Made with plenty of meaty mushrooms and my tangy homemade sour cream, this is a glorious vegetarian rendition of a meat laden classic.

Growing up, Stroganoff was a winter classic. My mother would cook beef cubes with beef broth and sour cream. It wasn’t my absolute favorite as a child but as I got older I grew to at least like it. Now as an adult with full charge of my own recipes, I love it!

My recipe forgoes the beef and instead is chock full of locally sourced mushrooms. But that’s not the only trick up my sleeve, I also incorporate my own homemade sour cream into the mix as well as making a mushroom tea instead of using beef broth. These little tweaks really make all the difference. Instead of making the same old semi-bland Stroganoff of my childhood, I’ve replaced it with an umami flavor bomb that I crave.  

Meatless Mushroom Stroganoff 

3-4 cups chopped oyster, cremini or shiitake mushrooms

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 TBSP unsalted butter

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup of bourbon or cognac

¼ cup dried mushrooms plus hot water to make mushroom tea

1 tsp dijon mustard 

1 cup sour cream 

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Parsley 

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, melt your butter on medium heat until the butter becomes slightly foamy.

Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add your chopped shallots and lower your heat slightly so your shallots don’t burn before they cook. Cook together until both are slightly browned.

Once the aromatics are slightly caramelized add the chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Mix together and make sure the mushrooms sit in one layer in the pan with the aromatics so they can properly brown. Cook until the mushrooms release all their water and start to brown, should take about 15-20 minutes at medium heat.

While the mushrooms are cooking, make the mushroom tea. In a small bowl, measure out a ¼ cup of dried mushrooms of your choosing. Some of my favorite dried mushrooms are shiitakes or if I can get my hands on chanterelles. Cover the dried mushrooms with hot water until the mushrooms are completely covered. Stir and leave them to steep for at least 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the rehydrated mushrooms and finely chop to add in later.

Once the mushrooms are lightly browned and they start sticking to the pan add Worcestershire sauce and stir. When the sauce is reduced and coats the mushrooms, add your liquor to the pan. Scrap any brown bits from the pan and incorporate them into the mixture, cook out the alcohol. 

When reduced add the mushroom tea, bay leaves, thyme and mustard, stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium low and stir in the sour cream, cook until slightly thickened.

Add parsley, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

*Notes: For this recipe I prefer to use my homemade sour cream versus the store bought kind. Frequently with store bought sour cream it separates and makes the Stroganoff a little grainy. With homemade I consistently get a nice and creamy sauce. 

You can make the Stroganoff with a variety of mushrooms. I prefer mushrooms that have a meaty consistency and flavor such as Oyster or Cremini. This way it acts like a proper meat substitute. Promise me, you won’t miss the meat. 

If you can’t get dried mushrooms for the mushroom tea you can easily substitute with vegetable broth. The Stroganoff just won’t have an overly powerful punch of mushroom flavor

Before serving the Stroganoff, I like to stir my cooked egg noodles in the warm mushroom sauce for a little bit, 5 minutes or so. I love coating my homemade noodles in the sauce, making sure each little fold gets coated.