Stifado—Greek red wine beef stew is a hearty, delicious dish perfect for Sunday lunch. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef, lots of fresh herbs, and delicate pearl onions are slowly cooked in an aromatic red wine broth.

If you’re a fan of our delicious Stifado-Greek Red Wine Beef Stew, you’re in for a treat with our Beef Stew With Eggplant, Pork Stew with Chickpeas, and Lamb Stew Avgolemono!

A white pot with Stifado-red wine beef stew on a white table.

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A plate with red wine beef stew and mashed potatoes. At the back a white pot and a cloth napkin.

Why this recipe sings

It’s delicious traditional Greek food at its best. Stifado (or stifatho) is a Greek red wine stew. When Greeks cook stifado, they usually make a rabbit or beef stew cooked slowly in a rich and delicious wine sauce. Traditionally, stifado was cooked exclusively with rabbit meat. However, beef was more accessible and acceptable to Greek cooks through the years, so it became the most common meat used in the famous stew.
It’s easy. I love stews because you put everything in a pot and a few hours later magic has come to life. Our red wine stew has a quick prep, ten minutes of searing the meat and the cooking takes about two hours in the oven.
It makes great leftovers. This stew can be served over mashed potatoes or polenta for a main course, and the leftovers are terrific over potato fries for a Greek version of loaded fries. The sauce is excellent mixed with orzo for a quick, delicious dinner.

Here is what you need

Beef pieces, olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, pearl onions, red wine, stock, some fresh and dry herbs and a tube of tomato paste.

Beef—A stew does not require expensive cuts of meat. Get two pounds (one kilogram) of beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes. This cut becomes really tender, and it has a reasonable price tag. You can certainly use your favorite stewing beef.
Flour—all purpose. To lightly coat the beef before searing. It helps develop nice crispy exterior as well as thickening the sauce.
Carrots, celery and onion—the trinity otherwise called mirepoix (in French). The base for most recipes is this diced trio to build flavor.
Garlic—as far as I am concerned the more the better!
Pearl onions—apart from visually adding beauty to the stew, they also taste sweet and full of flavor. You may use fresh or frozen. Thaw out before use.
Tomato paste—deepens and intensifies the flavor.
Dry red wine—it tenderizes and flavors the meat, creating a heavenly sauce. Pick a good quality wine you would drink, not necessarily expensive.
Stock—can be vegetable, or beef.
Spices—cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, dried oregano, ground nutmeg, chili flakes and sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Herbs—for the bouquet garni. Bouquet garni, a French term meaning “garnished bouquet,” is a traditional herb mixture used to enhance stocks, soups, casseroles, meats, and vegetables. In this stew we use fresh rosemary, thyme and sage.
Extra virgin olive oil.

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Stifado cooking methods

Stovetop stifado

The most traditional way to cook this wine beef stew is pretty straightforward. After browning the meat, the other ingredients are added, the heat turns low, and the stew simmers for hours.

Slowcooker stifado

Slow-cooked red wine stew is very tender. The pearl onions are added towards the end of the cooking to avoid becoming mushy. The pearl onions need to be tender but still firm. Cook the stew on high for five to six hours or on low for up to 10 hours.

How to make our stifado

Fresh herbs tied together on a cutting board.

Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
Gather and tie all the fresh herbs together using some cooking twine to create your bouquet garni.

Pieces of beef dusted with flour on paper towel.

Arrange the beef stew pieces on a platter lined with paper towels. Pat dry all the pieces to remove the extra moisture. Sprinkle some flour all over the beef pieces.

Add the olive oil to the pot. Turn heat to medium-high.
Add the beef, 3-4 pieces at a time. Brown them all over for one minute, remove, place on a clean plate, and set aside for later. Repeat the process until all pieces are nicely brown all over.

Diced onions , cinnamon sticks, bay leaves in a pot.

Add the diced onions to the pot—season with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Season with freshly ground pepper, ground nutmeg, chili pepper flakes, and dried oregano. Add the bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Add the tomato paste and stir; sauté in medium heat for 2-3 min to let flavors develop.

Add the diced carrots and celery. Add the beef pieces and mix gently. Turn the heat to high and add the wine. Simmer in high heat for 2-3 min to let the alcohol evaporate.
Cover and place the pot in the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 30 min.
Remove the stew from the oven, let it sit for 15 minutes and serve.

Completing this fabulous stew takes almost two hours, and the result will not disappoint.

Serving suggestions

Mashed potatoes. They are an obvious choice for a stew. Try our mashed potatoes with olive oil.
Fries. They go so well with the sauce. Our country-fried potatoes are excellent with this dish.
Bread. It’s heavenly dipped in the wine sauce. Check out our country bread or our olive oil bread if you are up for baking fabulous loafs.
Salad. A large green salad like our maroulosalata is ideal for this stew. The acidic dressing and chopped lettuce complement the flavors perfectly.

What cooks are saying:

Readers who have made our stifado recipe are raving about it! Here is what they had to say:

I’ve now made this three times, twice for guests, and it’s perfect. Thank you for posting it. The cinnamon and oregano give it great flavor; then, you get the warmth from the chili. I have varied it depending on circumstances – for instance, I threw in some mushrooms this time, after sauteing them first, and often add a bit of chopped, fried bacon too – and I serve it with potatoes (mashed, jacket, loaded, anything!). I love beef stew, but the flavors in this one make it my favorite.

Robert P

This stew was really amazing. Best I’ve ever made. Cubing, flouring/seasoning, and browning the beef made a big difference in the flavor.

Joy Jaques

Storage and reheating

Red wine stew can be kept in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat or the microwave in a glass container.
Generally, stews freeze well, so you may want to double the recipe and freeze some later. Store the stew in heavy plastic, airtight containers, leaving some space to allow it to expand in the freezer. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months.