Gluten free beef bourguignon is a delicious, rich beef stew cooked in a red wine sauce. This easy version of the French classic beef burgundy recipe is made without flour or gluten. It's sumptuous enough for a special occasion, but simple enough for a family meal.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- This beef Burgundy recipe has cornflour to thicken the sauce. Cornflour is very easy to use and naturally gluten-free and wheat-free
- Gluten-free beef bourguignon is rich in flavour and totally delicious. With a thick gravy, it's packed with tender beef, tasty vegetables, herbs and red wine
- Surprisingly low in saturated fat, this delicious dish has less than 400 calories
- Ideal for meal prep and freezing
Ingredients
Stewing beef. If you are shopping at the supermarket, your best option may be diced beef (with an unspecified cut of beef). If you go to the butchers, you'll probably get chuck steak. You can also use beef shin for this beef stew recipe. If prepping the beef yourself, cut into cubes about 2cm square.
Bacon helps to season the dish. I prefer to use back bacon as it's less fatty, and I use unsmoked. However, you can also use smoked bacon or streaky bacon if you prefer. Try to find a thickly sliced bacon so that it holds together better, or you can also use lardons.
Onions. White onions add a lovely sweetness, especially when slightly caramelised. A traditional beef burgundy also has little pearl onions, but they are not always easy to track down. If you do find them, brown them in a pan and add at the same time as the bacon and the mushrooms.
Carrots also add sweetness, and of course they are healthy!
Mushrooms add a real savoury depth of flavour to this gluten-free beef bourguignon. You'll need closed cup or button mushrooms so that they hold together well. Quarter any larger mushrooms and halve the rest.
Garlic, thyme, tomato puree and bay leaves all add extra flavour. If you use dried thyme, you'll only need half a teaspoon as it is more concentrated in flavour.
A beef stock cube will season the dish. I find I don't need extra seasoning as well, but you can adjust this to suit your own taste.
Red wine. Of course, a classic French burgundy beef is cooked in red burgundy wine. Burgundy is a medium-bodied wine made from pinot noir grapes, but you can use whichever red wine you prefer. This recipe uses 250ml, so there'll be plenty left for drinking!
Cornflour (or cornstarch) is used to thicken the sauce and ensures that this beef bourguignon is gluten-free. It's very easy to use as you simply need to stir it into a cold liquid.
For a simple everyday beef stew recipe, you might also like this slow cooker braised steak and onions.
How to make gluten-free beef bourguignon
You can either make this gluten-free beef bourguignon recipe in a casserole dish in the oven or a slow cooker.
Most of my slow cooker recipes are 'dump dinners' meaning that you put the ingredients straight into the slow cooker without browning. (See this shin of beef stew, or easy chicken curry recipe.)
However, there's a little more prep time for this recipe to make the very best slow cooker beef bourguignon. Browning the ingredients adds to the flavour and makes it extra special, so it's best not to skip this step. However, if you've got a slow cooker with a metal insert, you can use that for browning. And if you are cooking the recipe in the oven, then try to use a casserole dish that can also go on the hob. You can save yourself some washing up, and none of the lovely flavours will get washed down the sink!
Start by browning the diced bacon in a hot pan. Fry for 5 minutes, until cooked and golden. Leave any fat in the pan and remove the bacon.
Saute the onion and carrots in the bacon fat. You don't need to cook them completely, but try to get them to caramelise or brown slightly to add extra flavour. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes longer.
Remove the vegetables from the pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat up high. Add the beef and brown it on all sides until there are some dark gnarly patches. Remove from the pan.
Lastly, brown the mushroom for a few minutes.
Add the beef, onions and carrots to the casserole or slow cooker. Stir the cornflour, stock cube, 100ml water and tomato puree into the wine and mix well. Tip over the meat in the casserole and stir in the herbs.
Cover the casserole and cook in a preheated oven at 140 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and stir in the bacon and mushrooms. Cook for another 30 minutes.
If using a slow cooker, cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Add the mushrooms and bacon for the final hour of cooking time. Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving!
Expert tips
If you want to make double the quantity of gluten-free beef bourguignon, brown the meat and vegetables in batches. If you crowd the pan too much the beef will stew rather than fry and won't taste as good.
Depending on your slow cooker or casserole dish, the liquid might evaporate at a different rate. If necessary, you can thin the sauce with a splash more hot water.
Serving and storage
I like to serve gluten-free beef bourguignon with mashed carrot and swede and some healthy greens. You could also serve it with this healthy mashed potato or rice. Or cook some of these delicious gluten-free dumplings on top of your stew. They may not be traditional with this French recipe, but they're very delicious!
Like many stews, burgundy beef tastes even better when reheated the following day. It'll store well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze beef bourguignon for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat until piping hot.
Frequently asked questions
Beef bourguignon is usually thickened with flour. This gluten free beef bourguignon has cornflour in the recipe. Cornflour is an easy way to thicken a sauce or gravy and is naturally gluten free.
Beef (or boeuf) bourguignon is a specific type of beef stew which originates from the Burgundy region in France. The recipe consists of beef, bacon, mushrooms and onions, cooked slowly in a local red wine.
If you want to make a beef bourguignon without the bourguignon, just substitute beef stock instead of wine in the recipe.
Other healthy stews you might like
You might also like this gluten free spaghetti bolognese, or gluten free beef lasagne. Or browse the category of healthy meat recipes.
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Recipe
Gluten Free Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- Slow cooker or large lidded casserole dish
- Frying pan (or oven proof slow cooker insert)
Ingredients
- 500 g stewing steak cut into approx 2cm cubes
- 150 g back bacon or lardons cut into approx 1.5cm cubes
- 2 onions peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots diced into 1.5 cm cubes
- 150 g button mushrooms halved, or quartered if large
- 1 clove garlic peeled and very finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or use ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 250 ml red wine
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1.5 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 100 ml water
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the bacon until the fat starts to run and the bacon starts to turn golden in places. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
- Fry the onions and carrots in the bacon fat until starting to soften and turn brown. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes longer. Remove the vegetables from the pan and add to the casserole.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan and brown the beef for a few minutes. It should start to go brown in places. Remove the beef from the pan and add to the casserole.
- Fry the mushrooms in the remaining oil until starting to brown. Set aside.
- Stir the cornflour, stock cube and tomato puree into the wine and mix well. Add 100ml water and stir again. Add the liquid to the casserole, along with the herbs. Stir and cover with the lid.
- Cook in a preheated oven at 140 degrees for 2 hours. Stir in the mushrooms and bacon and cook for a further 30 minutes.
- If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Add the mushrooms and bacon for the final hour of cooking time.
- Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving!
Notes
- You can use smoked or unsmoked bacon depending on your preference. You can also use streaky bacon, but there will be more fat in the dish.
- I used lean diced stewing beef. If you buy beef from the supermarket, the cut is not always clearly labelled, but if you are buying from the butchers, chuck steak is perfect. You could also use beef shin if you prefer.
- If you can find them, you can also add some tiny pearl onions or mini shallots to the dish. Brown them in a pan and add them at the same time as the mushrooms and bacon.
- Traditionally, beef bourguignon is made with red burgundy wine, made from pinot noir grapes. However, use whatever red wine you prefer.
- You are unlikely to need additional seasoning with the stock cube and bacon. However, if you prefer your dishes more heavily seasoned, add salt and pepper to taste.
- If you want to make double the quantity of the recipe, brown the meat and vegetables in batches rather than overcrowding the pan.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
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