Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff is the perfect dinner for busy weeknights, but it's great for special occasions, too. In this recipe, cannellini beans and cashews are blended together to make a rich, creamy dairy-free sauce. It's vegan with a gluten-free option.
What is Stroganoff?
Hands up, who else though stroganoff was a mix that came in a box? I grew up eating Hamburger Helper stroganoff, which comes with powdered sauce mix and noodles. Just add ground beef and dinner is ready!
Gross.
The first non-box stroganoff I had as an adult was a vegan version. My friend Val had sent me the recipe and said she loved it. It was made with a mix of portobellos and button mushrooms, and the sauce had vegan sour cream in it. It was so much better than than powdered stuff.
Stroganoff is traditionally a meat and dairy-laden dish. (And contrary to what I grew up eating, it should't come from a box.) It's typically made with beef strips served in a sour cream sauce. The dish originated in Russia, but the version we know today has varied from its earlier form.
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Stroganoff is a a dish that is so easy to veganize that I often forget that people do make it with beef. Hearty mushrooms or meaty seitan tend to take the center stage in most vegan versions.
The sauce can be made with packaged vegan sour cream and dairy-free milk. I quite often use cashew cream, but here. I mixed cashews with cannellini beans to cut back on fat. I have a version made with cauliflower cream in The Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook. I love that there are so many foods in the plant kingdom that can be used to make “cream”!
For the stock in this recipe, I used a cup of boiling water mixed with a Not-Beef bouillon cube from Edwards and Sons to give a little bit of a meaty flavor. I also like Better Than Bouillon's No Beef Base, but you can use whatever type of vegetable stock you like.
How to make Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
This recipe is super easy to make!
- First you cook the pasta according to the package instructions. You should save about a cup of the cooking water, incase your sauce is too thick later.
- While the pasta is cooking, you cook the onion in the oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Then you add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute or two more.
- Next you add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the soften and brown.
- You add the win to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Allow it to simmer while you're mixing together the sauce.
- Then you mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a blender.
- Now you add the sauce to the pan with the mushrooms. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes. If it gets too thick, you can add some of the pasta water to set aside.
- Finally, you serve the mushroom sauce over the pasta and top and it with chopped parsley.
How to Customize your Mushroom Stroganoff
It's easy to make this recipe your own!
- You can use 4 large portobello mushrooms rather than 16 ounces of small baby bellas.
- If you don't like mushrooms, you can use 16 ounces of sliced seitan or Soy Curls instead. Make sure you serve your stroganoff with some steamed broccoli or sautéed kale so you're getting some healthy veggies in your meal!
- If you like both mushrooms and seitan, you can use 8 ounces of mushrooms and 8 ounces of sliced seitan.
- If you're on a gluten-free diet, make sure your pasta is gluten-free.
Mushroom Stroganoff is one of those recipes that is easy enough to be a weeknight meal, but fancy enough to serve to guests at a dinner party.
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces white button or crimini mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2 hours, drained, and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to brown.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more.
- Add the mushroom and cook for about 5 minutes more minutes, until they have released their liquid and begun to brown.
- Add the wine to the pan and deglaze if necessary. Reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer while you're mixing together the sauce.
- In a blender, mix together the cannellini beans, cashews, stock, tomato paste, cornstarch, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the mixture to the pan and let simmer for about ten minutes, until it thickens. If it becomes too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.
- Serve the mushroom mixture over the pasta, topped with parsley.
More Mushroom Recipes You might Enjoy Include:
- Lemon-Dijon Tempeh with Mushrooms
- Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart
- Chickpea Piccata with Mushrooms
- Spinach Mushroom Quiche
More Pasta Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:
- Pasta Primavera
- Pumpkin Pasta Carbonara
- Mac and Peas with Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce
- Lasagna Roll Ups
Angela
This dish looks wonderful! Pinned & Yummed 🙂 Would love for you to join the Sunday Fitness & Food Link-Up at Marathons and Motivation.
Dianne
Thank you, Angela!
Mary
I made this tonight, surprised how good the sauce turned out. I have never made a sauce or dressing with cashews. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Dianne
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Mary!