MEAT Beef Bourguignon — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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MEAT Beef Bourguignon

This is one of those recipes we genuinely get excited about. A proper plant-based Beef Bourguignon that tastes like it's been slow-cooked at a French farmhouse for hours; rich, deeply savoury, and absolutely packed with flavour. The plant-based steak chunks go beautifully tender, the mushrooms soak up all that wine and herbs, and the whole thing comes together into this incredible thick, glossy stew that'll have everyone at the table asking for seconds. It takes a bit of effort, but trust us, it is absolutely worth it. Make this on a rainy weekend and you will not regret it.

Cook: 95 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 100°C
  • Large casserole dish with lid
  • Large saucepan
  • Sieve
  • Potato ricer or masher (optional but recommended)

Ingredients

  • 2 onions
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 carrots
  • olive oil
  • 4 plant-based steaks
  • 150g plant-based bacon
  • 150g button mushrooms
  • 120g pickled pearl onions
  • 3 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 300ml boiling water
  • 400ml plant-based red wine
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 2 tsp tamari
  • 2 tsp light brown sugar
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1kg Maris Piper potatoes
  • 100g plant-based butter
  • 4 tbsp plant-based milk
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • handful of parsley

Method

1

Prepare and cook the base

  • Peel and dice the onions and garlic
  • Cut the carrots into chunks
  • Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a medium heat
  • Add the onions, garlic, carrots and a pinch of salt
  • Mix well and cook for about 10 minutes until the carrots begin to turn soft
2

Prepare and cook the meat and mushrooms

  • Cut the plant-based steaks into bite-sized chunks
  • Mix the plant-based bacon lardons and plant-based steak through the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes
  • Cut the mushrooms in half and add to the pan along with the drained pearl onions
  • Mix well and cook for another 8 minutes before adding the tomato purée
3

Finish the Boeuf Bourguignon

  • Mix the vegetable stock pot with the boiling water and stir until completely dissolved
  • Pour the red wine and the stock into the casserole dish, add the thyme or rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, tamari and brown sugar and mix through
  • Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer for 30 minutes, and preheat oven to 100*C
  • Cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until ready to serve
4

Make the mashed potato

  • Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces
  • Add to a large saucepan of salted boiling water over a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely soft
  • Drain the potatoes and place into  sieve over the empty pan
  • Using the back of a spoon, push the potatoes through the sieve and collect in the pan below (alternatively, use a potato ricer or masher)
  • Scrape any potato from the base of the sieve
  • Add the butter and mix through until melted
  • Add the milk and mix through until well combined
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding a dash more milk if needed, until you reach your favourite consistency
5

Time to serve

  • Remove the thyme or rosemary sprigs and bay leaves from the boeuf bourguignon
  • Spoon the boeuf bourguignon into serving bowls and add a side of creamy mashed potato
  • Chop the parsley, if using, and sprinkle over the top with some black pepper

Tips & Variations

  • Give it time: We know 95 minutes feels like a commitment, but don't rush the early stages. Letting those base vegetables soften properly makes a huge difference to the final depth of flavour.
  • Wine matters here: Use a wine you'd actually drink. Nothing expensive, but something decent; it's going in the pot and you'll absolutely taste it in the finished dish.
  • Make it the day before: Honestly this stew is even better the next day once everything has had time to mingle. If you can, make it ahead and just reheat gently before serving.

Why This Works

The trick here is building those deep, layered flavours right from the start. Cooking the onions, garlic and carrots low and slow before anything else goes in gives you a proper sweet, savoury base that the wine and stock can really cling to. The plant-based bacon lardons are a game changer too; they bring that smoky, salty depth that makes this taste genuinely rich and complex rather than just a vegetable stew.