What is Beef Bourguignon?

Beef Bourguignon (which is pronounced beef boar-gin-yaan) is a signature French stew made up chunks of rich beef braised in a deeply flavored red wine based sauce, along with aromatic vegetables such as pearl onions and browned mushrooms. Often times it includes another rich meat such as pork (bacon!), and it also includes plenty of herbs for complementary fresh flavor.

It is a humble, rustic style dish yet somehow at the same time if seems luxurious with such sophisticated flavor. It's creates a main dish worthy of a holiday celebration!

Wondering what to serve with Beef Bourguignon? It's best paired with mashed potatoes or a hearty artisan bread because there's so much of that complex gravy-like sauce to be soaked up by pairing with something so appropriately fitting.

What is French Onion Soup?

Traditional French onion soup began as a humble peasant soup made with basic ingredients, and dates as far back as Roman times. It's an onion and stock based soup served gratiné style with toasted bread or croutons and cheese atop.

It is one of those soups that you maybe didn't appreciate as a child but have grown to really love an enjoy in all it's cheesy flavorful glory as an adult.

While yes it is a rather easy soup to make and it doesn't need very many ingredients, it does require a bit of time and tending to.

In other words patience is key. Have a little something to do nearby. Monitor the onions closely and you'll have an excellent, deeply flavored bowl of soup to serve.

To ensure success be careful that you don't burn and over-brown those onions or the frond (browned bits) on the surface of the pot (I've done this and it ruins the soup). Just monitor them as directed and deglaze the pot as directed.

And also don't stop short of beautiful caramelized, this will take about 45 minutes, no shortcuts.

It's all about slowly and gently caramelizing here. It's a game changer.

As for the shade of the onions to watch for it's all about a deep, richly golden brown color here (or even more so an auburn color) for the perfect soup.

Dutch Oven Beef Stew

An incredibly delicious traditional beef stew that's likely even better than you remember your family making growing up!

It's made with tender bite size pieces of beef, creamy potatoes, nutritious carrots, and a rich and savory red wine infused broth.

This easy beef stew follows a straightforward prep and finishes with that classic old fashioned flavor.

Beef and onions are browned on the stovetop (tip: nicely browned beef is key to the complex depth of flavor here). Then the liquids and herbs are added and the stew and it's cooked in the oven. Partway through the remaining vegetables are added so they don't end up mushy, and then it's baked once more until everything is tender.

You'll appreciate this mostly hands off version that doesn't need constant tending to on the stovetop, and how the even encircling heat surrounding the pot from the oven ensures a more consistent end result.

Truly it's a recipe to enjoy year round but one that's especially fitting for cool crisp autumn days and blustery breezy winter days. It's a homestyle, soul warming dish that is certain to be a highlight of a long day!

A Comforting Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe

This Cabbage Roll Soup is so much faster than making traditional cabbage rolls yet it tastes just as good! It's a hassle-free, cooked in one pot recipe!

You have a quick prep of ingredients, veggies are sauteed, then everything is just simmered until the cabbage and rice are tender. And during that time all those delicious herby, beefy, tomato-y flavors meld together perfectly.

It's a soup that is made with basic ingredients, it's incredibly hearty, and I think you'll agree it's just super satisfying comfort food. It's made up of an abundance of veggies, the rice will help fill you up, and you get a fair amount of protein from the beef so it's an all around win!

This is so delicious that you'll likely find yourself converting from the traditional, more labor intensive cabbage rolls to this easier soup method from here on out instead!

Just like my classic Stuffed Peppers, this soup is made with basic ingredients like ground beef, tomatoes, and rice. It's a delicious soup everyone will love! 

Cozy Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

This is one of the most cozy soup recipes with rich homestyle flavor. It totally reminds me of growing up and being home. The smell will fill your kitchen with warm, alluring spice that will draw everyone out of their rooms. There's just so much goodness in one bowl of this hearty soup. This soup is great for clean eating, getting in lots of protein and veggies, and can even be keto-friendly stuffed pepper soup by omitting the rice.

It's a perfect, hearty weeknight meal for fall and winter. It's so thick—it's almost classified as a chili. But unlike many chilis and stews that take all day to prep and simmer, this soup comes together in under an hour. Pair this with a demi-baked crusty loaf of bread or store-bought rolls for a fast and delicious winter weeknight dinner that will become part of your winter recipe rotation!

When to Make this Winter Soup

This is a low maintenance soup that is perfect for cold, dark winter weeknights. It's also a favorite for fall and winter gatherings—try making it for a cozy Halloween evening as you answer the door for trick-or-treaters, during the holiday season for Christmas carolers, or take it to a Christmas party for a soup bar!

This soup is also excellent for anyone suffering from the dreaded winter cold. Make this soup for sick family members or neighbors—it travels well!

