Beef Bourguignon (Boeuf Bourguignon) is the ultimate beef stew recipe. Rich and maddeningly delicious tender beef slow cooked in a rich wine gravy. Make it on the stove, your Instant Pot or the slow cooker and look out for my slimming variation too!
You will also love my Chunky Beef Casserole
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Posted December 2016, Updated November 2019
If there’s a recipe that SCREAMS comfort food more than Classic Beef Bourguignon then I haven’t met it yet… If you haven’t made this classic French recipe before you are in for SUCH a treat.
OMG delicious isn’t a strong enough word to describe this rich beef stew. You just have to make it yourselves and come back to me with a better adjective!
What is Beef Bourguignon?
A classic French stew also known as Boeuf Bourguignon, Burgundy Beef or Bœuf à la Bourguignonne. In this recipe the beef is cooked in beef stock and wine, typically a Burgundy, which is where the name comes from. Other ingredients include bacon, carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms.
In most recipes the shallots and mushrooms are prepared separately and added to the stew towards the end of the cooking. If you are not a fan of whole shallots (or pearl onions) you can leave those out. I wouldn’t skip the mushrooms though!
If you are avoiding meat but still want to try this recipe, my Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon is delicious and quicker to make!
Which beef cut to use
You need to choose a cut of beef that’s suitable for slow cooking. Stewing beef, chuck steak and brisket are good choices for this stew. My favourite is braising steak which I got from Donald Russell – good quality beef will make a HUGE difference to the overall flavour.
Make sure you pat the beef dry with kitchen paper and season it with salt and pepper before browning in a hot pan. Sear the beef until nicely coloured on all sides and scrape any browned bits into the sauce for maximum flavour.
Choose the right wine
Some Bourguignon recipes use an entire bottle of red wine. This creates a very dark sauce which can be a bit much… I prefer to use one cup of wine (250ml) and three cups (750ml) of rich beef stock (broth).
Choosing a good quality wine is paramount in getting the best tasting Bourguignon. Avoid cooking and cheap red wines which can be very acidic. Go for a good Burgundy – or failing that a Merlot. I used a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet (Apothic Red).
Slimming Variation
The authentic version of Boeuf Bourguignon contains quite a few SYNS thanks to the wine, oil, butter and bacon… Thankfully it is easy to make Slimming World friendly with a few swaps. Take a look at the suggestions below – more details in the recipe card. The slimmed down version contains 10 Syns so only 2-4 Syns per serving depending on how many servings you get out of this recipe (I have specified 6-8).
- Replace butter and oil with a low calorie cooking spray such as Fry Light
- Trim the beef of all visible fat
- Use lean back bacon, trimmed of fat
- Reduce the wine from 1 cup (250ml) to ½ cup (125ml) which is 6-6.5 syns overall
Beef Bourguignon Step By Step
STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 160C (325F). Cut the beef into large chunks, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Prepare the shallots – put in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for a few minutes. Peel the skin off and remove the root end with a knife (if you can’t be bothered you can use ready peeled frozen pearl onions).
STEP 2. Pan fry the bacon in a large lidded casserole dish or Dutch Oven. Cook for a couple of minutes until nicely coloured then use a slotted spoon to set aside.
STEP 3. Sear the beef in the hot pan, in batches, until nicely browned on all sides. Set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little stock scraping any browned bits loose. Add to the beef and wipe pan clean.
STEP 4. Add a little butter to the pan and sauté then onion and carrots for 5 minutes until softened.
STEP 5. Add the flour, stirring well and cook for a couple of minutes.
STEP 6. Return the beef and bacon to the pan and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Add the bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 1 bay leaf, sprig thyme and a couple parsley stalks tied together with string) and bring to a simmer.
STEP 7. Cover and transfer to the oven and set a timer for 70 minutes – this is when you need to prepare the shallots and mushrooms.
STEP 8.When the timer goes off, heat butter in a frying pan and pan fry the shallots for 10 minutes over low heat until caramelised. Set aside.
STEP 9. Add garlic to same frying pan and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely coloured, about 5 minutes.
