This vegan spin on beef bourguignon features tender eggplant, mushrooms, and veggies simmered in a flavor-packed red wine base. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes for a knock-your-socks off delicious vegan dinner.
It seems like lately I'm boozing up all of my recipes. What can I say? The cold weather just gets me in the mood for infusing my cooking with all kinds of wine and beer and liquor. And this is no exception. This is one boozy stewzie.
I just said "stewzie." I don't even know if I spelled it right.
Okay, so stewzie isn't a word, but whatever.
Usually when I post recipes that call for alcohol I get at least one or two people asking for a substitution. This particular recipe is totally centered around the wine, so I don't recommend leaving it out. (Try my vegan beef stew instead. You can get away with skipping the wine in that one.)
Red wine with some herbs and seasonings makes an incredibly flavorful stew base. I've never had beef bourguignon, but I can't imagine you'll miss the meat with all the flavors in this vegan version.
There are quite a few versions of mushroom bourguignon circulating on the internet, so I decided to do something different here: I swapped eggplant for the meat. OMG. Best decision ever.
There are still some mushrooms in here (classic beef bourguignon even has mushrooms), and they're excellent, but the eggplant soaks up the sauce and cooks up super tender with that melt-in-your mouth eggplant quality that I absolutely love about eggplant.
Because this one is so intensely flavorful, I recommend serving it over some carbs. Is that how they do it with beef bourguignon? I'm not sure. But in any event, I served mine over pasta. I bet mashed potatoes, polenta, or even crusty bread would be equally awesome.
📖 Recipe
Eggplant Bourguignon
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup whiskey
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups dry full-bodied red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup pearl onions, fresh or frozen and thawed
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt, plus more to taste
For Serving
- Cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms in an even layer. Cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 minutes more, until browned on both sides. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
- Add 2 tablespoons more of oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot add the eggplant, onion, and carrots. Sauté until the eggplant is very tender and the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Return the mushrooms to the pot. Stir in the flour until it evenly coats the veggies, and cook for about 1 minute more. Stir in the whiskey, thyme and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a simmer and allow to cook until most of it has evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, wine, tomato paste, pearl onions, and smoked salt. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow to cook for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened up, the vegetables are tender, and the alcohol has fully cooked off.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste test and add extra smoked salt (or table salt) to taste.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or polenta.
Notes
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This turned out amazing!!!
THIS is just a fabulous recipe, no pigeonholing as Vegan, re-worked Omni, etc. it is just a great stew recipe...period. I made a double batch of this yesterday and it was AWESOME!! And as with most dishes with wine and tomato paste, etc., it improved considerably by sitting in the fridge overnight. So today it is even better! I did not have some of the ingredients, such as whiskey, so I subbed dry sherry, etc. I added a can of San Marzano plum tomatoes and used the liquid smoke vs smoked paprika option. I am TRYING to cut calories & carbs so I served it with zucchini "Zoodles" sauteed in olive oil with garlic and it was just so darn good. I was worried I would have leftovers for days and days?? HA! Not with this delicious dish!!! And yes, it does beg for candles, wine, pasta/potatoes and a good crusty French or Italian bread!! Believe me, you don't want to waste a drop of the delicious sauce. THIS IS A KEEPER!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really like the idea of serving it over zoodles - it sounds like that would transform it into a more summery meal. I'll have to give it a try.
This was too boozy for my family. To make again, I’d replace some of the alcohol with veggie broth.
This recipe has become one of my most favorite vegan recipes! I have made it at home and just finished making a double batch here at my mom’s for Christmas dinner tomorrow. I love the way it tastes after a day of the melding of flavors! We prefer it over mashed potatoes. Yum! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Made this exactly as written, however, it was too sharp tasting, so added some sugar. I suspect I could leave out the whisky & wouldn't notice. Also, the sauce never really thickened. I tried adding a little corn starch slurry, which didn't help much. Any suggestions to make it thicker?
Served with curly egg noodles, which was just OK. Mashed potatoes would probably be better.
This dish was delicious! So glad I tried it.it’s got tons of flavor and it’s nice to make ahead and have leftovers for later in the week. Tastes even better the next day!
Hi Alissa, can whole wheat flour sub for all purpose flour?
I think that would work just fine!
