French Beef Stew with Red Wine
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Rich and delicious French beef stew with red wine and vegetables. You’ll love the intense flavor and it’s so easy to make in a Dutch oven, low and slow! Serve this stew with wide egg noodles or simply with crusty bread and a salad.
This is my version of a Provencal-inspired French beef stew, chock-full of classic beef stew ingredients. Think fork-tender braised beef, beef broth, chunky vegetables, hearty red wine and aromatic fresh rosemary and other herbs.
Traditionally made on the stovetop in a very large earthenware dish called a daubiere, it’s slow-cooking at its best, rich with tender beef, herbs, and red wine.
This beef stew recipe is based on a French-style beef daube, which is just a fancy name for you guessed it! Beef stew.
Slow-cooking beef stew
Make this stew when life gives you a tiny bit more time. The prep work is mostly (all) up front, so it’s perfect to make on a relaxed day or on the weekend. Put on something comfy to wear and turn on the oven! Because the flavors meld for days, you’ll be rewarded with very tasty leftovers during the week.
Sliding a Dutch oven full of meat, vegetables and wine-rich broth into the oven for a few hours not only fills the house with amazing smells, but leaves you hands-free to do other things for a couple hours.
While dinner is bubbling away in the oven, all you’ll need to do later is slice some crusty French bread and toss mixed greens for a salad. Win!
A Dutch oven is the best slow-cooker!
Along with the pasta pots and cast iron skillets, my enameled cast iron French ovens are my most cherished kitchen tools.
It just that there’s something special about a an old-fashioned braised beef stew that cooks for hours in the oven.
- A good enameled cast iron pot is an investment, but it’s beautiful and will last a long, long time.
- It’s heavy-duty and reliably retains even heat distribution over long, slow cooking times.
- For slow-cooker recipes, a Dutch oven is a true one-pot vessel — sear meats and sauté vegetables on top of the stove, and place in the oven to slow-cook.
- You can cook dinner in the oven while doing other things. Nothing feels cozier than a warm kitchen in the cooler months.
The best beef cuts for cooking beef stew:
When you shop for meat for beef stew, I recommend avoiding the wrapped packages of meat labeled “stew meat”. The meat is often a mixture of trimmings from a variety of beef cuts, which means they vary widely in fat content and tenderness.
- Beef chuck: Boneless chuck is my top choice for beef stew. The chuck comes from the shoulder portion of the cow between the ribs and the brisket. This heavily exercised muscle contains a good ratio of connective tissue and fat marbling, which makes for a tastier piece of meat.
- Look for chuck roasts labeled blade roast, chuck shoulder, top chuck or shoulder clod roast. If you don’t want to bother cutting up the meat yourself, ask the staff behind the meat department to do it for you.
1. Buy a piece of boneless chuck roast to make beef stew. 2. Trim off the excess fat and cut the meat into 3-4-inch chunks.
Basic steps:
3. Sear the beef, then cook the shallot in the fat. 4. Add the beef back to the pot with red wine, broth and herbs.
Vegetables in stew
- It’s not traditional, but I prefer to cook the vegetables separately from the stew. It’s a tip I learned when I worked in restaurant kitchens. The method is a great way to keep the vibrant color, texture, and flavor intact.
- I sometimes use a fresh fennel bulb instead of celery for a little Provencal twist, along with the traditional celery. You can use more celery instead of the fennel (3-4 stalks total).
- It’s probably not the way your mom or grandmother made stew, but I think it’s an improvement. The veggies in my mom’s stew were boiled to a gray mush — not very appetizing to a kid like me!
Vegetables for the stew include celery, fennel, leeks, and carrots. Cook the vegetables separately, then add to the finished stew. 
Stir the vegetables into the slow-cooked beef stew and serve.
Red wine in French beef stew
When you slow-cook tough cuts of meat like beef chuck, the acidity of wine eventually helps to break the meat down, making it more tender.
Red wine in beef stew also adds depth of flavor — some of the liquid evaporates in the oven, which concentrates the flavors going on in the pot.
So, which red wine should you use? If you’re a regular red wine drinker, a good rule of thumb is to cook with wine that you already love to drink. You don’t need to spend big bucks on a bottle of wine for beef stew. There are lots of affordable, tasty dry red wines that are both delicious to drink and cook with:
- Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends
- California Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel
- French Cotes du Rhone, Bourgogne (pinot noir), Syrah
- Italian Chianti, Barbera D’Asti, Montepulciano
- South American/Australian Malbec, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
Serving and storing
- This stew is delicious as is or served over wide pasta noodles like pappardelle or cheesy soft polenta.
