Recipe: Slow-Cooked Beef and Red Wine Casserole

There’s something comforting about a meal that quietly bubbles away for hours while the house fills with rich, savoury aromas. This slow-cooked beef and red wine casserole is one of those timeless dishes that feels made for cold winter nights.

Tender beef, hearty vegetables and a deep tomato and red wine sauce come together beautifully, especially when served with creamy mashed potato or crusty bread to mop up every last bit.

It’s also the kind of recipe that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for leftovers or an easy midweek dinner.

Ingredients

• 1.2kg chuck steak or gravy beef, diced
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 200g mushrooms, halved
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Mashed potato or crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Place beef in a bowl with flour, salt and pepper. Toss until coated.
3. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, then set aside.
4. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and mushrooms to the dish and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
5. Stir through tomato paste and cook for another minute.
6. Pour in red wine and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any flavour from the bottom of the pan.
7. Return beef to the dish and add beef stock, rosemary, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.
8. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender and falling apart.
9. Serve hot with mashed potato or crusty bread.

Tip

If the sauce needs thickening at the end, simply simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.