A divine Mushroom Stew recipe with red wine sauce ladled over fluffy mashed potatoes. Hearty and savory, easy to make, a healthy satisfying vegan stew a la Bourguignon just perfect for this cooler weather.
In a nutshell we have a classic French stew of aromatics with mushrooms a la Bourguignon, meaning simply braised in red wine.
The Ingredients
Mushrooms – The best mushrooms for stew are common brown cremini mushrooms aka baby bella. If you desire to add a special variety like Chanterelle or trumpets I’d suggest sauteeing those separately with some shallots then adding them on top of the stew when serving. All things considered, you can mix a bunch of different varieties here and end up with a very delicious stew.
Leeks – I love a good flavor base made from almost caramelized leeks. Use them if available, otherwise a large onion will work just fine or go the traditional route and use pearl onions.
Herbs + Spices – A combination of fresh thyme and dry bay leaves really enhances the flavors of this stew. If you fancy sage or even rosemary feel free to add them in here. Bring the slow cooked flavors back to life with a sprinkling of fresh Italian parsley at the very end.
Red Wine – A deep rich red with notes of clove is what I love to use here. Any red that you enjoy drinking will be great.
Tomato Paste– Thick and double concentrated, preferably the only ingredients listed will be the tomatoes. It will give your stew just enough sweetness to balance the earthy flavors of the dish but without making it tomatoey.
Storage
Any leftover stewed mushrooms will keep nicely in the fridge up to a week. It should also freeze well up to 3 months with a slight change in texture upon reheating (stove top method is best but the microwave is just fine too) .
A divine Mushroom Stew recipe with red wine sauce ladled over fluffy mashed potatoes. Hearty and savory, easy to make, a healthy vegan stew a la Bourguignon just perfect for this cooler weather.
Add the chopped carrots and continue cooking until they begin to soften a bit and the leeks start to get some caramelization.
4 carrots
Stir in the flour then add the red wine and bring to a simmer while mixing well. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes until the wine starts reducing then add the vegetable stock, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Cook for a good 15 minutes until the carrots have softened to your liking.
2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 8 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2.25 cups vegetable broth, 3/4 cup red wine
Meanwhile rinse and cut the mushrooms into quarters or larger pieces to your liking.
3 lb baby bella brown mushrooms
Preheat the largest skillet you own over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil, the mushrooms and a pinch of sea salt. Work in batches if needed to not overcrowd the pan.
3 lb baby bella brown mushrooms
Turn up the heat as needed and allow the mushrooms to cook down until all the water has evaporated. At this point add another drizzle of olive oil and toss to coat well. Continue cooking until the mushrooms start to brown a bit.
Push some of the mushrooms to the side, drizzle a little olive oil in the center and add the minced garlic. As soon as you start to smell it use a spoon and toss to coat well with the rest of the mushrooms for about 30 seconds or so. Taste and season with more sea salt at this point if desired.
6 cloves garlic
Transfer the garlic mushrooms to the pot with the red wine gravy and combine.
Adjust seasonings and serve over fluffy mashed potatoes garnished with fresh parsley and some red chili flakes for heat.
1/4 cup Italian parsley, S & P to taste
Video
Notes
The Mushrooms - The best mushrooms for this stew are common brown cremini mushrooms aka baby bella. If you desire to add a special variety like Chanterelle or trumpets I'd suggest sauteeing those separately with some shallots then adding them on top of the stew when serving. All things considered, you can mix a bunch of different varieties here and end up with a very delicious stew.
Leeks - I love a good flavor base made from almost caramelized leeks. Use them if available, otherwise a large onion will work just fine.
Herbs + Spices - A combination of fresh thyme and dry bay leaves really enhances the flavors of this stew. If you fancy sage or even rosemary feel free to add them in here. Bring the slow cooked flavors back to life with a sprinkling of fresh Italian parsley at the very end.
Red Wine - A deep rich red with notes of clove is what I love to use here. Any red that you enjoy drinking will be great.
Tomato Paste - Thick and double concentrated, preferably the only ingredients listed will be the tomatoes. It will give your stew just enough sweetness to balance the earthy flavors of the dish but without making it tomatoey.
Delicious! just what I was hoping for and it tasted like stews I used to make with meat with a nice full flavour. Served over polenta. Ours was a little too thin and required a lot longer to reduce, but could have been user-error 😉 I’ll add potatoes next time likely. Thanks!
This stew was amazing! Had some leftover red wine I wanted to use and this turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve made in a long time. Can’t wait to make again, thanks for sharing Florentina.
Delicious! just what I was hoping for and it tasted like stews I used to make with meat with a nice full flavour. Served over polenta. Ours was a little too thin and required a lot longer to reduce, but could have been user-error 😉 I’ll add potatoes next time likely. Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed it Michelle! In the future just turn up the heat a little bit for a faster reduction. ~ Florentina Xo’s
This stew was amazing! Had some leftover red wine I wanted to use and this turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve made in a long time. Can’t wait to make again, thanks for sharing Florentina.