If you’re planning a vegan dinner party and are looking for main course ideas, this mushroom bourguignon with white bean mash and kale chips could be just what you’re after.

Bourguignon is more commonly known as beef bourguignon or boeuf bourguignon. It’s a famous French stew that typically consists of cow meat. It’s said to epitomize the rustic, hearty cuisine of the Burgundy region from which it originates. The traditional dish consists of beef slowly simmered in red Burgundy wine, often alongside herbs, garlic, vegetables, and sometimes brandy. It also includes bacon. At first glance, a Bourguignon is extremely meat-heavy, but it is possible to make it to an entirely vegan recipe.

How to make a vegan bourguignon

You can easily replicate the famous rich flavors of a bourguignon with vegan ingredients. The below recipe, which comes from Viva!’s Vegan Recipe Club, features mushrooms as its key ingredient.

The front cover of Viva!'s new vegan cookbook — Viva! This recipe comes from Viva’s vegan cookbook

Mushrooms are a popular choice in vegan versions of bourguignon due to their rich, umami flavor and substantial texture, which make them an excellent substitute for meat. Their ability to absorb and enhance the flavors of the herbs, wine, and aromatics used in the dish allows them to mimic the depth and complexity traditionally provided by beef in classic bourguignon.

For this recipe, it’s best to use a mix of mushrooms, and you’ll also need dried porcini mushrooms, which you should be able to find in most supermarkets and grocery stores.

As well as the bourguignon, this recipe will teach you how to make white bean mash and kale chips. The former refers to a type of mashed potato that features white beans in its recipe. The latter are pieces of kale baked along with salt and olive oil.

Here’s how to make this meal:

Mushroom bourguignon with white bean mash and kale chips

Well here’s a deliciously simple take on a French classic. Enjoy a medley of mushrooms and herby goodness in a rich, gravy-like red wine sauce. Serve on a bed of our creamy white bean mash topped off with kale crisps and take your comfort food to the next level.

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Duration1

Cook Time40

Prep Time20

Servings

Ingredients

30 g (1 oz) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes (you can use 30g extra mixed mushrooms if you don’t want to use any dried)
2 tbsp vegan butter (use oil if you prefer)
600 g (17.5 oz) mixture of mushrooms, big ones halved and small ones left whole
125 g (4.5 oz) shallots or pearl onions, halved or quartered if large
2 carrots, thickly sliced
120 g (4 oz) vegan lardons or 2 handfuls of pre-cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped (optional – use gluten-free if needed)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp plain four (use gluten-free if needed)
1 tbsp tomato purée
275 ml (1½ cups) fruity vegan red wine
250 ml (1 cup) vegan stock (use 1 stock cube in boiling water)
6 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
Handful of parsley, roughly chopped

White bean mash

500 g (17.5 oz) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
2x 400 g (14 oz) tins butterbeans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
35 g (2½ tbsp) vegan butter
50 ml (¼ cup) unsweetened plant milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Kale crisps

Steam the kale if you prefer or serve with salad or other green vegetables
100 g (3.5oz) kale or cavolo nero leaves, hard/thick stems removed
½ tbsp olive oil
Very light sprinkling of salt

Instructions

Bourguignon

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add your mixture of mushrooms (but not the porcini mushrooms). Heat until cooked but firm, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of vegan butter to the pan and add the shallots/onions, the carrot and the vegan lardons or chestnuts. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir through the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Pour in the flour thoroughly combine with the other ingredients. Heat for 1 minute.
Drain the porcini mushrooms then add them to the pan along with the tomato purée, red wine, stock, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Simmer on medium for around 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced down significantly and you have your desired consistency. You can make your mash while the stew is simmering.
Stir through the cooked mixed mushrooms and heat for 2 minutes.
Top with fresh parsley.

Mash

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and add a little salt.
Bring the potatoes to the boil then simmer on low – medium until tender but not overcooked. At 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the butterbeans.
Drain the potatoes/beans in a colander and leave them to steam dry for a couple of minutes.
Fry the garlic on a medium heat, in a little oil for 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes/beans to a food processor along with the garlic, butter, plant milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until really smooth (if you’d rather have more texture in your mash then use a potato masher instead of blending).

Kale crisps

Preheat the oven to 130°C/265°F/Gas Mark 1.
Lay the kale out onto a baking tray so the leaves don’t touch.
Drizzle over the olive oil and salt then fully cover all the leaves (you might want to get your hands in there!).
Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy, turning once.

Tip: as an alternative, use the bourguignon as a delicious pie filling

This recipe was republished with permission from from Viva’s new cookbook, Everyone Can Cook Vegan. You can buy the book here.