Beef Stew with Red Wine is a nice, hearty stew with a rich and thick gravy. It has great flavor, and it has been a family favorite for dinner.
This is a simple recipe to make (originally from Bon Appetit magazine), but it does require some tending to and simmering time. So choose a late afternoon or evening to make this beef stew with red wine where you can be hanging around the kitchen. I suggest making it on a chilly day where you can warm up the kitchen cooking this on the stovetop. Put on your favorite movie and enjoy the scent of stew cooking on the stove!
Ingredients needed:
- olive oil
- beef chuck roast
- onions
- cabernet sauvignon
- canned diced tomatoes
- hoisin sauce
- bay leaves
- carrots
- cornstarch
- fresh parsley
How to make Beef Stew with Red Wine:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the beef on all sides. Add more oil and then onions. Cook the onions until browned. Add 1 cup of the wine, tomatoes, hoisin sauce and bay leaves, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add another cup of wine and the carrots. Simmer longer. Add the cornstarch mixture, and discard the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley. The sauce for this stew turns out thick and rich and wonderful. And with all of that slow cooking, the beef turns out super tender.
I love to serve this Beef Stew with Red Wine with a generous scoop of horseradish mashed potatoes. As far as veggies go, a simple green salad and some garlic bread make this the perfect dinner. A good, red wine makes this meal complete!
What’s the best red wine to use for cooking beef stew?
Specific flavor notes are lost in the cooking process, so it’s not necessary to use an expensive red wine for cooking stew. I recommend using a medium-priced cabernet sauvignon. You can also use a pinot noir or Merlot. Consider getting two bottles of the same wine so you can cook with one and drink the other with your stew. If you have any leftover wine, use it for making red wine truffles or red wine mushrooms.
Can you substitute the red wine for something else?
Red wine helps give this stew its wonderful, rich flavor. If you don’t like to cook with alcohol, you can substitute beef stock for the red wine.
Beef Stew with Red Wine
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast (trimmed), cut into 2½-inch pieces
- 3½ cups chopped onions
- 2 cups cabernet sauvignon, divided
- One 14.5-ounce can diced Italian tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 16 ounces carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large pot over high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the pot; sauté until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Push the meat to the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat to medium; add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add the onions; sauté until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Mix the the meat into the onions. Add 1 cup of the wine, tomatoes with their juices, hoisin sauce, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and the last cup of wine. Cover; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.Uncover, increase the heat to high; boil until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes longer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cornstarch mixture and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season the stew with salt and pepper. Transfer the stew to a large bowl. Sprinkle with parsley; serve.
Notes
- MAKE AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before serving, stirring occasionally.
- *Hoisin sauce is available in the Asian food section of most supermarkets.
- *Save time (and tears) by chopping the onions in a food processor.
I loved this. I used fresh diced tomatoes, added fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs along with some red bell peppers. I also added crushed red pepper to add some spice to it!!! It is delicious!!
What a great recipe it is so nice it has got a lot of flavour. I used sweet potato mash to make it into a mash stew dinner beautiful.