The Best Low-Carb Beef Bourguignon

This classic French dish is the perfect choice for Valentine's Day dinner. I used dry Burgundy wine that gives the slow-cooked meat an amazing deep flavour. It's delicious, really simple and can be cooked even by a novice. Compared to traditional beef bourguignon, I skipped the pearl onions to reduce the carb count. I used a carrot in mine and although it doesn't add too many carbs, I listed this ingredient as "optional".

Cooking with Alcohol - Is it Keto?

Although alcohol is on the "consume rarely" ketogenic food list, you can use it for cooking. It does not "cook out" during the boiling process completely but the remaining content is negligible. The longer you cook your meal for, the less alcohol your meal will retain. If you slow cook the meal like I did, you will end up with less than 5% of the original alcohol content. That's similar to using vanilla extract in a keto crème brûlée!

Step-by-step

1. Cut the beef into large chunks and season with some salt. Heat a Dutch oven or a heavy-based pot greased with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry the beef chunks over a medium-high heat until golden brown for about 3 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown for 3 more minutes. Work in batches so the pot doesn't get crowded.

   

2. Remove the chunks from the pot and place into a bowl.

   

3. Lower the heat and add diced onion, crushed garlic and sliced carrot (if used).

   

4. Return the beef chunks to the pot. Pour in the red wine and add tomato paste. The meat should almost be covered. If needed, add ¹/₂ - 1 cup water or broth (I didn't use any). Bring to a boil and mix well with a spatula scraping the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pot.

   

5. Add your bouquet garni. You can make your bouquet garni by using 2-4 sprigs parsley, 1-2 sprigs thyme, 1 tsp peppercorns, 3 cloves and 3 bay leaves. Simply place all the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and tying with an unwaxed kitchen string. Place in the pot, cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 3 ¹/₂ hours over a low heat.

   

6. When the meat is tender, take off the heat. Use a spatula to remove the bouquet garni from the pot and cover it with a lid.

   

7. Prepare the bacon and mushrooms. Grease a pan with the remaining ghee and add the sliced bacon. Cook for about 5 minutes until lightly browned and then add the mushrooms. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until tender and browned.

   

8. When the mushrooms and bacon are ready, take off the heat and place in the pot with beef. Mix until well combined.

   

9. Serve with Celeriac Cauli-Mash or regular Keto Cauli-Mash. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze the stew for up to 3 months.

   

Recipe

The Best Low-Carb Beef Bourguignon

★★★★☆4.1 (87 ratings)

This classic French dish is the perfect choice for Valentine's Day dinner. I used dry Burgundy wine that gives ...

Hands on

20m

Overall

4h

Servings

6

6.9 g

Net carbs

36.7 g

Protein

45 g

Fat

676

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings18 servings24 servings

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Ingredients makes 6 servings

• 2-3 large beef braising steaks or any cut suitable for slow cooking (900 g/ 2 lb)
• 3 tbsp ghee or lard ( 45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium white onion, diced (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
• Optional: 1 medium carrot, sliced (60 g/ 2.1 oz) + 0.7 g net carbs per serving
• 750 ml bottle dry red wine such as Burgundy
• 1 tbsp unsweetened tomato puree (paste)
• 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves)
• 4 cups white mushrooms, sliced (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
• 8 slices bacon, sliced (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 1 tsp salt or to taste (I like pink Himalayan)
• Optional: ¹/₂ - 1 cup water, chicken stock of bone broth if too thick

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into large chunks and season with some salt. Heat a Dutch oven or a heavy-based pot greased with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry the beef chunks over a medium-high heat until golden brown for about 3 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown for 3 more minutes. Work in batches so the pot doesn't get crowded.

2. Remove the chunks from the pot and place into a bowl.

3. Lower the heat and add diced onion, crushed garlic and sliced carrot (if used).

4. Return the beef chunks to the pot. Pour in the red wine and add tomato paste. The meat should almost be covered. If needed, add ¹/₂ - 1 cup water or broth (I didn't use any). Bring to a boil and mix well with a spatula scraping the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pot.

5. Add your bouquet garni. You can make your bouquet garni by using 2-4 sprigs parsley, 1-2 sprigs thyme, 1 tsp peppercorns, 3 cloves and 3 bay leaves. Simply place all the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and tying with an unwaxed kitchen string. Place in the pot, cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 3 ¹/₂ hours over a low heat.

6. When the meat is tender, take off the heat. Use a spatula to remove the bouquet garni from the pot and cover it with a lid.

7. Prepare the bacon and mushrooms. Grease a pan with the remaining ghee and add the sliced bacon. Cook for about 5 minutes until lightly browned and then add the mushrooms. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until tender and browned.

8. When the mushrooms and bacon are ready, take off the heat and place in the pot with beef. Mix until well combined.

9. Serve with Celeriac Cauli-Mash or regular Keto Cauli-Mash. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze the stew for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 5%Protein 25%Fat 70% of calories

Net carbs

6.9 g

Total carbs

8.3 g

Fiber

1.3 g

Sugars

1.9 g

Protein

36.7 g

Fat

45 g

Saturated fat

18.9 g

Calories

676 kcal

Sodium

428 mg · 18.6% RDA

Magnesium

46 mg · 11.5% RDA

Potassium

751 mg · 37.6% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Beef (for slow cooking), grass-fed	0 g	29.1 g	27.2 g	369
Ghee	0 g	0 g	7.5 g	68
Garlic, fresh	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Cloves, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Onion, white, fresh	1.4 g	0.2 g	0 g	7
Red wine (dry)	3.1 g	0.1 g	0 g	100
Tomato purée (paste, unsweetened)	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1
Parsley, fresh (spices)	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Thyme, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Pepper, black, spices	0.2 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Bay leaf, dried	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	2
Mushrooms (white), fresh	1.1 g	1.5 g	0.2 g	11
Bacon, streaky (high fat content), organic	0 g	5.5 g	10 g	112
Total	6.9 g	36.7 g	45 g	676

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free