I’ve never had beef Bourguignon, but I’ve been wanting to make a vegan version of it for a while. The combination of stirring, smelling, chopping, tasting here and there in my kitchen while making this was heavenly on its own but, with a glass of wine in hand, it was super fun too.
After dousing a blend of sliced seitan and quartered mushrooms with an entire bottle of red wine, it’s placed into the oven to cook for 1 1/2 hours. During this time, the seitan and mushrooms soak up the wine, and everything reduces and all the flavors are intensified.
This makes a perfect weeknight meal if prepped on the weekend when you have time. Once cooled, it can be refrigerated for a day or two, then reheated in batches on the stovetop. It actually tastes better this way! Mashed potatoes are perfect here, but crusty bread to sop it all up works too.
Seitan Bourguignon
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 4 servings
Seitan Bourguignon, veganized and heavily adapted from Jacques Pépin's version.
Ingredients
for the stew
- 1 TB Earth Balance
- 1 TB olive oil
- 12 oz. seitan, sliced
- 16 oz. brown mushrooms, quartered
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp pepper, divided
- 1 cup sliced shallots
- 1/2 head garlic, minced
- 1 TB AP flour
- one bottle of cabernet savignon
- 2 bay leaves
- a few sprigs of thyme
for the vegetables
- 2 TB refined coconut oil
- one package of Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon, chopped
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup pearl onions (I used frozen)
- 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock
to serve
- mashed potatoes or crusty bread
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
to make the stew
- Melt the vegan butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Place the seitan slices into the pot, season with half the salt and pepper, and allow to brown on one side. Flip and brown the other side. Add the mushrooms to the pot, season with the remaining salt and pepper and stir. After a few minutes, they will release a lot of moisture. If you find them sticking, add a little splash of broth and stir.
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Add in the shallots and allow to soften for a few minutes, then add in the minced garlic and stir. Allow to soften for a few minutes more, then add the flour and stir until the seitan and mushrooms are well coated.
- Increase the heat a bit. Add in the entire bottle of wine, bay leaves and thyme and give it a stir.
- Cover with a lid and place into the oven to cook for 1 1/2 hours.
for the vegetables
- When you have about 45 minutes left on the stew cook time, place a smaller Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Place the chopped vegan bacon into the pot and allow to brown a bit around the edges. Add in the liquid smoke.
- Place the carrots, onions and stock into the pot. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover with a lid, and allow to cook and soften for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat.
to serve
- Remove the stew from the oven and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Place the desired amount of stew into bowls and top with the vegetables.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
This can be made and served immediately, but tastes best when allowed to sit in the refrigerator for a day or two and reheated on the stovetop. A perfect + quick weeknight meal.
Hi! Do you have a foolproof seitan recipe? I did the Rouxbe course and although my seitan looked good, it tasted like a rubber ball and was not tender. I haven’t attempted to make seitan since.
I LOVE your blog and follow you on Facebook.
Thanks,Lynda Tam
Lynda, Isa’s Chicken Stylee Seitan is great: http://www.isachandra.com/2014/02/chicken-stylee-seitan/ The chickpea flour is gluten free, so it cuts the toughness of the seitan. Just leave out the sage or add other herbs depending on what you are using it for.
Oh, Erin. You and your mushrooms 😉 How would this dish be without the vile fungi? Should I add something else or just omit?
Karin, ha! You can leave the fun guys out and double up on the seitan, enjoy!
Made it last night. 4 out of 4 stars. You need to publish a cookbook. Between you and Veganomicon I haven’t found better recipes.
Anderson, I love to hear that — so happy you liked, and thanks for your kind feedback!