Mushroom Bourguignon

Mushroom bourguignon should be on everyone’s list for wintertime meatless Mondays. This one-pot stew replaces meat with mushrooms, yet remains just as warm and filling—making it one of our favorite mushroom recipes to date. It has a bit of anchovy-laced Worcestershire sauce for flavor, but simple substitutions make it vegetarian- or vegan-friendly.

Unlike some slow-cooker stew recipes, you make this one on the stovetop. There’s a good chance you already have all of the supporting ingredients in your kitchen, including the aromatics (onion, carrots, garlic and dried herbs), tomato paste, vegetable stock and dry red wine. And the best part is that the reheated leftovers are just as delicious as the initial meal, whether they’re stored in the fridge or the freezer.

What is mushroom bourguignon?

Bourguignon refers to the French region of Burgundy, which is known for its dry, medium-bodied red wine. The wine, made from pinot noir grapes, is an essential ingredient in the local braised beef recipe, beef bourguignon. This meatless recipe captures the same texture and flavor of the classic beef stew, yet relies on mushrooms for its main ingredient and its umami backbone. If you decide to stir in some sour cream, this mushroom bourguignon recipe takes on the smooth tanginess of classic beef Stroganoff—still without the meat.

Mushroom Bourguignon Ingredients

• Butter: Cook mushrooms and other aromatic vegetables in butter to make them rich and flavorful. For a vegan variation on this recipe, use olive oil instead.
• Mushrooms: Button, cremini and portobello mushrooms are all the same types of mushrooms at different ages. Baby portobellos, also known as cremini mushrooms, have a stronger flavor and meatier texture than white button mushrooms, yet lack the large gills and tough stems of fully mature portobello mushrooms.
• Aromatics: Sweet onion, carrots and garlic create an aromatic base for this stew. Saute them separately from the mushrooms to ensure the vegetables cook evenly and become soft but not soggy.
• Umami: Tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce both provide rich and savory notes. If you’re vegetarian, avoid standard Worcestershire, which is made with anchovies. Choose a vegan brand of Worcestershire sauce or substitute soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos plus a splash of red wine vinegar.
• Flour: When cooked with buttered vegetables, flour creates a roux, darkens the fat and thickens the liquids. Add the wine and stock in a slow stream to prevent flour clumps.
• Dry red wine: You want a dry red wine for mushroom bourguignon. It doesn’t necessarily need to be as expensive as the bottle you plan to drink alongside the stew, but wine experts recommend choosing a similar varietal when you cook with wine.
• Vegetable stock: Store-bought vegetable stock often includes pureed vegetables that make it thicker than vegetable broth. If you make vegetable broth at home, you’ll have more control over the thickness and the sodium content.
• Herbs: The standard stew herbs of dried bay leaf, thyme and rosemary release their flavor into bourguignon as it simmers, whereas fresh parsley contributes to the taste and color as a garnish. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving. It will stay unappealingly rigid and leathery, even when cooked.
• Sour cream: While optional, sour cream adds creaminess and texture at the end.
• Polenta or mashed potatoes: Homemade polenta or creamy mashed potatoes are the perfect vehicles for this rich and flavorful vegetarian stew.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the mushrooms

In a Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they’re tender and the edges brown, three to four minutes. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Step 2: Cook the aromatics

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and carrot and cook until tender, four to five minutes.

Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook one minute longer.

Step 3: Thicken the liquids

Stir in the flour and cook until brown, two to three minutes.

Slowly whisk in the wine.

Cook until the sauce thickens, one to two minutes.

Stir in the vegetable broth and bring it to a simmer.

Editor’s Tip: Given the color of the tomato paste and browned vegetables, it might be difficult to judge when the flour darkens. Stir the flour while it cooks so that it blends thoroughly into the butter-coated vegetables, and then keep going a minute longer to ensure it loses its raw, powdery mouthfeel and taste.

Step 4: Season the mushrooms

Add the mushrooms back to the pot.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sauce slightly reduces.

