This mushroom bourguignon is a delicious vegan take on the classic French dish boeuf bourguignon. Traditionally made with beef, this mushroom version is just as hearty and satisfying and will leave your guests coming back for more! It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds and would be perfect as a main course on special occasions. Even carnivores will love it, so it’s great for satisfying both vegans and omnivores at the same table!
Mushroom bourguignon is an elaborate dish which takes time to prepare but it’s absolutely worth the effort! A grand assortment of savoury mushrooms are seared on a high heat to bring out their flavour and then simmered in a deliciously rich red wine sauce. The addition of caramelised carrots and whole browned borettane onions makes this vegan mushroom bourguignon a filling, hearty stew that will warm your soul on a winter’s evening!
How to make mushroom bourguignon
The original boeuf bourguignon recipe has a ratio of 3 parts beef to 1 part mushrooms. To veganise the recipe, I just replaced the beef with the meatiest mushrooms I could find and left out the bacon. Otherwise, I didn’t change anything really – it was just a case of adding more mushrooms to replace the meat. The meatier the mushrooms, the better.
Shiitake, maitake (also called hen-of-the-woods or grifola frondosa) and oyster mushrooms are all perfect for this recipe. I used Shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, pioppini (also called black poplar mushroom), brown cremini (also called chestnut mushrooms) and porcini. For the best flavour, use as many different kinds of mushrooms as you can get hold of, and favour fresh over dried where possible.
Browning the mushrooms and borettane onions really brings out their flavour. Caramelised onions and carrots, tamari, tomato, red wine, vegetable stock and herbs add depth of flavour to the sauce.
The choice of wine is important to the flavour of the dish. Ideally, it should be a Burgundy red. This is not really an occasion to skimp on the wine – it’s the foundation for the flavour of the dish.
Accompaniments for mushroom bourguignon
The best accompaniment is, of course, traditional mashed potatoes, or purée in French – Bourguignon is French, after all. For a more novel approach, celeriac mash will take this culinary delight to a whole new level. Another great alternative is polenta. Otherwise, if you prefer, you could serve it with rice or noodles.
Ingredients for mushroom bourguignon
These quantities will serve 5 – 6 people.
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium-sized onions (very finely chopped), about 200 g
- 2 – 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3 small carrots (cut into rounds – see notes below), about 150 g
- 20 borettane onions or pearl onions (see notes below)
- 375 ml/g red wine (Burgundy red or similar)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée (concentrate)
- 1 kg assorted fresh mushrooms
- 600 ml vegetable stock or broth
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce (see notes below)
- 2 sprigs of fresh dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- unrefined sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Prepare all your ingredients
- finely chop the onion
- peel and slice the carrots into 1 cm rounds
- mince the garlic
- trim and peel the borettane onions
- trim and wipe or wash the mushrooms. Leave the very small ones (like pioppini) whole, and cut the large ones (like shiitake, cremini and porcini) into 1 cm thick slices. Cut the others (like oyster and chanterelle) into smaller pieces if they are very large, otherwise leave them whole.
- measure out the liquids (wine, vegetable broth, tamari and tomato paste)
- prepare the herbs (bay leaf and thyme) and tie them up in a small piece of muslin cloth or reusable teabag
- Chop some parsley for garnish (optional)
Prepare the base for the sauce
- Put two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sweat the chopped onions on a low heat for 5 – 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Cut the carrots into ½ cm thick rounds and add them to the onion. Add the minced garlic and continue to fry gently until everything is nicely caramelised (see notes below). This will take some time, so you can proceed to the next step while you are waiting.
Brown the borettane onions
- Fry the borettane or pearl onions on a medium heat in a separate pan until they are nicely browned on both sides, seasoning them with salt and pepper as you go.
- When the chopped onions and carrots are caramelised, add the whole borettane onions, along with the wine, tomato purée and herbs. Bring to the boil – this will evaporate the alcohol and reduce the wine. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
Fry the mushrooms
- Fry the mushrooms in olive oil in batches. I fried each type separately as 180 g is just about the right amount to fry in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. It’s really important to sear those mushrooms on a very high heat until they are well browned all over, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. This is will bring out all that deep umami flavour in your mushroom bourguignon. As you finish frying each batch, transfer them to a plate.
Put your mushroom bourguignon together
- Add about ¾ of the vegetable stock to the pan with the onions and wine. Season with a tablespoon of tamari, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
- Simmer for another 15 minutes to allow all the flavours to mingle. Check the consistency. I don’t use a thickening agent like flour or cornflour because it isn’t necessary. The chopped onions thicken the sauce as they disintegrate. However, you may need to reduce the sauce, or thin it down by adding some more vegetable broth. If the sauce is too thin, turn up the heat and reduce it until you achieve the desired consistency.
Finishing touches
- Warm your plates.
- Taste the bourguignon sauce one last time and correct the seasoning if necessary.
- Spoon the mash onto the warmed plates and make a large well in the centre. Ladle the mushroom bourguignon into the wells, sprinkle with a little chopped parsley (optional) and serve immediately.
Mushroom bourguignon
6
servings30
minutes1
hour1
hour30
minutesA delicious vegan mushroom bourguignon that will warm the soul and have your guests clamouring for more! This special occasion dish is best served with mashed potatoes, celeriac mash or polenta. Comfort food at its finest!
