15 Simply Delicious Red Wine Recipes

Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake
Photo: Justin Walker

While we love a great glass of Bordeaux with a home-cooked meal, we also know that red wine is fantastic for more than drinking. If you find yourself with leftover wine, don't let it go to waste! Rich stews, amazing sauces, and even desserts can be enhanced with a bit of Pinot Noir, Burgundy, or whatever red wine you have on hand. To deglaze a pan, tenderize meat, or build flavor and depth into a dish, any standard red wine can do the trick. So pop open a bottle of your favorite style and get cooking with one (or more) of these delicious recipe ideas.

01 of 15

Short Ribs with Mushrooms and Spring Vegetables

Short Ribs with Mushrooms and Spring Vegetables

To layer the flavors in this dish, chef Rory Herrmann marinates beef short ribs and vegetables in red wine overnight, then uses the marinade in the braise as well. Spring vegetables help lighten the rich stew.

02 of 15

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

For this beef stew, chef Jacques Pépin uses a special piece of the shoulder called the flatiron steak. This long, narrow piece is extremely lean, tender, and moist, and it makes an ideal stew. He does not use stock, demiglace, or even water. He makes his stew strictly with a robust red wine. This rich, winey beef stew is always a hit with his chef friends.

03 of 15

Pan-Roasted Veal Chops with Cabernet Sauce

Pan-Roasted Veal Chops with Cabernet Sauce

To make the wine sauce in this elegant veal dish even more complex, use demiglace (concentrated veal stock) instead of beef stock and flour.

04 of 15

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberry–Merlot Sauce

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberry Merlot Sauce Recipe
Victor Protasio

Chef Alex Hrabovsky leans on savory pork drippings and lush Merlot to balance the sweet-tart strawberries in this rich sauce for pork tenderloin. A gentle finish in the oven keeps the pan drippings from over-reducing.

05 of 15

Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce

Poached Eggs with Red Wine Sauce
Greg DuPree

Anne Willan, founder of the prestigious École de Cuisine la Varenne in France, expounded the virtues of cooking with wine and shared a recipe for classic oeufs pochés en meurette, a Burgundian preparation reminiscent of eggs benedict, with egg-topped buttered toast rounds.

06 of 15

Red Wine BBQ Chicken

Red Wine BBQ Chicken
© Con Poulos

Leftover red wine gets repurposed into a sweet, sticky, and luscious barbecue sauce in this easy chicken recipe from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple. All you need is a Pinot Noir on hand.

07 of 15

Charred Vegetable Ragù

Charred Vegetable Ragu
Victor Protasio

Kelsey Youngman uses the broiler to infuse her hearty vegetarian ragù with smoky richness. Plenty of cremini mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and dry red wine round out the sauce on the stove. This is a ragù you'll want again and again.

08 of 15

Red Wine Venison Stew

Red Wine Venison Stew Recipe
Victor Protasio

Made with venison, this stew is intensely flavored and has a silky, thick sauce that clings to the vegetables and meat as they slowly cook together. You'll need 1 1/2 cups of a full-bodied, rich red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah).

09 of 15

Steak and Brassicas with Red Wine Sauce

Steak and Brassicas with Red Wine Sauce
Con Poulos

The brassicas here include baby cauliflower, cute 2- to 4-inch heads that come in vibrant colors like green, orange, and purple as well as the usual ivory, and pair wonderfully with the rich red wine sauce.

10 of 15

Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake

Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake
Justin Walker

Many of us cook with red wine, and F&W Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple makes the case for baking with it as well. Cabernet Sauvignon adds fruity notes that brighten this dark chocolate cake, which is great for a midday snack or casual dessert.

11 of 15

Steak Au Poivre with Red Wine Pan Sauce

Steak au Poivre with Red Wine Pan Sauce
Justin Walker

Red wine pan sauce is an amalgamation of fond (those browned bits left in the pan after searing meat), shallots, broth, good-quality red wine, and a few pats of butter to bind it all together and thicken it to a syrupy consistency. A perfect interplay of acid from the wine and sumptuous fat, the sauce is an ideal accompaniment to a peppercorn-crusted rib eye steak.

12 of 15

Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin
© Tara Fisher

The traditional dish usually marinates overnight, but this lighter, quicker version is equally delicious.

13 of 15

Short Rib Bourguignon

Short Rib Bourguignon

The French created beef bourguignon to turn tough beef into a delicious dish. Aaron Barnett upgrades it with short ribs.

14 of 15

Red-Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Parsley

Red Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Parsley Recipe
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners

This recipe, adapted from New York City pastry chef Gina DePalma, is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Who knew that basic dried pasta, simply boiled in red wine, could develop such complex flavor?

15 of 15

Lamb Loin Chops with Red Wine Pan Sauce with Cumin and Chiles

Lamb Loin Chops with Red Wine Pan Sauce with Cumin and Chiles
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Toasty cumin and piquant chiles, offset with fresh cilantro and lime zest, balance bold red wine in this quick pan sauce served with pan-seared lamb chops.

Updated by
Megan Soll
Megan Soll

Megan Soll is an Associate Editorial Director for Food & Wine Commerce. She joined Dotdash Meredith in 2015 and has over 11 years of experience writing and editing food, entertainment, and lifestyle content.

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