This aromatic mushroom stew in a delicious sauce with lots of herbs is the best mushroom main dish. Serve it over polenta or mashed potatoes.
Featured comment:
T: I am currently eating this right now, and it's great! The mushroom stew tastes a lot like a marsala sauce- and eating it over polenta is very savory and satisfying. I added about double the amount of cornstarch (I think I used fewer mushrooms and ended up with a greater proportion of liquids). I did add fresh thyme to the recipe because anything with mushrooms deserves thyme, in my opinion. Thanks for the recipe!
This mushroom stew is my favorite mushroom main dish.
I love mushrooms and enjoy them in many delicious ways, but this stew is special. I've been making it for years, and it was one of the first really good recipes I learned. It's a perfect dish that I've cooked many times, and there's nothing I would change.
I have other recipes on Where Is My Spoon that are just as perfect, with everyone who tries them finding them wonderful. