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.