Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Who doesn’t love a creamy mushroom sauce? Especially on a chilly fall day, the earthiness of mushrooms in a velvety sauce draped over pretty much anything really hits the spot. Of course, in this case, there’s no cream involved at all. In my whole food, plant-based Creamy Mushroom Sauce, onion and garlic combine with the mushrooms of your choice, while coconut milk, vegetable stock, white wine, miso paste and tamari sauce come together to give this sauce all the flavor you’re expecting from a mushroom sauce with a nice nutrition boost!
Whole Food Plant-Based, Vegan, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten Free.
We haven’t been having many guests over for lunch or dinner since the pandemic, but we did invite our families over to celebrate Malcolm’s birthday in September. I served this as a side dish – I think mushrooms come second only to pumpkin in terms of getting people into the fall spirit – and everyone commented on it!
Since Malcolm’s family doesn’t eat the way I do, I always make a point of serving up my best recipes to them in hopes of enticing them to add more plant-based recipes to their table at home and this is definitely one of those persuasive dishes! I really love it when I have a chance to serve my plant-based foods to others and see their reaction, and this one did not disappoint.
The beauty of this recipe is that you’re not going to have to go to 3 different stores to track down the right mushrooms. Been there, done that! You can use whatever type you prefer (or happen to have on hand). White button mushrooms might be the most traditional choice, but I like to use the brown varieties because they have a deeper and meatier flavor.
The color of this dish is admittedly nothing to write home about, but as you can see in my photo, it pairs beautifully with a rainbow of tasty foods like turmeric rice, baby spinach, edamame and cherry tomatoes. You could also serve it over a baked potato or mashed potatoes with colorful veggies on the side.
I love using this as a pasta sauce. It’s so rich and filling that I can get away with 100 grams of uncooked pasta instead of the usual 120 grams and still be satisfied. Topped with fresh parsley and walnuts, it’s a great change of pace from the usual tomato-based sauces.
If you’re not sure which way you want to serve it, fear not: this sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be frozen for up to a month so you’ll have plenty of time to experiment!
I’m often asked about subbing bottled coconut milk for canned coconut milk. In this particular recipe, you could do it if you had to, but your results won’t be quite as creamy. This is one of those dishes that needs more fat, but it still falls within the Daily Dozen guidelines. You could also use an extra cup of vegetable stock in place of the white wine.
Recipe inspired by Holly from SpendWithPennies.com
Ingredients:
Serves 3
-1 medium onion (approx. 80 g), chopped
-3 garlic cloves, chopped
-500 g (1.1 lb) chestnut mushrooms, sliced (not too thinly)
-1 cup white wine
-1 large can coconut milk
-1 tablespoon miso paste
-3 tablespoons corn starch (gluten-free, if necessary)
-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (gluten-free, if necessary)
-2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten-free, if necessary)
-3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock (gluten-free, if necessary)
Seasonings:
-1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
-1 teaspoon thyme
-1 teaspoon ground turmeric
-pinch of black pepper
-a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped finely
Optional (as a garnish when serving on pasta):
-Chopped walnuts
-Chopped fresh parsley
-Use 100 g uncooked weight of farfalle (or any other shape you like) per person
Method:
1. In a straight-sided pan, add the vegetable stock, onions, garlic and all seasonings except for the fresh parsley. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
2. Once the onion is translucent, add the chopped mushrooms. Stir them into the onions and garlic, and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. The mushrooms will let off a lot of liquid. The fresher the mushrooms are, the more water they will release in the pan. When almost all of the liquid has evaporated (but not all of it), add the tamari sauce and white wine.
4. Once about 3/4ths of the liquid and wine have evaporated, add the coconut milk and stir. Let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture stick to the pan.
5. Add the miso paste and stir it into the mixture.
6. Then, add the corn starch and nutritional yeast and combine them with the sauce. Cook on low heat for about 3 more minutes and turn off the heat.
7. Stir in the fresh parsley and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. If you’re meal prepping for later, store the creamy mushroom sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
8. Serve with turmeric rice, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach (or your favorite leafy greens) and edamame for a complete meal, or try it on mashed potatoes or with whole-grain pasta.
To make Creamy Mushroom Pasta:
1. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, minus two minutes. Rinse and drain the pasta once cooked.
2. Put the pasta back in the pot and turn the heat back on medium.
3. Take 1/3rd of the Creamy Mushroom Sauce per serving of 100 g (uncooked weight) of pasta and add it to the pot. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds, to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick.
4. Top with chopped walnuts and fresh parsley (optional), and serve immediately.
Nutritional Facts per serving of sauce:
Calories: 355
Carbs: 19.7 g
Protein: 12.2 g
Fats: 26.8 g
Fiber: 5.7 g