The French have given us such wonderful stews as cassoulet and bourguignon. One more amazing stew born in the land of haute cuisine or nouvelle cuisine or heck, simply fantastique cuisine, is ragout. Today, I have for you a vegan version of this gorgeous dish: mushroom ragout. This is an easy, one-pot stew, and no, you don’t need to slow-cook it for hours because mushrooms are not meat. In fact, it takes about 30 minutes to make. The recipe can easily be made gluten-free and it is already soy-free, nut-free and vegan.
What is mushroom ragout?
Mushroom ragout is a vegan adaptation of a well-seasoned, slow-cooked French stew called ragout, which is usually made with meat or fish and vegetables. Ragout means “to stimulate the appetite” and this mushroom ragout recipe definitely does that with lots of garlic, savory herbs like rosemary and thyme, and a glug of alcohol. To add more flavor and wonderful texture, I use a mix of fresh cremini mushrooms and dried wild mushrooms.
Ragout vs ragu
If you are as confused as I was about the difference between ragout and ragu (both pronounced the same way), here’s a quick primer: ragout is French, ragu is Italian. A ragout is a stew, whereas a ragu is a pasta sauce made with ground meat, veggies and sometimes tomatoes. There are many, many ways to make both but the consensus is, both are delicious!
My secrets for a full-flavored mushroom ragout
Using two kinds of mushrooms - fresh and dried - adds lots of delicious texture and flavor to the ragout. I use dried wild mushrooms because they are cost-friendlier than fresh wild mushrooms and you get that wonderful mushroom stock when you reconstitute them. The stock is precious and loaded with flavor: don’t discard it, use it instead of water to thin out the ragout stew. I also like using lots of fresh thyme and rosemary in this recipe. The rosemary adds a wonderfully smoky flavor. Sage would be a nice substitute. Ragout recipes usually include wine, which serves to deepen and concentrate the other flavors (the alcohol cooks out). I use a dash of amaretto, an almond liqueur, instead, because I think it adds even more complexity. You can use white wine.
How to make mushroom ragout
Tips for success
Dried mushrooms, when reconstituted, drop some grit into the bowl. Pass the stock left over from reconstituting the mushrooms through a fine-mesh strainer before using, or very carefully pour the stock portion into the pot, leaving out any grit that may have fallen to the bottom of the bowl. The stock left over from reconstituting mushrooms adds delicious umami to the ragout. If you decide to use only fresh mushrooms in this recipe, use a good mushroom stock or broth or vegetable stock to make a full-flavored ragout sauce. Tweak the amount of garlic and herbs to your taste. I like a lot of garlic and fresh, herby flavor in the mushroom ragout, but you can add less or more according to your personal preference.
Recipe card
More delicious mushroom recipes
- Updated from a recipe first posted in July 2015. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
You can also serve the ragout over mashed potatoes, polenta or couscous, or use it as gravy with vegan steaks. My favorites to serve it with are tofu steaks or lentil and quinoa steaks.
