Beef Burgundy Over Noodles

Labor Day weekend and we went to MawMaw Shirley's as is tradition — the last outdoor cookout of the season before fall properly arrives and the evenings start turning. The holiday has a particular feeling in our family: slightly wistful, summer-closing, the light already slightly different from July. You can see the end of something warm even when the day itself is still eighty-five degrees.

Jamal came home for the weekend and there was something different about him that the whole family noticed — a quietness that was not withdrawn exactly but pointed. He spent some time on his phone and then came and sat on the porch with Daddy and I hovered nearby, ostensibly reading but actually eavesdropping without shame. I heard the word "Southern" — Southern University. I heard "scholarship package." I heard Daddy say something low and careful. I heard Jamal say, "It's real, Dad. Coach says it's real."

At dinner — MawMaw's smothered oxtails, white rice, fried okra, and hot water cornbread — Jamal didn't say anything officially. But MawMaw kept looking at him with a particular expression and eventually she said, loud enough for the table, "Somebody at this table has something good to say." Jamal went still for a moment. Then he said, "Might be hearing something big from Southern this week. That's all I'm saying." The table got loud in a way that family tables get loud only when something good is about to happen. Mama covered her mouth. Daddy looked at the ceiling.

I sat next to Jamal and said, under the table noise, "Southern University? That's right here in Baton Rouge." He said, "I know." I said, "You'd be close." He said, "I know that too." There was something in his face that told me he had thought about that. Being close to home. Being able to come to dinners like this one. That mattering to him.

We ate MawMaw's oxtails until the table was clean and the night was full of the kind of family noise that feels, when you're inside it, like safety. Like home.

MawMaw’s smothered oxtails are hers alone — I wouldn’t dare try to recreate them — but that dinner left me craving something in that same spirit: rich, slow-cooked meat in a deep, savory sauce over a bed of something soft and comforting, the kind of dish that tastes like a table full of people who love each other. When I got home that night, still riding the feeling of Jamal’s news hovering just on the horizon, I made this Beef Burgundy over noodles for the next family dinner, hoping to hold onto that warmth just a little longer. It’s not MawMaw’s recipe, but it carries the same energy — the kind of meal you want on the table when something good is about to happen.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Burgundy or dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 oz wide egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season and sear the beef. Pat beef cubes dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef on all sides until deep brown, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Saute the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, stirring to coat the onion.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine simmer for 2 minutes.
Braise the beef. Return the seared beef to the pot along with the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender.
Add the mushrooms. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and continue to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly.
Thicken the sauce. In a small bowl, mash together the butter and flour into a smooth paste. Stir it into the pot a little at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Remove bay leaves.
Serve. Spoon the beef burgundy generously over cooked egg noodles and garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef Burgundy Over Noodles — The Dinner That Tasted Like Something Big Was Coming