Beef Stew with Red Wine
Beef stew with red wine is rich and savory, with chuck roast braised low and slow in red wine until it falls apart with a fork. The vegetables go in for the last hour so they soak up the broth without turning to mush. It tastes even better the next day, so it’s a great make ahead Sunday dinner. It takes about 3 hours and serves 6 to 8.
I make this the minute the weather turns chilly. Or, if I’m being real, any time there’s a bottle of red wine on the counter that I want to drink. About half the bottle goes in the pot, so I’m not drinking the whole thing myself. That’s called balance.
The mushrooms are in here because I’m a good wife. Brooks loves them. I don’t. So I cook them in the stew, pick them out of my bowl, and drop them on his plate. Everybody wins.
If one pot of stew isn’t enough to get you through the cold, I’ve got a few more below.
More Pots for Chilly Nights
- Hobo Stew – ground beef, potatoes and whatever vegetables are in your fridge
- Cowboy Soup – ground beef and ranch beans in a smoky Tex-Mex broth
- Stewed Chicken and Rice – shredded chicken thighs, vegetables and rice simmered in one pot
- Dilly Bean Stew – white beans and cabbage in a tangy broth loaded with fresh dill
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Red Wine – Use any dry red you’d actually drink. Skip anything sweet. If you don’t do wine at all, there’s a version without it further down.
Beef Chuck Roast – Boneless chuck is the cut you want here. It has the fat for flavor and connective tissue that breaks down during the long, gentle simmer, and that’s what makes the beef fall apart.
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How To Make Beef Stew with Red Wine
- Pat the beef cubes dry, season it with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and toss it with the flour until it’s lightly coated. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Brown the beef a few pieces at a time, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until it’s deeply browned. Move it to a plate.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil and turn the heat down to medium. Cook the onion with the other teaspoon of salt for 4 to 5 minutes, until it’s soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 5 minutes to reduce a little.
- Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Put the beef and any juices back in the pot. Bring it to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
- Stir in the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and cook another 45 to 60 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the beef shreds easily with a fork. Bigger pieces of beef can take longer.
- Pull out the bay leaves. Stir in the butter, then the peas, and cook for 2 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and top with fresh parsley.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It gets noticeably better overnight, which is why I’ll happily make it a day ahead.
Reheating: Warm it in a covered pot over low to medium heat, stirring now and then. If it’s thickened up while it sat, add a splash of beef broth.
Freezer: I haven’t frozen this one, so I can’t tell you how the potatoes hold up.
Variations
Without Wine – I’ve made it with no wine at all and it’s still great. Swap the 1 1/2 cups of red wine for 1 1/2 more cups of beef broth, so you’re using 4 1/2 cups of broth total. Use that first splash of broth to scrape up the browned bits, same as you would with the wine.
Frequently Asked Questions
It makes the broth richer than broth alone can. And pouring it in right after the onions is how you scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, which is where a lot of the flavor is hiding.
This recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of dry red wine for 2 1/2 pounds of beef chuck, along with 3 cups of beef broth. That’s about half a bottle.
Any dry red you’d actually drink. Skip anything sweet. And since only half the bottle goes in the pot, pick one you’ll enjoy with dinner. Brooks loves a cabernet sauvignon so I use that most often.
The French classic is boeuf bourguignon, which Merriam-Webster defines as beef cooked in red wine, especially Burgundy, typically with onions and often mushrooms. Mine is a lot less fussy, but this beef stew with red wine hits a lot of the same notes.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t crowd the pot when you sear. Brown the beef in batches so every piece gets a dark crust. That crust is where a lot of the flavor comes from.
- Keep it at a lazy simmer. A hard boil makes chuck tough and stringy. You want a few slow bubbles under the lid, and that’s it.
- Hold the vegetables until the last hour. Carrots and potatoes that go in at the start turn to mush by the time the beef is done.
- Check the beef, not the clock. Beef size and thickness change the cooking time. It’s ready when a piece shreds easily with a fork.
- Make it the day before. The flavor gets better overnight, so it’s a great one to cook ahead for company.
Bread for Sopping Up the Broth
- Skillet Cornbread – crispy edged cast iron cornbread with just 4 ingredients
- Restaurant Style Garlic Knots – soft pizza dough knots brushed with garlic and herbs
- Cajun Garlic Bread – crusty French bread with Cajun spiced butter and Parmesan
- Cheesy Olive Bread – toasted French bread topped with olive salad and melted cheese
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
Beef Stew with Red Wine
Ingredients
Beef Stew
- 2½ pounds beef chuck roast cut into 1½-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 medium carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes halved
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms halved (quarter large ones)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- fresh parsley chopped
Braising Liquid
- 1½ cups dry red wine any non-sweet red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry, season with 1 tsp salt and pepper, and toss with the flour until lightly coated.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add one tbsp of olive oil to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Season with 1 tsp of salt and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return the beef and any juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1½ hours.
- Stir in the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms. Cover and continue cooking for 45 to 60 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the beef shreds easily with a fork. Cooking time can be longer depending on the beef tenderness and meat pieces sizes.
- Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the butter, then add the peas, and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Make ahead: Tastes even better the next day. Cool, refrigerate, and reheat gently.
- How much: Serves 6 to 8.
- Substitutions: For no wine, use 4 1/2 cups of beef broth total. Use 1 teaspoon dried thyme in place of fresh.
- Timing: Larger beef pieces may need longer. It’s done when the beef shreds easily with a fork.
- Leftovers: Airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat covered over low to medium heat with a splash of broth.
Nutrition
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