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Julia would have called it "Bœuf Bourguignon" (pronounced like this) or perhaps even "Boeuf à la Bourguignonne".
Such a fancy name for what we would, most likely, simply call "beef stew". However, there are two delicious, distinct differences; bacon and wine. Bacon is sautéed until crisp, then removed from the pan to produce the initial cooking fat. The beef is seared in the bacon drippings till golden, veggies are added and a long slow braise with wine and stock melds all the flavors and tenderizes the beef. Traditionally, pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms are added towards the end of cooking time. Beef Bourguignon is generally served with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or just a loaf of good, crusty bread.
With the temperatures way below normal across most of the US this past week, we were in the mood for something hearty and homey. I decided to take a few liberties with this classic and transform it into a Beef Bourguignon Soup. The ingredients are pretty much the same as in Julia's recipe; bacon, beef, garlic, onions, carrots, wine, stock, thyme, bay leaf, butter and mushrooms. I didn't add the pearl onions, but I did include several diced potatoes to make it a complete meal-in-a-bowl.
In order to transform this fabulous French "stew" into a "soup", I simply diced the beef and veggies smaller and increased the amount of stock. I love the wonderful flavor that pesto adds to hearty soups like this, so I included of few tablespoons for another layer of flavor.
The results? We loved this Beef Bourguignon Soup, as did a few seasoned taste-testers (our son Nick and his wife, Lindsay). We had for dinner one chilly evening this week. I served it with a simple arugula salad and a loaf of crusty bread. It was a huge hit and even, Emery, their 10-month old baby girl, couldn't stop eating it. I made a double batch and gave them a container to take home. We've enjoyed it all week and sadly, Scott and I will be finishing up the last of it tonight. I was sure that I"d have plenty to stash in the freezer, but I was quite wrong!
- 3-4 thick cut slices applewood smoked bacon approximately 4 ounces
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds stew beef meat cut in ½-inch dice
- 1 medium onion chopped in ¼-inch dice
- 3 medium cloves garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups good quality dry red wine a little more than ½ of a 750ml bottle
- 6 cups beef stock
- 4 medium fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 large bay leaf
- 4 tablespoons pesto prepared or homemade
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 stalks celery diced into ½-inch pieces
- 8 medium carrots peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
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Cook bacon over medium low heat until golden brown and crisp, but not hard. Do not overcook. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove half of the bacon drippings and set aside.
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Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add beef and toss with your hands to coat.
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In a large Dutch oven or heavy duty pot, heat bacon fat over medium high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add ½ of the beef and spread out to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook, undisturbed until the beef is golden brown on the underside, about 5-7 minutes. With a large metal spatula, flip beef to uncooked side and cook until second side is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a clean plate. Add the rest of the bacon fat to pot. Heat until hot, add remaining beef and repeat cooking process as directed above.
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Once second batch of beef is browned, return first half of beef to pan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste and 1 of cup wine. Bring to a boil then lower heat to maintain a low simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally to loosen brown bits from bottom of pan. (I like to use a thin bladed metal spatula for this.) Simmer until most of the wine is absorbed, about 20 minutes then add the remainder of the wine and simmer until almost completely absorbed .
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Add the beef stock, thyme, bay leaf, pesto and brown sugar and return to a boil. Reduce to a low constant simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
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Add celery, carrots and potatoes, cover loosely and cook till tender, about 20-25 more minutes.
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While vegetables are cooking, melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When butter is bubbly, add mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add mushrooms and bacon to soup and stir. If soup is too thick add a bit more stock or water. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.Serve in bowls with warm crusty bread on the side.
Robin McGuire says
Chris, You’re recipe for Beef Bourguinon soup got judged yesterday by the head chef at the Culinary institute of America (St Helena,CA). I entered it in a soup cook off in my neighborhood. All 4 judges picked it as their favorite and they were specific to the qualities it had to have. Thank you again for all your fabulous recipes. I won first place-the Golden Ladle award. I gave you credit wherever I could. My only change was using homemade roasted beef broth and Chef Nash’s pesto recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
That's SO awesome, Robin! Such an honor, I really appreciate you letting us know! I will share this with Scott, he will love it!
Barbara says
Which instant pot do you recommend?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Barbara, I have this one and really like it: https://amzn.to/3b420Tv
Eric says
If I could give this more stars I would. I actually used this recipe in a soup contest and came in 1st place. Followed recipe almost to a tee and came out perfect. The only difference I made was using sirloin instead of stew meat. I did this because the stew near was actually just as expensive for me, and by using the sirloin I cut down the time some, especially when reducing the time evaporating off the wine.
My favorite soup recipe
Chris Scheuer says
Eric, thanks so much for sharing your results. I love that story! How fun that you won a soup contest!