STEP 10. Take the stew out of the oven, careful it will be very hot!, and stir in the shallots and mushrooms. Cover and cook for a further 30-50 minutes until the beef is perfectly tender.
STEP 11. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
Instant Pot Method
STEP 1. Heat the oil in your pressure cooker (I use a 6L Instant Pot) using the Sauté function. Brown the beef, in batches, until nicely coloured then set aside (you can also do this in a pan).
STEP 2. Add the bacon and cook until coloured. Set aside.
STEP 3. Deglaze the pot with a little stock. Sauté the onion, carrots and shallots for 5 minutes.
STEP 4. Stir in the flour then add the beef, bacon, wine, stock, bouquet garni and tomato paste.
STEP 5. Cover, set vent to sealing and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes.
STEP 6. Leave the pressure to release manually for 10 minutes while you pan fry the mushrooms and garlic for 10 minutes in a frying pan.
STEP 7. Release the pressure and remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the mushrooms. If the sauce needs to be reduced, select Sauté and cook with the lid off for 10 minutes or until it thickens.
Slow Cooker Instructions
STEP 1. Cut the beef into large chunks, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
STEP 2. Pan fry the bacon in a large casserole dish or Dutch Oven. Cook for a couple of minutes until nicely coloured then use a slotted spoon to set aside.
STEP 3. Sear the beef in the hot pan, in batches, until nicely browned on all sides. Set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little stock scraping any browned bits loose. Add to the beef and wipe pan clean.
STEP 4. Add a little butter to the pan and sauté then onion, shallots and carrots for 5 minutes until softened.
STEP 5. Add the flour, stirring well and cook for a couple of minutes.
STEP 6. Return the beef and bacon to the pan and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Add the bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 1 bay leaf, sprig thyme and a couple parsley stalks tied together with string) and bring to a simmer.
STEP 7. Transfer everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or High for 6 (this is the type of recipe that can cook most of the day).
STEP 8. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
STEP 9. Just before you are ready to serve, heat butter in a frying pan, add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely coloured, about 10 minutes.
STEP 10. Serve the Beef Bourguignon over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice with the mushrooms on top. Garnish with the parsley.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- You can find fresh Bouquet Garni prepared and ready for use in some supermarkets. There’s also pre-packed sachets you can use as well.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS Mashed potatoes are perfect for soaking up some of that saucy goodness! Rice or noodles (pasta) are also good, so the choice is up to you!
- HOW LONG DOES IT KEEP IN THE FRIDGE? This stew keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge with the flavours become even better!
- CAN I FREEZE BEEF BOURGUIGNON? Yes, it freezes beautifully! Cool completely, divide into portions, label and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and heat on the stove until the stew is bubbling and hot all the way through before serving.
You might like these stew recipes
- Pressure cooker Guinness beef stew
- Pressure cooker Vietnamese beef stew
- Slow cooker Brazilian feijoada stew
- Tex-Mex slow cooker beef and sweet potato stew
Classic Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (SW: use Fry Light)
- 7 oz (200g) bacon, diced (SW: use lean back bacon)
- Salt and pepper to season beef
- 3 lbs (1 ½ kg) braising steak, cubed
- 1 tbsp butter if needed (SW: use Fry Light)
- 1 white onion , diced
- 2 carrots , peeled and sliced into chunky cubes
- 2 tbsp flour (4 syns)
- 1 cup (250ml) red wine (SW: ½ cup / 125ml wine for 6 syns)
- 3 cups (750ml) rich beef stock (SW: 3 ½ cups / 875ml stock)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bouquet garni – 1 stick celery , 1 bay leaf, sprig thyme, 2 parsley stalks tied together with string or use store bought
- 1 tbsp butter (SW: use Fry Light)
- 12 small shallots or pearl onions (optional)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 lb (450g) button mushrooms, halved
- Salt and pepper to season
- Fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
Stove/Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to 160C (325F). Cut the beef into large chunks, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
- Pan fry the bacon in a large lidded casserole dish or Dutch Oven. Cook for a couple of minutes until nicely coloured then use a slotted spoon to set aside.
- Sear the beef in the hot pan, in batches, until nicely browned on all sides. Set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little stock scraping any browned bits loose. Add to the beef and wipe pan clean.
- Add a little butter to the pan and sauté then onion and carrots for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the flour, stirring well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Return the beef and bacon to the pan and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Add the bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 1 bay leaf, sprig thyme and a couple parsley stalks tied together with string) and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and transfer to the oven and set a timer for 70 minutes – this is when you need to prepare the shallots and mushrooms.
- When the timer goes off, heat butter in a frying pan and pan fry the shallots for 10 minutes over low heat until caramelised. Set aside.
- Add garlic to same frying pan and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely coloured, about 5 minutes.
- Take the stew out of the oven, careful it will be very hot!, and stir in the shallots and mushrooms. Cover and cook for a further 30-50 minutes until the beef is perfectly tender.
- Remove and discard the bouquet garni.Taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
Instant Pot Method
- Heat the oil in your pressure cooker using the Sauté function. Brown the beef, in batches, until nicely coloured then set aside (you can also do this in a pan).
- Add the bacon and cook until coloured. Set aside.
- Deglaze the pot with a little stock. Sauté the onion, carrots and shallots for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour then add the beef, bacon, wine, stock, bouquet garni and tomato paste.
- Cover, set vent to sealing and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes.
- Leave the pressure to release manually for 10 minutes while you pan fry the mushrooms and garlic for 10 minutes in a frying pan.
- Release the pressure and remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the mushrooms. If the sauce needs to be reduced, select Sauté and cook with the lid off for 10 minutes or until it thickens.
Slow Cooker Method
- Cut the beef into large chunks, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
- Pan fry the bacon in a large casserole dish or Dutch Oven. Cook for a couple of minutes until nicely coloured then use a slotted spoon to set aside.
- Sear the beef in the hot pan, in batches, until nicely browned on all sides. Set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little stock scraping any browned bits loose. Add to the beef and wipe pan clean.
- Add a little butter to the pan and sauté then onion, shallots and carrots for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the flour, stirring well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Return the beef and bacon to the pan and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Add the bouquet garni (1 stick celery, 1 bay leaf, sprig thyme and a couple parsley stalks tied together with string) and bring to a simmer.
- Transfer everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or High for 6 (this is the type of recipe that can cook most of the day).
- Remove and discard the bouquet garni.Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Just before you are ready to serve, heat butter in a frying pan, add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely coloured, about 10 minutes.
- Serve the Beef Bourguignon over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice with the mushrooms on top. Garnish with the parsley.
Irma says
Fantastic really enjoyed it
Louise says
This sounds lovely! Is it suitable for freezing?
Thanks
Lucy Parissi says
Yes it is suitable for freezing, provided the ingredients were fresh (not defrosted from frozen). Cook completely and place in a suitable containers, divided by portion sizes. Defrost overnight in the fridge before using and make sure the stew is piping hot before serving.
Louise says
Thank you- I need enough to feed 12, so making two batches and freezing one will really help!
keith says
Pity the webpage doesn’t offer a printer-ink friendly option
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Keith, you can always set the recipe card to print in B&W it only has one small photo in colour
Gingey Bites says
I love wine tasting and this sounded like a really thorough tasting experience to say the least! Beautiful beef stew too, I can just imagine it now with a big hearty glass of red!
Lucy Parissi says
I loved discovering new wines – I do tend to get in a bit of a rut when buying wine as there’s so much to choose from I end up buying the same old favourites
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect says
This looks so good Lucy – I am always looking for new recipes to cook in the slow cooker. This will definitely be added to the list, I’ve pinned it for later use.
The wine tasting looked amazing, Marks and Spencer look like they have some fabulous wines!
Lucy Parissi says
It is really good – quite rich so maybe a weekend dish with a few glasses of wine.
Jo of Jo's Kitchen says
What an amazing sounding evening. I would love a wine tasting event like that. The beef Bourguignon sounds lovely too. Very comforting
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I’m useless at wine pairing – must be so interesting to try them all alongside each other like that, and really notice the differences. Sounds like M&S have some gorgeous wines in at the moment!