Recipe by Deborah, veganhotstuff.com
Quantities are for 6 people if served as a main course with celeriac mash, polenta, or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- For the bourguignon sauce
extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized onions (finely chopped), about 200 g
2 – 3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 small carrots (cut into 1/2 cm thick rounds), about 150 g
375 g/ml red wine
2 tbsp tomato purée (concentrate)
600 g/ml vegetable broth
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
unrefined sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
- For frying the borettane onions
extra virgin olive oil
20 borettane onions (or pearl onions)
unrefined sea salt
black pepper
- For frying the mushrooms
extra virgin olive oil
750 g mixed mushrooms or brown cremini (chestnut) mushrooms
unrefined sea salt
black pepper
Directions
- Put two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sweat the chopped onions on a low heat for 5 – 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Cut the carrots into ½ cm thick rounds and add them to the onion. Add the minced garlic and continue to fry gently until everything is nicely caramelised (see notes below). This will take some time, so you can proceed to the next step while you are waiting.
- Fry the borettane or pearl onions on a medium heat in a separate pan until they are nicely browned on both sides, seasoning them with salt and pepper as you go.
- When the chopped onions and carrots are caramelised, add the whole borettane onions, along with the wine, tomato purée and herbs. Bring to the boil – this will evaporate the alcohol and reduce the wine. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Fry the mushrooms in olive oil in batches. I fried each type separately as 180 g is just about the right amount to fry in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. It’s really important to sear those mushrooms on a very high heat until they are well browned all over, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. This is will bring out all that deep umami flavour in your mushroom bourguignon. As you finish frying each batch, transfer them to a plate.
- Add about ¾ of the vegetable stock to the pan with the onions and wine. Season with a tablespoon of tamari, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
- Simmer for another 15 minutes to allow all the flavours to mingle. Check the consistency. I don’t use a thickening agent like flour or cornflour because it isn’t necessary. The chopped onions thicken the sauce as they disintegrate. However, you may need to reduce the sauce, or thin it down by adding some more vegetable broth. If the sauce is too thin, turn up the heat and reduce it until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Warm your plates.
Taste the bourguignon sauce one last time and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Spoon the mash onto the warmed plates and make a large well in the centre. Ladle the mushroom bourguignon into the wells, sprinkle with a little chopped parsley (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
- I used 3 small carrots as opposed to a large one because the diameter of the slices is more uniform, which looks nicer, as well as cooking more evenly.
- Like traditional French beef bourguignon, this recipe calls for baby onions. I used Italian borettane onions because they are more readily available where I live. Pearl onions (also known as baby or button onions, silverskin, or creamers in the US) are the most widely used in bourguignon.
- I always use vegetable stock powder as opposed to cubes because I don’t like the fact that the cubes are held together by fat, which is often hydrogenated vegetable oil to increase the shelf life. I put my stock powder in cold water and mix it well before adding it to anything hot. Some types of stock powder clump if added to boiling liquids when still in their powder form.
- Tamari sauce is a Japanese soy sauce, it’s essentially a by-product of miso paste production. I use Tamari soy sauce because it doesn’t contain wheat, it’s higher in protein and has a smoother, richer flavour. Because it’s made with just fermented soybeans, most brands are gluten-free too – unlike other soy sauces which traditionally include wheat among their ingredients. Tamari also contains the nutrients associated with fermented foods. Organic Tamari is also free from preservatives and monosodium glutamate. Last but not least, Tamari is less salty than other soy sauces.
- I tie my herbs up in a re-useable teabag or in a piece of muslin, which you remove at the end of the cooking process. For this recipe, I used a fresh bay leaf and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. You can also put the herbs in loose if you want. Putting them in a bag ensures that you’re left with the aroma and not the bits, which come off the stalks during the cooking process. Some herbs can be quite bitter when you bite on them.
- I chose brown cremini mushrooms for this recipe because they have a more intense flavour, but you can use normal white mushrooms instead. They are in fact the same species (agaricus bisporus) – just that the brown ones have a darker skin and stronger flavour. Shiitake mushrooms are also great, as well as oyster mushrooms – the more the better.
- Shiitake, maitake (also called hen-of-the-woods or grifola frondosa) and oyster mushrooms are all perfect for this recipe. I used Shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, pioppini (also called black poplar mushroom), brown cremini (also called chestnut mushrooms) and porcini. For the best flavour, use as many different kinds of mushrooms as you can get hold of, and favour fresh over dried where possible. Fry the mushrooms on a high heat until they are well browned all over.
- Don’t skimp on the wine in this recipe – it’s important to the flavour of the dish. Ideally, it should be a Burgundy red.
- Celeriac mash is a great alternative to traditional mashed potatoes if you are looking for something special.
I hope you enjoy this mushroom bourguignon recipe as much as we do! If you do, would you consider giving it a star rating, and maybe leave a comment below? This is really useful for other readers and it also helps them to find my blog and recipes. I also really appreciate your feedback, which ultimately helps me make my recipes more successful. Thanks so much for your support!
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This recipe is DELICIOUS. I had some pioppini mushrooms and wasn’t sure what to do with them and found this recipe. I only had about half of the amount of mushrooms that were called for, and I subbed in thick-sliced shallots for the small onions. I cut most of the quantites down since I had fewer mushrooms. I would 100% make this recipe again and would recommend it.
So glad you liked it Melanie! Thanks for taking the time to comment – I really appreciate it!
I have tried many recipes for this dish and none came close or were as delicious as this one. The wine sauce is so full of flavour it will make your mouth water every time you think about it ?
I didn’t have the onions so I just added a lot more mushrooms (I love mushrooms).
Thanks for the rave review Alessia! I’m so glad you like it! Next time, try making it with the onions too, you’ll love it!