Holy Richness! This vegetarian beef bourguignon is a meal you are going to want to make again and again. Quick… Grab your French baguettes! You need to be dragging a warm, crusty piece of bread through this deeply flavorful red wine sauce. Portabella mushrooms and lentils are simmered in a full bottle of wine for the ultimate upscale dinner that is super easy to pull together. Nobody in my family follows a vegetarian diet (yet), but I can tell you none of us missed the meat in this one.
When You Think of Beef Bourguignon…
Most people think of Julia Child, the American chef famous for her book, Mastering The Art of French Cooking. I have yet to get my hands on the set, but it is high on my list! If you are interested, here is a link to the episode of her TV program where she demonstrates the steps of that classic recipe. The French Chef | Boeuf Bourguignon. I absolutely love that dish, and I wanted to see if I could create a vegetarian version that could compete. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. So, let’s get into it…
How To Make Vegetarian Beef Bourguignon
1. Prep your vegetables.
2. Cook carrots, onion and garlic in a large Dutch oven.
3. Stir in flour, add that bottle of red wine & remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
4. Transfer covered Dutch oven to preheated 350 degree oven.
5. After 30 minutes, add the mushrooms, lentils, and pearl onions, then quickly return covered dish to the oven.
Now Let’s Address The Soy Sauce
Soy sauce? Really? I know soy sauce may seem like a strange ingredient for this dish, but please don’t run away! It makes all the difference. The red wine is the main flavor you are going to pick up on, but the soy sauce gives the sauce another layer and lends incredible richness and umami flavor. Trust me on this one. : )
What to Serve with Vegetarian Beef Bourguignon?
I’d say it is most common to serve this over a bed of mashed potatoes. I personally love to serve it by itself in a big bowl with a gigantic, crusty piece of French baguette on the side. The stew on its own tastes incredible and warm bread is the perfect vehicle to soak up all those deep flavors. Below is a more complete list of options.
- French Baguette (any hearty, crusty bread will do, but this is my favorite).
- Mashed Potatoes
- Polenta
- Cauliflower Mash
- Egg noodles
- Roasted potatoes
Can I Make This Without a Dutch Oven?
Yes, absolutely! Do not preheat your oven. Otherwise you can follow the steps of the recipe using a large, heavy bottom pot. Rather than transferring your cooking vessel to the oven, just keep it on the stove top, cover it and let it simmer over low heat.
Are You Looking For Other Cozy Vegetarian Recipes?
Before you leave, be sure to check out these other tasty vegetarian dishes!
- Hearty Southwestern Vegetarian Chili
- Easy Tomato Soup with Roasted Red Peppers
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- French Onion Soup
Thank you so much for reading. If you do make this recipe, I would greatly appreciate you leaving a comment and review to let me know how it went. I think you are going to love it and I would really love to hear from you. 🙂
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Vegetarian Beef Bourguignon
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A deeply rich vegetarian take on the classic beef bourguignon. This dish is packed full of incredible umami flavor. Hearty portabella mushrooms and lentils are braised in a bottle of red wine for an upscale dinner that is easy to get on the table. Soak it all up with a crusty piece of French bread, and you will want to make this over and over again!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large carrots, medium diced
- 1 large yellow onion, small diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 – 750 mL bottle of red wine, preferably a cabernet sauvignon
- 2 & 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
- 1 and 1/2 cups brown or green lentils
- 1 & 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add carrots, yellow onion, kosher salt, black pepper, and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Stir in flour and cook for an additional minute.
- Add red wine, vegetable stock, soy sauce, tomato paste, fresh thyme, bay leaf and increase to high heat to bring everything to a simmer.
- Cover your Dutch oven and transfer to preheated oven. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove Dutch oven, add mushrooms, lentils, and pearl onions. Give everything a stir and return the covered pot to the oven to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove the thyme and bay leaf and serve in a large bowl with a crusty piece of French baguette!
Equipment
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Notes
*If you would like to use less red wine, just substitute the difference in vegetable stock!
**Be sure you have the mushrooms, lentils, and pearl onions ready to go when it is time to add them to the Dutch oven. You want to complete this step quickly so the bourguignon continues to simmer.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: vegetarian, bourguignon
This is a great vegetarian substitute for one of my favorite beef dishes! The flavor was so similar to beef bourguignon, that we didn’t miss the beef at all, and since it is a much healthier option, it is an all around winner! Omitted the pearl onions since we didn’t have any on hand.
Thanks for posting another great recipe.
★★★★★
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! It has been a while since we made it at our house but it is that time of year. I’ll put it on next week’s meal plan 😊
This recipe was so wonderful!!! I added a few things… some pumpkin purée towards the end, sweet potato, and nutritional yeast. I also put some Manchego cheese on top. Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
I want to come eat dinner at your house! You sound incredibly creative. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and that you were able to spruce it up and make it your own. That’s the best! 🙂