If the weather’s gloomy, I’m immediately making this red wine beef stew. It uses an entire bottle of red wine, and all the magical ingredient both tenderizes the meat and flavors the stew. This stew has quickly become a favorite in our house after making it for months when we lived in France and t’s a wonderful, comforting meal.
Why this Recipe Works
I use chuck roast or shoulder for this recipe, because it’s an inexpensive cut of beef that cooks slowly in the stew until it's beautifully flavorful and tender.
Cooking with wine is done in many ways. In this recipe, the entire stew is braised in the wine. This not only flavors the stew, but it also tenderizes the meat.
All the ingredients in this recipe can be found all year round, making this a great winter recipe, even if you live in remote areas.
Ingredients & Substitutions
stew meat - you can use any stew beef including chuck or shoulder.
carrots - you can use any of your favorite root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, and radishes. I prefer carrots because of the wonderful sweetness they add to this dish.
potatoes - Yukon gold and red potatoes work best in this recipe because they hold their shape well in stews.
red wine - use an inexpensive red wine that you like. The flavor will permeate the whole recipe, so if you don't like it, you won't like this recipe. You can use wine that has gone off for drinking, as long as you liked it when it was OK to drink.
Note: If you cannot use wine/alcohol, you can substitute the wine with a red verjus.
How to Make this Recipe
Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the meat. Season well with salt and pepper, add the turmeric. Cook until brown on all sides. Add the wine. Bring to boil.
Lower to simmer, and simmer 60 minutes with the lid partially on.
Then, add the carrots and potatoes, cover, and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Beef Stew FAQs
Use a red wine that you would enjoy drinking. Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are the traditional pairings for beef.
Stew meat includes chuck and shoulder cuts of meat.
No, however the step is worth the effort. It ads a caramelization flavor and locks in the moisture.
More Beef Stew Recipes
Nothing beats a hearty beef stew on a rainy day. I don't eat a ton of red meat, but when I do, I make sure the recipe is something I love. Here are some of my favorite stews:
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Beef Stew with Red Wine
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. stew meat cubed, like shoulder or chuck
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes cut in half if small, quartered if large
- ¾ lbs. carrots I use purple cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 bottle red wine
- 3 tablespoon flavorless oil like canola or avocado seed
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and cook until translucent.
- Add the meat. Season well with salt and pepper, add the turmeric. Cook until brown on all sides.
- Add the wine. Bring to boil. Lower to simmer, and simmer 60 minutes with the lid partially on.
- Add the carrots and potatoes, cover, and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October of 2017 but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, FAQs, and tips in January of 2021.
M
With the weather being so cold right now, this stew recipe was so perfect and tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Candice
I'm so glad you liked it... thank you for sharing!