Beef Bourguignon, a classic, hearty French stew originally popularized by Julia Child gets a small facelift to lighten the load and reduce calories. This particular recipe for beef Burgundy was inspired by Ina Garten. We know you will find the lighter version of Beef Bourguignon satisfying and comforting on a cold winter’s day.
Part of my family is from Alsace, on the border of northeastern France and Germany, a short 3 ½ hour drive from the Burgundy or Bourgogne region, passing through Dijon. Is it any wonder I love red wine, especially robust Burgundies? Although I save the wine calories for feast days (non-fasting days), it’s still possible to enjoy entrees cooked with my much-loved Burgundy wine on Fast Days (FDs).
One of the tricks we use when enjoying slightly higher calorie entrees on Fast Days (FDs) is to eat only one big meal that day, either later in the afternoon, or early evening. That way, we know our fast is over and we can enjoy a reasonable, evening meal that looks and feels entirely like a “normal,” non-fasting meal. During this fasting period (from dinner the previous night, through dinner on the FD), we only consume non-caloric beverages or maybe a cup of broth (10 calories or less) thickened with gelatin or glucomannan powder. Count all calories from beverages and food, consumed on the Fast Day (FD).
One-Dish-Wonders like Beef Bourguignon can be served as a complete dinner by itself, or add a quick, green salad with our House Vinaigrette for just a few extra calories. The whole meal comes in under 500 calories, even when enjoying a larger 1/6 recipe serving. If you’re a guy, you’ll still have room for a light dessert or bedtime snack in your 600 calorie Fast Day (FD) budget.
In the words of Julia, “Bon appétit.”
Classic Beef Bourguignon
Notes
When cooking with wine, the quality of the wine does matter a bit, but you don’t have to use top shelf stuff! We use a big jug of Carlo Rossi Hearty Burgundy for this recipe and measure out 750mL. It always turns out great. You can always freeze the remaining wine in ice cube trays, then bag and freeze for later use in recipes. Each ice cube is about 2-3 tablespoons of wine, a perfect size for many sauces and recipes.
Serving Ideas Serve with a simple green salad.
Nutritional Information
Per 6 Servings: 445 Calories; 11g Fat (26.2% calories from fat); 48g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 70mg Cholesterol;14g Net Carbohydrate
Per 8 Servings: 334 Calories; 8g Fat (26.2% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 11g Net Carbohydrate
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 bacon slices, diced
- 2 1/2 pounds chuck arm roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
- kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced thickly
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped or sliced thinly
- 12 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 10 ounces pearl onions, frozen
- 3 cups Burgundy (750mL)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth, fat free—or de-fatted bone broth
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped, divided
- 2 teaspoons glucomannan powder, or your favorite low calorie, low carb thickener
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°.
- Add olive oil and diced bacon to a heavy Dutch oven (enameled cast iron works the best, but a heavy Dutch oven will work, too) over medium heat. Sauté bacon until it browns and until the fat is rendered from the bacon into the pan. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon. Dry cubed beef with paper towels and season liberally with granulated garlic, kosher or sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper (freshly ground if possible). Add beef to pan in 2-3 batches. Brown on all sides. Remove each batch when brown. Add chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium. Slowly sauté veggies until tender and translucent. Add garlic and carrots. Cook another 2 minutes. Stir often. Add tomato paste and stir to cover veggies with the paste. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to keep paste from burning to brown tomato paste to a rust color.
- Add cooked bacon pieces, whole, frozen pearl onions, wine, Worcestershire sauce and enough beef broth to just cover the meat and veggies. Tie fresh herbs and bay leaves together into a tight bundle with butcher’s twine or a leftover rubber band from a bunch of green onions. Add herb bundle to Dutch oven along with 1/4 cup of chopped Italian Parsley. Season stew with kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to a 250° oven. Bake 1 1/2-2 hours or until meat and veggies are fork tender.
- Use your low calorie, low carb thickener to thicken stew to your preference. If using glucomannan powder, slowly whisk in glucomannan by dusting the surface of the stew and stirring like crazy to prevent lumps, until all powder is incorporated. Stir well for an additional minute to prevent lumps.
Nutrition Facts
Classic Beef Bourguignon
Serves: 6-8 Servings
|
Amount Per Serving: 1/6-1/8 Recipe
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 334 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Comments
3 responses to “Classic Beef Bourguignon”
This looks wonderful!
Thanks Gabi! I’ll let Brian know. 🙂 I have him chained barefoot to kitchen island, peeling me a grape at the moment! 🙂 Hope you’ll stick around and post often!
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