Vegan Stroganoff

Week 411. Winter 2024. I am 41 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like soup and bread and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 13 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 11 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made beef bourguignon this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

Beef bourguignon was what I actually made this week — but this vegan stroganoff has been in my rotation just as long, and it carries the same spirit: low and slow, rich and grounding, the kind of thing you make when you want the house to smell like something good is happening. I keep coming back to it because it asks something of you — a little patience, a little attention — and it gives back more than it takes, which is exactly the kind of exchange I’ve learned to look for.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz wide egg-free noodles or pasta of choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan variety)
1 cup full-fat coconut cream or unsweetened cashew cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain, toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.
Saute the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Cook the mushrooms. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan in an even layer. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to allow browning, then stir and continue cooking another 4–5 minutes until the mushrooms are deeply golden and have released their moisture.
Build the sauce base. Stir in the smoked paprika and thyme. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir well to coat. Cook for 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste.
Add the liquids. Pour in the vegetable broth gradually, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the soy sauce and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce begins to thicken.
Finish with cream and mustard. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the coconut or cashew cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer gently for 5 more minutes until the sauce is velvety and rich. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Combine and serve. Add the cooked noodles directly to the skillet and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Vegan Stroganoff — The Food That Connects Every Version of Me