Kokkinisto (Greek Beef Stew)
, Updated Sep 06, 2025
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Kokkinisto is a deliciously simple Greek Stew made with beef, tomatoes and red wine slow cooked until meltingly tender. Easy to make in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or stove and the perfect comfort food for chilly winter nights.
Love this recipe? Try my Chicken Kokkinisto!
I first posted this recipe five years ago and the time has come to give it a little spruce! Kokkinisto means ‘made red’ – literally beef stew with tomatoes and red wine. It is a classic Greek recipe and a childhood favourite.
The slow cooking tenderises the meat until it is meltingly soft and the rich sauce is fragrant with cinnamon and cloves.
This beef stew is very simple and doesn’t include lots of extra vegetables. Or any vegetables apart from the tomatoes and onions! This is how my mother used to make it and who am I to argue? Feel free to add carrots and maybe some butternut squash to bulk this up.
As with most stews this tastes even better the day after it’s made so do yourselves a favour and make extra!
This stew is so easy to make in your pressure cooker, crockpot or stovetop. These days I always choose the Instant Pot as it is the quickest and most convenient option. Take a look at the video to see how its done!
Ingredients in Greek beef stew
- Beef: you can use any cheap cut of stew meat here, such as casserole or braising steak, but don’t go for anything too lean.
- Red wine: don’t bother using expensive red wine unless you have some leftover. Cheap medium-dry wine will do the job just as well.
- Beef broth ( or stock) – I use Knorr stockpots but a stock cube is fine too
- Shallots or onion and plenty of garlic
- Chopped canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Fresh tomatoes can also be used if you prefer
- Bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves bring on the distinctive aroma that will make your house smell amazing!
- A little sugar to balance the acidity – you can also use sweetener of your choice or leave this out.
- If you wanted to add some extra veggies, chuck in some diced carrots and celery.
How to make Kokkinisto Beef Stew in the Instant Pot
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil (or use cooking spray) in a large cast iron casserole or skillet and brown the beef, in batches, until nicely colored on all sides. You can also brown the beef directly in your pressure cooker but don’t crowd the meat as it will stew rather than brown.
- Heat the olive oil in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Add the shallots or onion and sugar and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, cloves, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and wine. Add the beef, stir together and cover.
- Set vent to sealing and cook for 45 minutes at high pressure. Leave for 10 minutes natural release and then manually release the rest of the steam.
- Taste and season if necessary. Stir in some chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or orzo pasta.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat the olive oil (or use cooking spray) in a Dutch oven and cook the meat, in batches, so it browns evenly. Take the beef out and deglaze the pan with a splash of the wine.
- Lower the heat, and add the chopped onion and sugar (or sweetener). Cook for about five minutes, stirring, until softened.
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, cloves, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and wine. Add the beef, stir together and bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 1 1/2- 2 hours until the beef is tender. Give the occasional stir and add more hot water if the pan gets a bit dry.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Brown the meat and sauté the onion and garlic then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker pot and cook for 5 hours on high or up to 7-8 hours on low.
Serving Suggestions
In Greece this rich stew is served over pasta – usually orzo or penne. But it can also be served with rice, mashed potatoes or even fries. I think fries – patates tiganites – was definitely my favourite side when I was a child!
These days I usually serve with mashed potatoes and some type of greens such as wilted spinach, green beans or broccoli.
MORE COMFORTING STEWS
- Pressure cooker Guinness beef stew
- One-pot Spanish chicken, chorizo and lentil stew
- Slow cooker Brazilian feijoada stew
- One-Pot Greek Beef Stifado Stew
- Chicken, chorizo, olive and chickpea stew
I hope this hearty Greek beef stew brings a little Mediterranean comfort to your table! If you give this Kokkinisto recipe a try, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and comment below — I love hearing how your meals turn out.
Craving more cozy dinners like this one? Hit that subscribe button or follow me on social media for more comforting recipes the whole family will love. Kali orexi! 🇬🇷
Kokkinisto – Greek Beef Stew
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil , or use cooking spray
- 3 pounds (1.3kg) beef cubed
- 5 shallots or 1 large onion , diced
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar , or sweetener
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 14 oz (400g) tomatoes crushed / chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup (125ml) beef stock (broth)
- ½ cup (125ml) red wine or more beef stock
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley , chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot method
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large cast iron casserole or skillet and brown the beef, in batches, until nicely coloured on all sides. You can also brown the beef directly in your pressure cooker but don’t crowd the meat as it will stew rather than brown.3 tbsp olive oil, 3 pounds (1.3kg) beef
- Heat the remaining olive oil in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Add the shallots or onion and sugar and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, until softened.5 shallots or 1 large onion
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, cloves, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.1 tbsp granulated sugar, 3 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 large cinnamon stick, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground pepper
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and wine. Add the beef, stir together and cover.14 oz (400g) tomatoes, 4 tbsp tomato paste, ½ cup (125ml) beef stock, ½ cup (125ml) red wine
- Set vent to sealing and cook for 45 minutes at high pressure. Leave for 10 minutes natural release and then manually release the rest of the steam.
- Stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or orzo pasta.2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
Stovetop method
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven and cook the meat, in batches, so it browns evenly.
- Take the beef out and deglaze the pan with a splash of the wine.
- Lower the heat, and add the chopped onion and sugar. Cook for about five minutes, stirring, until softened.
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, cloves, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and wine. Please note you will need 2 cups (500ml) stock plus 1 cup (250ml) red wine for this method. Add the beef, stir together and bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cook for about 1 1/2- 2 hours until the beef is tender. Give the occasional stir and add more hot water if the pan gets a bit dry.
- Stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or orzo pasta.
Slow cooker method
- Brown the meat and sauté the onion and garlic then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker pot and cook for 5 hours on high or up to 7-8 hours on low.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
hi, i’ve tried this recipe once before and loved it. i wanted to know what you thought about using a dry white wine instead of red? do you think a sauvignon blanc could work with this or would you stick with red?
A white wine would be wrong in this particular recipe. I also think red suits beef much more than white wine. A chicken recipe that uses a similar sauce would work with a sauvignon blanc
simple to make, tasty as hell and will definitely be making it again upon instructions from my wife! 5 🌟
THank you for your lovely comment Billy!