Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon is a delicious French dish that is perfect for winter. Ina Garten's beef bourguignon, like the original, is a beef stew made with beef, bacon, onion, carrot, and red wine. While it isn't a very hard recipe to make, it requires several hours to braise the beef and make it very tender.
Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon is a French beef stew dish braised in red wine, such as a red Burgundy, and beef stock, and includes carrots, onions, garlic, a bouquet garni, pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. Ina Garten also includes this recipe in her cookbook.
What is the Difference Between Beef Stew and Beef Bourguignon?
The only difference between beef stew and beef bourguignon is red wine. Traditional American beef stews are made with water and onions, beef broth, and maybe tomato sauce or tomato paste, and various vegetables.
However, you can also add any beef bourguignon ingredients such as bacon or mushrooms to an American beef stew. In the case of beef bourguignon, you can use red wine, beef broth, and vegetables like carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms.
Ingredients That You’ll Need
- Olive oil: This recipe includes a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to fry the bacon and beef. However, it's fine for you to use vegetable oil instead if you prefer.
- Onions: About 2 sliced yellow onions (don't use red onion) goes into the stew along with 1 Ib frozen pearl onions.
- Beef broth: It's important to use beef broth rather than water for the most robust flavor.
- All-purpose flour: The flour will help the stew to thicken, but you can also use cornstarch.
- Vinegar: The original beef bourguignon recipe uses red wine, but I prefer to use vinegar because I don't consume any alcohol. Feel free to use red wine if you want.
- Mushrooms: The mushrooms are cut into slices and then fried until soft before adding them to the stew.
- Butter: Ina Garten uses unsalted butter in her beef bourguignon by mixing it with the flour before stirring it in the stew.
- Beef: Trim the beef of fat and sinew and then cut it into 1-inch cubes.
- Bacon: Just slice the bacon before using it in this dish. You can also use frozen bacon if you like.
Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 250 F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep pot.
3. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, continuously stirring until the bacon is lightly browned.
4. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and then place it on a large plate.
5. Pat the beef cubes with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper to taste. You can add some dried rosemary or oregano as well if you like.
6. In small batches, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are browned on all sides. You can use the same oil as the bacon.
7. Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it on the same plate as the bacon.
8. Toss the carrots and onions with 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoon of pepper. Add them to the pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are lightly browned.
9. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
10. Add the cognac (if using) and the vinegar (or red wine).
11. Return the beef and bacon to the pot with the juices.
12. Add the beef broth, which should almost cover the meat.
13. Add the tomato paste and thyme.
14. Bring the stew to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 ¼ hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
15. Combine 2 tablespoon of butter and the flour with a fork and add to the stew.
16. Add the frozen onions.
17. In a skillet, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add them to the stew.
18. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, and then lower the heat and simmer it for 15 minutes.
19. Taste the stew and season to taste.
20. To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven until browned. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic.
21. For each serving, pour the stew over a slice of bread and top it with fresh parsley.
Storing and Reheating
How to Store Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon in the Fridge
To store leftover beef bourguignon, you need to store it in glass containers and place them in the fridge. Properly stored, beef bourguignon will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to let the stew cool to room temperature before transferring it to the fridge.
How to Store Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon in the Freezer
You can freeze beef bourguignon for a few months. To do so, simply pour the cooked beef bourguignon into glass containers made for freezing purposes (avoid plastic bags & containers) and then transfer them to the freezer. Properly stored, beef bourguignon will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
How to Reheat Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon
Microwave:
- Use a microwave-safe dish with a lid.
- Place the beef bourguignon in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring the stew every 60 seconds to ensure even heating.
Oven:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the beef bourguignon in the oven and reheat it for 15 minutes.
How to Reheat Frozen Beef Bourguignon
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place cooled, thawed, and drained frozen beef bourguignon into an oven-safe dish or pot.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven.
- Heat through for 45 minutes, stirring halfway to ensure it heats evenly.
What to Serve With Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon
The traditional way to serve Ina Garten's beef bourguignon is with toasted bread and fresh parsley. However, you can also serve the stew with rice, couscous, and fresh vegetable salad, corn salad, mashed potatoes, or cauliflower if you like.
Here is a list of the best dishes to serve with beef bourguignon:
- Greek Salad
- French Potato Salad
- Corn Salad
- Ina Garten's Farro Salad
- Trader Joe’s Fried Rice Air Fryer
- Mashed Potatoes
- Baby Potatoes
- Asparagus and Carrots
Ina Garten’s Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon is a delicious French dish that is perfect for winter. Ina Garten’s beef bourguignon, like the original, is a beef stew made with beef, bacon, onion, carrot, and red wine. While it isn’t a very hard recipe to make, it requires several hours to braise the beef and make it very tender.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
- 8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
- 2 ½ pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
- ½ cup cognac, optional
- 1 (3.4 cups, 750 ml) bottle of good quality vinegar (or dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound frozen whole onions
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced thickly
For Serving
- To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven until browned. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic.
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep pot.
- Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, continuously stirring until the bacon is lightly browned.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and then place it on a large plate.
- Pat the beef cubes with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper to taste. You can add some dried rosemary or oregano as well if you like.
- In small batches, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are browned on all sides. You can use the same oil as the bacon.
- Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it on the same plate as the bacon.
- Toss the carrots and onions with 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoon of pepper. Add them to the pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the cognac (if using) and the vinegar (or red wine).
- Return the beef and bacon to the pot with the juices.
- Add the beef broth, which should almost cover the meat.
- Add the tomato paste and thyme.
- Bring the stew to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 ¼ hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
- Combine 2 tablespoon of butter and the flour with a fork and add to the stew.
- Add the frozen onions.
- In a skillet, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add them to the stew.
- Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, and then lower the heat and simmer it for 15 minutes.
- Taste the stew and season to taste.
- To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven until browned. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic.
- For each serving, pour the stew over a slice of bread and top it with fresh parsley.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 805Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 245mgSodium: 1211mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 80g
Peggy Powers
I made this dish with homemade beef broth, which made the carrots unnecessary. I used a good dry red wine because the alcohol is cooked out, no cognac. Replaced frozen pearl onions with fresh ones. No bacon, instead I use salt pork that's been cubed and rinsed thoroughly to get the salt out, then dry with a towel and then brown it. Unsalted butter because you want to be able to control the salt. Use fresh crush black pepper and I like some thyme and use cornstarch in place of flour. We love to serve it over wide egg noodles. I serve it with homemade French onion soup and a green salad. Bon appetit!