French Onion Slow Cooked Beef: With flavors reminiscent of the much-loved French onion soup, this slow cooked beef can be made ahead for a cosy weeknight meal or cook it on a weekend for a night in with the family or friends. The beef becomes buttery tender and the onions melt into the brothy liquid. Once cooked, I spoon everything into an ovenproof dish, top it with toasted slices of baguette then the best part – the cheese. I used a combination of Gruyère and parmesan cheese. Then it’s popped into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
The ingredients are simple: a piece of beef chuck – perfect for long slow cooking, bay leaves, fresh thyme, lots of onions of course, white wine, broth, cheese, bread and a splash of sherry right at the end – don’t leave that out. They all come together to make something quite wonderful and so perfect for a cold, snowy night in front of the fireplace.
Once you’ve tended to the onions and the beef and it’s on gently bubbling away, you’re left with a couple of hours to potter about. The beef base can be made a day or two ahead & slowly reheated before being topped with the baguette slices and cheese. Don’t cook the cheese for too long or it will become tough.
If you’re not a red meat eater, I imagine this recipe would work with chicken thighs. I like to serve it with roasted carrots and salad green or steamed beans. And red wine. If you make this, which I hope you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. It’s one of those recipes I will keep coming back to during the cold midwest winters. French Onion Slow Cooked Beef is one to add to your recipe repertoire.
If you love these sort of slow-cooked recipes, you might also enjoy my Slow-Cooked Miso Beef with Noodles; Beef, Beer & Barley Stew or Red Wine Beef Pot Roast with Horseradish Potatoes.
FRENCH ONION SLOW COOKED BEEF
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 lbs (1.5kg) chuck roast, cut into 3-inch (8cm) pieces
- Sea salt & coarsely ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 medium brown onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (250ml)dry white wine
- 2 cups 500ml beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus extra for garnish
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 10 inch baguette, cut into 1/2-inch (1.25cm) thick slices
- 5 to 6 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup (.5 oz) grated fresh Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the beef. Add the beef in two to 3 batches to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until brown all over; remove from the pot to a plate.
- Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the onions are a dark brown color.
- Sprinkle the onion with flour. Stir for a minute or two to cook the flour. Add the wine and stir until smooth and the flour is ‘cooked’ – a couple of minutes will be enough for the flour although it won’t change in color.
- Slowly pour in the broth, stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Then add the thyme and bay leaves to pot along with the beef; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, on medium-low for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If it is bubbling too much, reduce the heat to low. This will depend on your cooktop. Remove the lid and cook a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened somewhat.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard. Add the sherry and stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place baguette slices on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Arrange the bread in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes until golden.
- Spoon the beef mixture into a heatproof dish*. Arrange the bread slices over the beef. Sprinkle with both cheeses. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melting and bubbling. You can always pop it under the broiler for a minute or 2 to brown further. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra thyme if desired. Serves 6 to 8.