread, rice, or egg noodles.

Notes

  • If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
  • If not serving immediately, let the stew cool completely at room temperature and store in fridge.  Just before serving, bring stew to a simmer.  Cover and simmer 15 min, basting with its own sauce a few times while simmering.
  • If you cannot locate frozen whole pearl onions, you can replace with chopped sweet onions instead. 
  • Wine Pairing:  A good quality red, similar to the one you used in the recipe.  A jammy Pinot Noir recommended.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 471kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 37g (74%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 132mg (44%) Sodium 487mg (20%) Potassium 915mg (26%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 3208IU (64%) Vitamin C 8mg (9%) Calcium 62mg (6%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 471

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 471kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 37g 74%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 132mg 44%
Sodium 487mg 20%
Potassium 915mg 19%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 3208IU 64%
Vitamin C 8mg 9%
Calcium 62mg 6%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.