Mushrooms are usually used as garnish or to enhance the flavor of salads.

For me, mushrooms are a whole meal. I love eating mushrooms. Whenever I go to the grocery store and see white, big mushrooms, I can’t help but buy a bunch.

A few weeks ago, I made mushroom quesadillas. I can still feel their taste in my mouth. They were juicy, full of flavor, and rich. And, of course, filled with mushrooms!

I had some mushrooms left in my fridge (because I apparently buy a lot of mushrooms—weekly), and I was seriously craving a dish of stroganoff. When we were kids, Mom made stroganoff every single week. I loved the richness of the sauce and how the rice beautifully absorbed it all.

Ten years ago, when I switched to a plant-based diet, I stopped having stroganoff (which Mom traditionally cooked with meat). When I started exploring in my own kitchen, stroganoff was at the top of my list. I tried different recipes until I finally settled for my best one yet: the mushroom stroganoff.

It’s vegan, creamy, and de-li-cious.

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This recipe yields around 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 onions
15 mushrooms
2 bell peppers
1/2 cup white rice
3 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups plant-based milk (I use almond milk)
1 1/2 water
Lemon juice
Salt to taste
Olive oil
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

How to make the bechamel sauce:

1. Melt vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add your flour. Whisk for about two minutes until they start bubbling. Add salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Then add your plant-based milk and keep whisking until sauce is thickened. Cover it and put it on the side.

How to make the rice:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add rice with water and salt to taste. When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat, cook, and cover until rice is cooked.

How to make the mushroom stroganoff: 

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add chopped onions with olive oil and stir until they’re golden brown. Add your spices for a deeper flavor.

2. Once they’re caramelized, add your sliced mushrooms and bell peppers. Sauté and stir often until they soften.

3. Add your bechamel sauce and cook for another three minutes stirring often. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Grab a clean teaspoon and taste it. Add salt if needed and adjust seasonings accordingly.

4. Remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for around five minutes for the sauce to thicken (I was too hungry when I cooked this meal, so I proudly missed that step).

5. Serve with rice, and bon appétit!

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