Ginette Mathiot's Easy Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe

This Easy Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe has been used by French home cooks for decades. A no-fuss recipe that takes just 20 minutes of kitchen work, and makes excellent beef bourguignon with meltingly tender beef in wonderfully rich, flavorful red wine sauce. 

The World's Easiest Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe?

Shallots and bacon are sautéed in a stew pot and set aside. Beef is browned in the rendered bacon fat. Flour is sprinkled in and browned for a minute, then broth, wine and herbs are added. The pot is covered and the stew simmers for 2 hours. Mushrooms are added and the stew cooks for 30 minutes longer. That's all there is to Ginette Mathiot's boeuf bourguignon recipe, and wow is it delicious!!

Who is Ginette Mathiot?

Ginette Mathiot may not be a household name in America, but in France her cookbook I know How To Cook has been a best seller for almost 90 years. Originally designed to be a resource for young French housewives when it was first published in 1932, the cookbook has come to be known as "the bible of French cooking." It's filled with traditional but unfussy recipes that personify French home cooking, including this remarkably easy and excellent boeuf bourguignon recipe.

A Bit of Boeuf Bourguignon History

I discovered Ginette Mathiot while researching this Beef Bourguignon Recipe which is inspired by Julia Child. I had always assumed Julia Child was responsible for bringing Beef Bourguignon from the Middle Ages to the modern world. It surprised me to learn that 30 years before Child introduced beef bourguignon to American home cooks in her cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Mathiot, introduced her version of the recipe to French home cooks. 

Mathiot's recipe has 10 ingredients, cooks in one pot, with 5-steps and 20 minutes of time spent in the kitchen versus Julia Child’s multi-step beef bourguignon recipe with 19 ingredients, multiple pots and pans, and 90 plus minutes of hands-on preparation time. I have cooked Julia's beef bourguignon recipe. It's stellar and worth every minute spent in the kitchen, but I was curious and excited to try Mathoit's easier (and more authentic?) boeuf bourguignon recipe.

It took me 20 minutes to get the stew simmering on the stove, and 2 ½ hours later Eddie and I were enjoying a wonderfully rich and satisfying stew with tender beef and loads of flavor - a stew I'd be happy to serve at a dinner party. 

How to make Ginette Mathiot's Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe

I adapted the original recipe very slightly. The ingredients are the same but I added some addition details to the directions such as to slice the mushroom, halve the shallots and pat the beef dry. Also, I experimented with braising the stew in the oven, which worked out well, so I added that as an option.

1. Sauté shallots and bacon in oil in a heavy stew pot for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a plate.
2. Brown cubed beef in the rendered bacon fat, for about 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour over the beef and brown it, stirring, for a minute or so.
4. Pour in hot stock (chicken or beef) and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the flavorful bits of meat and flour that are stuck, then add the bacon and shallots back to the pot, along with the wine, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring the liquids to a simmer, cover the pot and either simmer gently for 2 hours on the stove or transfer it to a 325ºF oven to braise for 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours, remove the pot from the heat and stir in 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes more. Done!

Like most stews, this boeuf bourguignon will be even better reheated the next day, once the flavors have had time to meld.  

What To Serve With Boeuf Bourguignon:

Choose some sort of starch for soaking up the delicious sauce. Boiled or mashed potatoes are a great choice, or crusty bread. A bright green salad with citrusy dressing is always wonderful alongside a rich meaty stew. 

I want to make sure I emphasize how much I love Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe. It is SO worth making when you have the time to devote to it. With the additional ingredients such as tomato paste and butter, and the additional steps, such as caramelizing the onions and mushrooms, there is a depth of flavor that cannot be matched. You can try my version of Julia's beef bourguignon recipe, if you like - I found a few shortcuts to save you some time.

Definitely give Ginette Mathiot's easy boeuf bourguignon recipe a try. It's a great recipe for the repertoire. It's not nearly as famous as Julia's recipe, but it should be. It's possibly the world's easiest boeuf bourguignon recipe and the end result is pretty magical.

Here's Ginette Mathiot's Easy Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe. If you try this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.

The Best Easy Bourguignon Recipe

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Lisa Goldfinger
• Total Time: 2 hours 50 min
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Description

The simplest of beef bourguignon recipes, cooked in the authentic French home-cooking style, with one pot and minimal ingredients. Hearty, tender and flavorful.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, light olive oil...)
• 1 ¾ pounds stewing beef (I use chuck), cut into 1-½ inch cubes and patted dry (Moist meat doesn't brown well)
• 8 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces shallots, peeled and halved through the root
• 1 ¼ cups red wine (see notes below)
• 1 ¼ cups stock (chicken or beef), heated, plus more, if needed, to thin the sauce.
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• Bouquet garni: 1 dried bay leaf, 3 large sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary (See notes below)

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Instructions

1. In a large heavy stew pot or Dutch oven, with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots and bacon until browned (5 min) and transfer them to a plate.
2. Add the beef and brown it on all sides (4 min).
3. Sprinkle flour over the beef and cook, stirring, until brown (1 min).
4. Pour in the hot stock and stir with a wooden spoon to dislodge bits of meat and flour from the bottom of the pot. Add bacon and shallots back to the pot, along with the wine and bouquet garni. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for 2 hours. Alternatively, you can cook this in a preheated 325ºF oven for 2 hours.
5. Stir the mushrooms into the stew and cook for 30 minutes more. If necessary, thin the sauce by adding additional stock or water.

Notes

Which wine is best for boeuf bourguignon? Choose a wine that you would enjoy drinking. A Burgundy or a Pinot Noir are great choices but any good quality dry red wine will work.

How To Make A Bouquet Garni: A bouquet garni is a few sprigs of fresh herbs tied together with kitchen twine or wrapped in a cheesecloth bag. It infuses the stew with flavor as it cooks and can be easily removed at the end. For this stew, I suggest you use one dried bayleaf, three large sprigs of fresh thyme and one large sprig of fresh rosemary.

Prepare this ahead of time: This can be made a day ahead. Like most stews it will be even better the next day, after the flavors have had time to meld. Once it cools to room temperature, transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate it. Reheat it, covered, at a very low simmer, until heated through.

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 2 hours 30 min
• Category: Stew
• Method: braise
• Cuisine: French

Keywords: easy beef bourguignon, easy beouf bourguignon recipe, authentic boeuf bourguignon