Portobello and cremini mushrooms are prepared in a rich red wine sauce in this vegetarian adaptation of classic beef Bourguignon. Served over polenta, Mushroom Bourguignon is the ultimate vegetarian comfort food.
I'm a summer girl through and through, but if there is one thing that can get me excited about fall weather - it's dishes like this mushroom Bourguignon aka, Mushrooms Burgundy.
I could eat mushrooms all day every day, but when you lightly stew them in a delicious red wine gravy with carrots and onions something really magical happens. Serve it over polenta, and you have what could possibly be the most flavourful and comforting vegetarian stew you've ever had.
What is Mushroom Bourguignon?
Mushroom Bourguignon is a vegetarian adaptation of the classic French dish beef Bourguignon. Bourguignon refers to the use of wine from Burgundy in the stew, and it was made popular by Julia Child who describes the dish as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man"
Mushroom Bourguignon is my adaptation that turns this classic beef dish into a vegetarian one by dropping the beef for portobello mushrooms.
How to make Mushrooms Burgundy
There are a couple of steps to this recipe, but not too many. Each one is designed to bring out the maximum flavour in the ingredients, so I would follow them as is even though the recipe could be simplified by combining a few of them.
Start by heating the largest bottomed skillet you have over medium heat. The bigger the better here because to get the maximum flavour out of searing the mushrooms in this step it is best that they are not too crowded. If you need to, sear the mushrooms in two steps because if they are too crowded they will just steam instead of searing nicely for that extra umami flavour.
When the mushrooms have seared, remove them from the pan and add the pearl onions and sliced carrots. Season them with salt and pepper, and then throw in the chopped rosemary and thyme sprigs. You can throw the thyme in whole, and just remove the stems at the end.
Cook the onions and carrots until they start to brown a bit while stirring occasionally so they don't burn.
When the carrots and onions have browned nicely, pour in the wine and crushed garlic and increase the heat to high. Bring the skillet to a boil and using a wooden spoon deglaze any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the tomato paste and add the mushroom stock (or veggie stock) then increase the heat to high. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer and allow the pot to simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the mushrooms back to the pot.
Continue to simmer the mushroom bourguignon until the liquid has reduced by about half.
Remove a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the pot and mix with the corn starch to form a slurry. Pour the slurry back into the pot, increase the heat to high, and stir until the sauce thickens.
Serve over the cooked polenta.
Tips for the Best Burgundy Mushrooms
Browning the mushrooms and vegetables are an important part of building flavour in this dish, so don't skip that step.
The mushrooms will brown better if they are not crowded in the pan, so use the largest one you have or break the mushrooms into 2 batches.
For the most authentic flavour in the sauce pick up a bottle of wine from the Burgundy region in France. If you can't find one, a bottle of pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon will do the trick.
Dietary Information
This recipe for Burgundy mushrooms is suitable for the following diets:
- vegetarian
- for vegan, replace the butter with vegan butter
- gluten free
More Recipes You’ll Love!
If you like this mushroom Bourguignon, you might want to check out some of our other awesome mushroom recipes:
If you have made this recipe we’d love to see it! Tag us on Insta @loveandgoodstuff.
Loved this? Don’t forget to rate it below!
Mushroom Bourguignon
Equipment
Ingredients:
Mushroom Bourgignon
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 Portobello mushrooms - cubed
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms - halved or quartered
- 6 oz pearl onions
- 2 large carrots - sliced
- 1-2 sprigs thyme
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 - 2.5 cups mushroom stock - or vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- sea salt and pepper
Polenta
- 1 cup polenta - medium grind
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoon water
Instructions
For the Polenta:
- Bring 5 cups of water to a boil add the salt and the polenta, then reduce for a simmer - allow to cook for 30 mins-40 mins
- Stir in the butter
For the Mushroom Bourgignon:
- Heat the butter and oil over medium heat in a large bottomed pan. Add the chopped mushrooms and brown.
- When the mushrooms have browned, remove them from the pan.
- Add another tablespoon of butter, then add the carrots and onion to the pan along with the rosemary and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
- Saute the veggies for 5-7 minutes or until the carrots and onions begin to brown.
- Add the wine and crushed garlic to the pan and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the tomato paste and add the stock. Increase the heat to high and bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the mushrooms back to the pot. Continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half. Remove a couple of tablespoons of sauce from the pan and stir in the corn starch.
- Add the slurry to the pan, increase the heat to high, and stir until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over the cooked polenta
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Dannii says
This is one of my favourite veggie comfort foods. So hearty.
Catharina says
Excellent... used a mix of fresh and dried mushrooms.
SHANIKA says
I've never tried Mushroom Bourguignon, but this dish looks amazing! I'm loving all of the flavors in just one bite! French dishes can be so complex but so delicious!
Courtney says
It's really great - I hope you get a chance to try it 🙂
Rebecca says
this looks SO good! I wouldn't even miss the beef in it
Courtney says
Thank you Rebecca!
Danielle says
This looks like the perfect comfort food for fall! Adding it to my menu for this weekend!
Courtney says
It truly is! I hope you enjoy it!
Jen says
Can you make this one day ahead of time?
Courtney says
You definitely can!
Xavier Mann says
I tried making this for my wife and four children. So I had to increase the ingredients by 50%. Mistakes were made. I have a very large Cuisinart stainless steel skillet. It isn’t enormous but not big enough. I cooked 2/3 of the mushrooms in two batches. Will save the rest for a risotto.
Cooking time has been well over an hour. Getting a pan with this much liquid and vegetables to simmer requires medium high heat. I think this smells great. Can’t wait to try it. Doing a meatless dish because of the Game Changer movie.
annna says
I wonder if this can be made in the instapot?
Courtney says
Hi Anna, I have not tested the recipe in the Instant Pot, so I don't have an adaption to share. I would love to hear from you about how it turned out if you try it in there.
Colleen Campbell says
I’ve had this pinned for a long time; finally made it for my family last night. We loved it! Was rich, hearty, definitely did not miss the meat! Will a so make this again!
Courtney says
I'm happy to hear you all enjoyed it!
Norma Malaab says
Scrumptious!
Maggie says
I recently became a full vegetarian, so I've been looking for my old favorite comfort foods with veggie substitutions, and this one was so great! Even the meat-lovers in my family raved about it.
Courtney says
Fantastic! I'm so happy to hear you all loved it.
Meagan says
This was SO GOOD!! I didn’t make polenta...instead pappardelle. Delicious! Thank you!
Courtney says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And pappardelle is a great thing to serve it with too!
Sara says
I have been watching a lot of cooking shows during the pandemic. I decided I wanted to try this recipe as opposed to beef. I did not have pearl onions but I had shallots. I also decided to add gruyere to the polenta. I'll be making this again!
Courtney says
I'm so happy to hear that Sara! Gruyere in the polenta sounds fantastic, and shallots are a great substitute!
Jessica Formicola says
Oh, I love mushrooms! And this mushroom bourguignon looks like something my family will enjoy. Thanks so much for sharing!
Courtney says
You're so welcome, enjoy!
Linda says
I'm so drooling over this mushroom bourguignon! So comforting, delicious, and flavorful.
Courtney says
Thank you! I totally agree.
Addison says
So savory and hearty!
Scott Sproat says
it looks great. love red wine and mushrooms. my question? what is the easiest way to make polenta?
Scott Sproat says
i love red wine and mushrooms. what is the easiest way to make polenta?
James Peoples says
Delicious! Thank you! The polenta was done before the sauce thickened, but the corn consistency held. When the daughter asks for seconds, you know it was worth it.