Easy Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

A mushroom lover's delight, this vegan mushroom bourguignon is rich, flavourful, and super easy to make. Red wine and thyme add depth to this creamy vegan bourguignon made with a mix of porcini and button mushrooms. Serve it over mashed potatoes for an uncomplicated yet satisfying weeknight dinner.

If you've ever seen "Julie and Julia," one of the best movies where food takes centre stage, it's impossible not to remember the scene where Julie has the idea of starting her food blog while reminiscing about her mother's boeuf bourguignon, which she made after Julia Child's recipe.

Boeuf bourguignon is one of the most famous French dishes out there, and it's made with, you guessed, beef.

But just because you're a vegan, it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a veggie version of it.

What do you need to make this vegan bourguignon?

This vegan mushroom substitutes beef with mushrooms, and it's a very speedy version that you can have ready in just under an hour.

It's a one-pot bourguignon, and you don't need to use the oven to make it.

The red wine mushroom sauce has a lot of flavour and is enriched by the addition of porcini mushrooms.

I used dried porcini mushrooms for this recipe and added the water in which I rehydrated them into the bourguignon for extra mushroom flavour.

There is no bourguignon without red wine, so be prepared to feel it in the sauce.

I use Burgundy wine for this recipe, but you can also choose Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon (basically any medium-bodied red would do).

I found that button mushrooms (cremini for my US readers) work best in this recipe, but you can substitute them for other fresh mushrooms if you want, like Portobello or chestnut, for example.

Real bourguignon has pearl onions in it, but it's a real struggle to find them in Scottish supermarkets.

You can skip them altogether as I did (nobody said this was an authentic bourguignon), or use some very small shallots or baby onions instead.

If you use pearl onions, add them to the pot together with the carrots and red pepper.

How do you make mushroom bourguignon?

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottom pot (cast iron is a good choice) and fry the onions over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until softened.

Add the carrot and pepper and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Tip in the button mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until they soften.

Add the garlic and rehydrated porcini mushrooms and cook for another minute.

Stir in the thyme, add the bay leaves and tomato paste, and then pour in the red wine.

Cook for a minute until the alcohol evaporates and add the flour to thicken the sauce a bit.

Pour in the water in which you rehydrated the porcini mushrooms and the vegetable stock and cook without a lid for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is reduced.

Season with salt and pepper and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or pearl barley.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Unlike in the case of other recipes where the wine evaporates completely, you'll still be able to feel the flavour in this veggie bourguignon. It's not necessary to use a very expensive bottle of wine for this sauce, but try to use a red wine that you would like to drink. You should also make sure the red wine you're using is vegan, because not all of them are.
• The carrots should remain rather firm in bourguignon, so try not to overcook them as they will turn into mush.
• If you want to reduce the sauce even more, transfer the bourguignon to an oven-safe dish (or just put the pot in if using cast iron) and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• You can serve it over vegan mashed potatoes made with coconut milk or choose to go with pasta, rice, or even pearl barley instead.

If you liked this easy vegan mushroom bourguignon recipe, you might also like:

Tuscan Bean and Barley Stew with Kale

Spanish Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

Red Lentil Potato Soup with Lemon

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