Easy Winter Soup Recipe Video

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You'll love the comforting flavors in this soup and how well all the flavors blend together. The peppers and tomatoes offer a mellow and faintly sweet flavor, while the beef kicks in that flavor that will remind you of a traditional stuffed pepper.

And the rice in this soup gives it such a great texture and adds some body to it to keep it filling. It definitely has some Cajun vibes that are perfect for cold weeknights.

It's the lazy way of making stuffed peppers and one of my go-to soup recipes. Trust me you'll love this one!

Wondering what to serve with it? How about my 1 Hour Dinner Rolls or Cheesy Garlic Bread to make an extra cozy meal!

Hamburger Soup Recipe

So what exactly is hamburger soup? Does it taste like a hamburger? This soup is basically the simplified, soupier cousin of beef stew.

It's a ground beef based soup loaded with lots of nutritious vegetables. Plus it's a versatile soup so you can play around with the vegetables and seasonings added.

And no it doesn't really taste like a hamburger.

I don't know that that would taste very good, we'd have some soggy buns, ketchup, and mustard in there or something, yuck. So I guess if you'd like you could just call this beef soup or beef vegetable soup.

It’s just many times people refer to ground beef as hamburger.

No matter what you call this though it’s almost certain to become a family favorite! It's just classic homestyle comfort food, that's sure to brighten up those dark out days, at least a little.

Then as a side note this is more of a stewp (somewhere between a soup and a stew) if you want more liquid feel free to add extra broth.

This is how you do chilly day dinners!

The Best Shepherd's Pie Recipe

I made shepherd's pie (AKA Cottage Pie) FIVE times this week to perfect it and I'd have to say I don't know that it could get any better! This has honestly got to be the coziest meal-in-one out there. And while it may not be the fastest easiest dinner it's worth every minute of prep and patience!

Hearty ground beef is browned and seasoned with aromatics including fresh veggies and herbs, then red wine and beef broth are added and it's simmered and reduced to a light gravy. And then comes my favorite part - its topped and finished with the most heavenly mashed potatoes!

Broiled vs. Baking

One thing I found it testing that there was no point in baking the layered pie at high temperatures up to 30 minutes, rather a quick broil kept the potatoes from drying out and the beef filling from scorching and getting tough.

Both the filling and potatoes are freshly cooked and hot so this method only made sense, plus it's faster this way.

It's also nice to bake the pie in the same pan the filling is cooked in rather than transferring to a baking dish, this way you save cleaning up one extra pan.

A Comfort Food Classic!

You'll love that this is just old fashioned, cast iron cooked, classic comfort food that reminds you of home.

If you like shepherd's pie then don't hesitate to try this recipe! You'll learn all the tips and tricks to perfecting it and it's likely to become a new family favorite!

Easy Taco Soup Recipe

I've perfected this simple taco soup recipe over the years, and it's a major fall favorite for my family. It has all the cozy comfort of chili, but just a little lighter and healthier (thanks to all the veggie upgrades!).

One thing that makes this easy taco soup such a crowd-pleaser is the ability to customize your soup with delicious mix-ins. Every person can make their own unique taco soup by adding any combination of toppings, like avocado, corn, red onion, tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce, and more! It's always fun to try new combinations of taco soup toppings.  I would love to hear what your family adds to your taco soup!

Taco Soup Video

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Nothing fancy here—just homestyle comfort food at its best! Perfect for cozying up to on those chilly rainy and snowy days. This Easy Taco Soup is also perfect for feeding a crowd. Try this for football season, Halloween parties, or other winter gatherings.

What is Barbacoa?

Barbacoa is an authentic Mexican dish typically made with beef, goat or lamb. It is traditionally seasoned with dried chilies and spices and slowly cooked until perfectly tender. From there it's used as a delicious filling for tacos, burritos and so forth.

Barbacoa Beef Video

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This is my favorite Barbacoa Beef recipe! I first shared the recipe back in April 2015 but have since decided those photos needed some updating.

It's an easy to make dish, nothing complicated and it doesn't use hard to find ingredients. It's incredibly flavorful and you'll love the brightness of the lime.

Most definitely a recipe easily worthy of your dinner rotation!

Photography credit: Jess Larson

These are perfectly hearty and tender and you'll love that this version is oven baked so there's no tending to each meatball individually and cooking in two batches to fit in a skillet. 

What are Swedish Meatballs?

Swedish Meatballs are a classic Swedish dish typically made up of a blend of ground meats, vibrant spices, and they're paired with a rich and creamy beefy gravy.

Traditionally you'll find them served up with mashed potatoes and paired with a side of bright, sweet lingonberry jam (which tastes a lot like cranberry sauce).

It's a comforting homestyle dinner that's sure to satisfy! And did I mention these are way better than Ikea's?

Swedish Meatballs Video

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I love them paired with both when I've got time to make mashed potatoes but for an easier weeknight dinner they're also delicious served over a bed of egg noodles, the prep is so much easier!