Sitting at my desk, my grumbling stomach turns from my work to thoughts of lunch and the leftover pork and plantain stew in my fridge. The stew is an easy answer to my hunger – a brief microwave and lunch is served, yet what I crave this minute are vegetables. I quickly realize that all I’ve eaten for the last week is a combination of meat and starch with nary a vegetable in sight. I leave the stew where it is and order a humongous Asian chicken salad from the local café instead, devouring it in about 30 seconds. This woman needs more veggies in her diet.

Some purists would argue this isn’t truly a bourguignon. After I respond with, “Thank you for your feedback” (Event planner speak for “I don’t care what you think.”), I would reply that this is my no-fail, go-to, beef bourguignon recipe, with the beef removed and the mushrooms turned up to eleven. It’s bourguignon in my book.

This is comfort food you can feel good about.

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

• Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

• 3 strips vegan bacon, diced
• 2 lbs. Portobello mushroom caps, sliced ½” thick
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pinot noir
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed.
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. Sauté vegan bacon in a Dutch oven with a little oil until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. Sauté mushrooms in a little more oil until beginning to soften, but not until they release all of their juice, 2-3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and reserve.
2. Add additional oil to the Dutch oven and sauté carrot, celery & onion until beginning to brown. Add tomato paste and flour and sauté 1-2 minutes until flour turns golden. Add pinot noir and reduce until thickened, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, pearl onions, reserved vegan bacon and reserved mushrooms with any accumulated juice. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to oven. Braise for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. If sauce isn’t thick enough, cook uncovered on the stovetop for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over egg noodles, polenta, or rice.