My husband and I love to entertain. Every summer we have a French Food Belgian Beer party. He brews Belgian Beers and I go all out on French food. Since we have become plant-based, 95% of the dishes are
plant-based. Beef Bourguignon is a standard every year, among others, and I had a few new ones in to test some dishes.
I use Julia Child’s recipe as a base and wing it every time. The 2024 French Food Belgian Beer Party version came out the best and so many people asked for the recipe, I thought I would share what I consider the best vegan beef bourguignon I’ve ever made. This year, I think it was the smoked pearl onions. If you don’t have a smoker, you can roast frozen pearl onions with a bit of soy sauce and liquid smoke and get a similar result.
This year, I had a dueling Instant Pot and regular Pressure Cooker testing a new version of the recipe. I think the pressure cooker made a little bit better result – a thicker and glossier end product. Since most people have an Instant Pot, I’m giving you the Instant Pot directions.
A caveat to this dish. June was so busy so I had prepped some of the work the week before. Smoking the onions and prepping the mushrooms the week prior allowed some of the ingredients to meld a bit and might have helped make it so much more flavorful and receive so many compliments. This recipe is large and serves at least 24 three-ounce tasting-size servings.
Because the soy sauce and Not Beef bouillion cubes are higher sodium, I don’t add much salt until the end.
Feel free to halve the recipe.
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The Best Vegan Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Ingredients and Instructions
For the mushrooms
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered
8 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
2-3 tablespoons vegan butter
Pinch of salt
Saute in a skillet over medium heat until soft and golden. Drain and reserve liquid.
You can freeze the drained mushrooms in Glad Press n Seal at this point and freeze the liquid in a jar.
For the Onions
One package of frozen pearl onions, about 24
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp garlic granules
Splash of liquid smoke (if not smoking)
Combine the onions, oil, and soy sauce in a bowl. Arrange on a foiled-covered sheet and smoke at 200 degrees until soft and the liquid has thickened into a glaze.
Or
Combine all four ingredients and roast at 400 degrees until onions are soft and glazed.
Ingredients for the Stew
2 TBSP canola or olive oil
2 white or yellow onions, diced
12 cloves garlic minced (divided)
3 large carrots, sliced ¼ to ½-inch thick
5 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons flour
Mushrooms and reserved broth
4 packages of Beyond Beef Steak Tips
2 tsp ground pepper
½ bottle red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti – for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
3 cups Not Beef (brand) beef stock
3-4 4-inch springs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Instructions for the Stew
Heat the oil in an Instant Pot on the “saute setting”.
Sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Sprinkle with black pepper and add the tomato paste. Stir well to incorporate the paste into the onion mixture.
Sprinkle with flour, toss well, and cook for 4-5 minutes to cook the flour. You can add a little more oil if the mixture seems too thick.
Add the wine, the reserved mushroom broth, and four packages of Beyond Beef steak tips.
Add the “Not Beef” beef stock and herbs.
Cover and cook on “stew/soup” mode for 20 minutes.
Allow the InstantPot to self-release and add the pre-cooked onions and mushrooms.
You should have a nice, glossy, thick stew and the carrots are cooked.
Feel free to balance the acid and umami flavor profile with a dash of Kitchen Bouquet, Marmite, Maggi, or porcini powder or bouillon. Sometimes I do this to get the taste just right. Depending on the wine and just how things come together sometimes, a plant-based dish sometimes needs some tweaking to taste like meat.
We eat with our eyes, so if you need a deeper color, add a bit more Kitchen Bouquet.
Tips:
If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to a thicker consistency, and add it back to the main pot.
If the carrots are big, sometimes I par-cook the sliced carrots in boiling water for 10 minutes while the onions are sauteing or just beforehand.
With luck and Instant Pot magic, this dish is ready in an hour or so.
Use whatever type of potatoes as a base or accompaniment to the stew. I hope you too think this is the best vegan beef bourguignon you’ve ever had!
Want to learn more about adding umami to a dish? Enjoy this 11-minute video on how to balance your dish creating that meaty umami yumminess so desired in a “beefy” plant-based dish!
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