Step 5: Finish and serve

Discard the bay leaf. If desired, stir in sour cream. Serve the mushroom bourguignon over hot polenta or mashed potatoes, garnished with parsley.

Mushroom Bourguignon Variations

• Mix and match mushrooms: Different mushrooms have distinctive flavors, so a mixed bag adds to the complexity of bourguignon. Replace some of the baby portobellos with common meaty varieties, like shiitake or blue oyster mushrooms.
• Add other root vegetables: For an even thicker stew, cook starchy cubed potatoes or parsnips in the broth until just tender, then add the mushrooms and herbs to the pot. Then, serve mushroom bourguignon in a bowl on its own with slices of a crusty French loaf for dipping.
• Leave out the wine: If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, replace the wine with more vegetable or mushroom stock. You can also rehydrate a handful of dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms to mix into the stew and use the infused liquid instead of wine.
• Dish it up differently: Serve vegetarian mushroom bourguignon over egg noodles. As a vegan dish, spoon it over pearl barley. Instead of coarsely ground polenta, make a smoother stew base from hominy grits.

How to Store Mushroom Bourguignon

Store leftover mushroom bourguignon in the refrigerator, but cool it thoroughly before you pack it in airtight containers. To cool it quickly and safely, spread the stew in a shallow pan or divide it into smaller containers. If it’s still warm after two hours, move the open pan or containers to the refrigerator to finish cooling, then cover the stew for storage.

How long does mushroom bourguignon last?

Mushroom bourguignon keeps well for up to four days in the refrigerator when sealed in airtight containers. If you portion it into small containers for cooling and storage, a meal’s worth of the stew reheats effortlessly. Plus, if you find you won’t finish the refrigerated bourguignon within three or four days, freezer-safe containers move straight from the fridge to long-term frozen storage.

Can you freeze mushroom bourguignon?

Freeze mushroom bourguignon in labeled, freezer-safe containers or bags for up to three months. As when refrigerating the stew, let it cool completely before freezing it in appropriate portions. Leave some headspace for the liquids to expand as they freeze, and seal the containers or bags airtight to minimize freezer burn. If you know you’ll be freezing mushroom bourguignon, skip the sour cream so it doesn’t separate when it thaws.

How do you reheat mushroom bourguignon?

To reheat frozen mushroom bourguignon, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best texture. Reheat fridge-cold stew directly in a pot on the stove or in the microwave in a microwave-safe container, stirring often. Once it bubbles, serve the bourguignon straightaway or keep heating it to your desired temperature.

Mushroom Bourguignon Tips

What are the best mushrooms to use for mushroom bourguignon?

Any mushrooms of the Agaricus bisporus species have the density desirable in this mushroom bourguignon recipe, but young button mushrooms have the least flavor. Baby portobellos or creminis have the closest texture to the beef-based original, and full-sized portobellos are delicious when the stems are removed and the cap is cut into strips.

Meaty mushrooms, like shiitake and oyster mushrooms, hold up better in mushroom bourguignon than delicate ones like morels. A mixed collection adds variety in flavor and texture. For a local spin, seek out farm-grown or foraged varieties in your area, like meaty king trumpet and nutty golden chestnut mushrooms.

How can you thicken mushroom bourguignon?

If your mushroom bourguignon needs thickening, mix a little flour with water to form a slurry, and then whisk it into the pot. For a gluten-free way to thicken the sauce, make a slurry with arrowroot or cornstarch. If you’re serving the stew over mashed potatoes, stir some of the mashers into the pot so that their starches break down and thicken the liquid.

What can you serve with mushroom bourguignon?

Serve basic polenta or mashed potatoes under mushroom bourguignon, or gussy up the base by making crispy seasoned polenta squares or onion mashed potatoes. You could mash sweet potatoes or cauliflower instead or serve the stew with garlic bread on the side. For other sides, look to fresh vegetables, like marinated broccoli or one of these bright winter salads. Lightly cooked vegetables add contrast too, like citrus rainbow carrots.