Alanna says
This beef Bourguignon is crazy good. I reduced the amount of beef broth by 1 cup to make it more of a stew than a soup as well as added some liquid smoke to season it and a few more potatoes because I like lots of potatoes, but other than those minor changes, it is absolutely de-lish! I have tried making it in the instant pot and it’s just not the same. Stew really needs the time to slowly cook and meld all those delectable flavors. Oh, and don’t skip adding the mushrooms. I have tried it both with and without and the cremini mushrooms add a whole other flavor profile that you don’t want to miss out on.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Alanna, for sharing this detailed review! I'm so happy you enjoyed this soup/stew!
Gert Jacobs says
Thank you so much for this recipe. Made it twice now and the family loved it. So worth the time it takes.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Gert! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Denise Shields says
How many people does thus serve? looks wonderful.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Denise, this will easily feed 8-12 people, depending on their appetite.
Cindy says
This recipe looks so delicious! I can hardly wait to try it. Thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Enjoy! ❤️ Chris
Kristy says
This is by far one of my favorite soups now. I have made it 3 times and plan to make it way more. I have found that you cannot "cheat" the cooking time to try to force it to go faster. It really needs the full 2+ hrs of time to cook. I also found that the brand of beef really makes a huge difference. I tried to save money by getting Aldi meat but it was way tougher than when I bought the Nolan Ryan beef, it was so much better. I also cook the onions to just starting to brown before adding the garlic and beef back in because I just prefer well-cooked onions. I've made this for friends who cannot stop raving about it and my husband says it is his favorite soup (I think it is mine too). Thanks so much for this recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results and advice, Kristy! I'm so happy you have enjoyed this soup. We love it too!
Kara says
I have made this a couple times! I love it! Thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kara, we love this soup too. It's so great on a chilly winter day!
Emma says
What size Dutch oven is good for this recipe? And could an Instant Pot be used?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Emma, I use a 7-quart Dutch oven. I haven't tried this recipe but I think you could use an instant pot. I would brown the meat nicely on the sauté setting first.
Amanda Harmon says
Soup is spectacular!!!! Have you ever added corn?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Amanda, thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed it. I haven't tried corn but I think it would be wonderful!
Karen K Keckeisen says
Making This Tonight. It calls For Pesto, Never bought Pesto what kind (brand) did you use? Thanks, Karen
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Karen, I love the Kirkland pesto. Trader Joe's is also good. If you can't find either of those, just use the brightest green pesto you can find.
DC says
Are we supposed to put the bacon back in the soup at some point? I am in the middle of making this, and it already looks heavenly!!!
DC says
Sorry, just saw where to put the bacon in!
Chris Scheuer says
So glad you found the directions DC! Enjoy!
Christy says
I am not a wine drinker but when a recipe calls for red or white wine I am at a loss. I needed a dry white wine for a recipe today and went to the store for help and there were about 10000 bottles of wine. The wine person was not there today. I know a lot of the cooking shows say just use a good white or red wine. That doesn't help me at all. LOL I have no clue. I didn't even see a wine that said dry white wine. Please help.
I have tried so many of your recipes and have loved them all.
Thanks so much,
Christy
Kristy says
I'm not a wine drinker either. I tend to buy those 4-pack wines for cooking because if I open a whole bottle it will just go bad before I ever use it all up. I typically use the Sutter Home or something like that with the small bottles. Lately, for white wine, I've been using the Sutter Home Chardonnay. I'm sure a wine drinker would tell me I'm using the wrong one but, when it is cooked, I really can't tell the difference. 😉 I guess the best advice would be to experiment with different ones to get the flavor you like best. 🙂
Cat says
I have 3 questions:
. What type of red wine didnyou use?
. Have you tried it with regular bacon?
. Instead of crusty bread...could you see garlic bread with this?
Thank you.....your soup looks wonderful!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cat, I used a Cabernet Sauvignon but you could also use a Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel or Sangiovese.
Robin says
I have made this twice now. Once for a neighborhood dinner and it was a hit, my friend is still talking about it. I doubled it this time, but I made a mistake and forgot to reduce the wine one cup at a time. The soup ended up a bit thicker but still delicious. I love this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Chris Scheuer says
It's such a rich, dark, cold-day-heart-warming soup, isn't it?
Linda says
Just made this for dinner tonight. Followed recipe exactly which is unusual for me. Excellent results!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for letting us know, so happy you enjoyed it!
Ross says
A truly hearty soup! Thank you! You forgot to mention in the recipe when to re-introduce the bacon. . .
Michelle says
so delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Michelle, we love this soup too!
Jodee Weiland says
This looks so delicious and hearty for those cooler days ahead! I love this recipe with all those rich flavors combined...thanks for sharing!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I've looked at this post three times now - and can't believe I didn't comment yet! This is an amazing soup Chris. Love the flavors - wine, beef, vegetables and those gorgeous mushrooms. This is one to remember!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
Great soup that is full of flavor! Such a savory dish, can't wait to try!
Ally says
I'm totally in love w/this recipe...the bacon drippings, the wine, the veggies...girl, you 'done' Julia proud! 🙂