- The stew will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. When reheating, add a bit more stock or water to the stew as the sauce will thicken as it cools.
Slow-Cooked Red Wine Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
Stew
- 3 pounds (1.35 kg) beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) kosher salt, or 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) olive oil
- 2-3 shallots, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) hearty dry red wine, such as syrah, merlot or Cotes-du-Rhone
- 1-2 cups (250-500 ml) chicken broth, or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves and 4 sprigs each thyme and rosemary, tied into a bundle with string
Vegetables
- 1 pound (450 g) carrots, peeled and sliced into 2-inch chunks
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, stems and tough outer layers trimmed, sliced into ½-inch wedges (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 (160C) degrees with the rack in the center.
- Prep the beef: Trim the meat of excess fat and slice into 3-4 inch chunks. Season evenly on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. Tip: To get the best sear, try not to crowd the pan. Remove the meat to a platter as you go.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the shallot to the pot. Cook 5 minutes in the pan fat, stirring every now and then, until softened. Return the beef and all the reserved juices that have collected on the plate to the pot. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir to coat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, wine, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits.
- Bring to a simmer, then add enough broth to just cover the beef. Toss in the herb bundle. Cover the pot with a sheet of parchment or foil, then top with the pot lid.
- Place in the oven to braise for 2 ½-3 hours. The cooking liquid will be slightly reduced and the meat should fall apart when prodded with a fork.
Cook the vegetables
- While the beef is in the oven, put the carrots, leeks, celery and fennel in a large skillet with ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Place over high heat until the water boils. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender but still colorful, about 10-12 minutes. If there's liquid left in the pan, simmer uncovered until it's mostly evaporated. Remove the vegetables from the heat and set aside.
- To serve: Stir the vegetables into the stew. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as desired. Pick out and remove the bay leaf and herb bundle stems. Sprinkle with the parsley and ladle into bowls.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Use a 5-6 quart capacity heavy pot or Dutch oven for the best results.
- Slower braising option: If you’re flexible on time, set the oven temperature to 275F (140C) and braise for 3 1/2-4 hours. The lower temperature and longer cooking time will give you even more succulent beef.
- The stew will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a saucepan on the stovetop, adding a bit more broth or water to the stew as the liquid will thicken as it cools.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
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Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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I wonder whether this coud be made with oxtail beef
Hi Walter — Yes, you can use oxtails for this stew. Try to use pieces that are thick and wide (about 2-inches diameter). They may take 3.5-4 hours to become tender.
Wow! Was my husband’s response, and I agree. It was delicious. Other than baking the dish at 325° instead of 350° (I checked the dish at 2 hours and it was done), no other changes were made. I made fresh milled and baked bread to go with it. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Wow, what a treat with fresh bread too!
i’ve been craving this all winter and i finally made it and it didn’t disappoint!!! it was so easy and so delicious, a crowd pleaser!!!!
It looks fantastic with the biscuits!!
I have made this multiple times and it is the best! I am making it again for New Year’s Eve this year, with a side of mashed potatoes. I don’t change a thing- it is perfect.
That sounds so good! Happy New Year Ricky
Absolutely divine flavors! And super easy to make! I follow the recipe as written, except omit the fennel as I typically can’t find it. Serve it over biscuits! It has become our go-to beef stew recipe!
This was so good! The only alteration I made (which maybe I missed something or did something wrong?) was add beef broth to the meat when I pulled it out to thin it a bit as it was pretty thick and I wanted more of a soup. Served it over pasta and was delicious. Will make again, thank you!
Best beef stew I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly and used basic red cooking wine. The only thing I did differently was to cover the Dutch oven for a few minutes after stirring in the vegetables so the flavors could mingle. The veggies retained their beautiful colors and it was so fantastic that I’m making a double batch tonight using a fancier red wine!
My family and I absolutely LOVED this! I followed the directions exactly as written except I omitted the leek and used two large Vidalia onions instead. Dynamite flavor!
I ❤️❤️ this recipe. All other stews just fall flat after making this delicious meal!
So glad to hear that!