Hi Alissa, was wondering if I can add some lentils or beans to make it more hearty.. if you think they might go well at which stage I should add them you think and if it's better to add them cooked already (from a can) or I can use dry soaked lentils/beans that will actually cook with the sauce. I am not sure how to go :) Thank you!
I think lentils or beans would be a great addition! I'd add them from a can, or if using dried make sure to precook them first - acidic ingredients like wine and tomatoes can prevent some types of legumes from cooking fully. I'd add them during the last five or ten minutes of cooking, just so they get completely heated. Enjoy!
Pretty sure this is the best vegan meal we've ever had. No exceptions. Thank you!!
That's awesome!!
Can this be made the day before and then re-heated?
Absolutely! You can reheat in on the stove or in the microwave. If it dries out too much, just add a splash of water. Enjoy!
Alissa wrote: "This is one boozy stewzie. I just said “stewzie.” I don’t even know if I spelled it right."
Take this one: "Jucy Lucy", a band name from thge 70s...
(I like to listen to some music when I'm in my kitchen, and I'm a "child of the 70s")
Seriously: A recipe quite like this one was one of the first recipes that I "developed" once I became vegan. When eating vegan it's always about getting enough protein, and eggplants and mushrooms are vegetables with quite a lot of proteins (if you don't want to use tofu ore other processed meet substitutes).
Amazing flavour!
Very rich, went amazingly with vegan mash.
Eggplant was perfect as the bulk, it soaked up all the flavours, will definitely be making this again.
Thanks Alissa.
Very welcome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! This looks delicious and I am keen on trying to cook this stew. However, I'd rather not use the whiskey, what would you recommend to replace it? More red wine or veggie broth?
Thanks in advance!
I'd go with some additional veggie broth, since there's already so much wine. Enjoy!!
Thank you! I ended up replacing it with a mixture of wine, broth and a little maple syrup. I served this dish as part of our New Year dinner menu and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks so much Lucia!
This recipe looks amazing . We can't wait to try it. Can you let me know what size is the serving size and how many people this recipe serves? Thank you for the all the recipe posts it makes being vegan so much more tasty.....
The recipe serves 4 (it's listed right below the cook time) and the serving size is a bit over a cup. I'm glad you're enjoying the recipes! I hope you like this one!
could I used liquid smoke instead of the smoked salt?
Yup! That should work just fine. :)
I’m considering making this for thanksgiving, but I live in a small town and doubt I’ll be able to get any smoked salt. You have any suggestions for a substitute?
You could try liquid smoke or smoked paprika. Enjoy!!
I left a comment two days ago to tell you how great your recipe is, but I don't know why, it disappeared... So here I am again, thanking you for this fantastic stew. We loved it here. A Very tasty and comforting meal. And I find it is such a great idea to use eggplants. I'm French and I'm no expert, but as Bourguignon stew is a French classic I know what it tastes like and I can say this one is perfect!!!!
Hi Carolydie! Sorry about that! I've been getting so many comments lately and I got behind on moderating them (I have to do that because there's always some spam). Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the stew, especially since you're French and I'm sure know what makes a good Bourguignon!
I made your recipe tonight, it was really fantastic! So flavourful, and the consistency was perfect. What a great idea to use eggplants!
By the way, I'm French and I've been vegan for almost two years now, so I know what a Bourguignon stew should taste like ;)
Thanks for the recipe!!!!
This was incredible! I’ve made versions with just mushrooms and they were good, but THIS one hit it out of the park! The eggplant is a wonderful addition. The meal was delicious and elegant. I’ve been meaning to leave a comment since I made your vegan gravy for Thanksgiving. It was amazing. Thank you for your wonderful recipes! Have a happy new year.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this and the gravy!! Thanks so much and Happy New Year to you too!!
Reading this recipe made my mouth water! Can't wait to make it. One question, however - What type of whiskey is used? Thanks in advance!
You can really use any kind of whiskey! I think almost all whiskey is vegan, but you can check with barnivore: http://www.barnivore.com/ I used Evan Williams Bourbon. :)
Is there anything you can use in place of the alcohol? I have family member who will not touch food if it is cooked with alcohol, but I like how this recipe sounds. Please Help!
The alcohol is what gives the dish most of it's flavor, but if you want to try an alternative, maybe increase the amount of veggie broth and tomato paste, and add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar.