Vegan Mushroom Stew over Mashed Potatoes

This crazy delicious, hearty vegan mushroom stew rivals any non-vegan version. Served with creamy roasted garlic and chive mashed potatoes (and red wine, of course), it's vegetarian comfort food at its finest!

Today is officially the last day of winter (YAY). We're bidding it a not-so-fond farewell with the ultimate comfort food: vegan stew with mashed potatoes!

It doesn't have to be cold outside to enjoy this cozy stew with mashed potatoes. It does, however, always make me want to curl up by the fireplace with a book, and/or travel to Ireland immediately.

In fact, we were inspired to develop this recipe after last year's family trip to Ireland. While we were able to find plenty of gluten free meals, the Irish aren't too big on vegan food (yet). Most of their meals revolve around meat, and pretty much every single restaurant has beef stew on the menu.

After watching the rest of the family happily indulge in stew + mashed potatoes one too many times, we decided to make our own version at home. Mushrooms are the perfect vegan alternative to beef. They soak up a ton of flavor, and when stewed for a few hours, they take on a tender, meaty texture.

How to make hearty vegan mushroom stew on your stovetop

To start, make sure you carve out enough time for the stew to simmer. We recommend at least 1 ½ hours of simmering time, or even up to 3 hours.

The good news is, once you prep everything and add it to the pot, you can clean all of the dishes and then let it do its thing without any interference. Although stew can be time consuming, it's pretty low-effort. Plus, time allows the flavors to develop, so it tastes like you've been slaving over the stovetop all afternoon!

What kind of mushrooms do I use in vegan stew?

White button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms and portobellos are all good choices for this stew. In fact, they're all technically the same variety of mushroom!

White button mushrooms are the youngest, softest variety. Cremini mushrooms are the "middle child"; much darker in color, a bit sturdier and similar in flavor to button mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms are the oldest variety, which you can obviously tell by their much larger size and more developed flavor.

I personally prefer cremini mushrooms in this stew. They're small enough that they don't need to be sliced, and they're sturdy enough to hold up to multiple hours in a pot. If you do use portobellos, be sure to roughly chop them before adding to the stew.

How to add flavor to your stew base

The key ingredient: red wine! And lots of it. Red wine adds incredible depth of rich flavor to this vegan mushroom stew. Not to mention, it makes your kitchen smell amazing.

Opt for a Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, or even a red wine blend. Don't skimp on quality! Even though the wine cooks out quite a bit, a better wine makes a better stew. Plus, you only need a cup to a cup and a half, so you can drink the rest with dinner.

Simmer, simmer, simmer!

After you sauté the onions, garlic and carrots for a few minutes, you can essentially dump everything else into the pot and start simmering.

To make sure the stew gets nice and thick (you don't want a soupy texture), you'll need to also add in some gluten free (or regular) flour. Don't just dump it in with everything. Heat up another small saucepan and turn it to medium-low. Add some olive oil and the flour, whisk well, then add broth and continue whisking until smooth.

As long as the mixture is smooth, it's ready to add to the stew. Don't worry if the stew doesn't look thick immediately after you add the flour mixture. After about an hour of simmering, it will start to thicken. By the time you serve, it should be the perfect texture!

Serve with roasted garlic mashed potatoes

As much as I love the mushroom stew, I have to admit that the potatoes are my favorite part.

We added a few cloves of roasted garlic, fresh chives, and lots of vegan butter, so needless to say, they're AMAZING. It's always dangerous for me to make mashed potatoes - I could eat the whole batch without even noticing!

About 1 hour before your stew is finished, turn on the oven and prep your roasted garlic. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make roasted garlic. It makes all the difference in these vegan mashed potatoes and it's well worth the effort!

1. Start with an entire head of garlic. Turn on its side and slice the top off, just enough to expose the cloves.
2. Drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper (optional), wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 400F for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and tender.

Voilà! Perfectly roasted garlic in two steps.

When garlic is roasted, it brings out a much sweeter flavor and removes the harsh bite of fresh garlic. I love garlic as much as the next person, but too much raw garlic doesn't always agree with my stomach (or breath!).

We try to keep some roasted garlic on hand at all times. It's particularly delicious in homemade hummus or this spicy white bean dip!

More vegan comfort food recipes

• Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie. Another favorite classic comfort food recipe, also involving mashed potatoes!
• The BEST Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese. Easy to make and tastes just like the real thing.
• Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza. For your next pizza night at home.
• Vegan Pumpkin Curry. Cozy, flavorful, unique & seasonal.
• Vegan Pasta Bake. This one involves lots of vegan cheese, a rich sauce & PASTA!

If you make this hearty vegan mushroom stew, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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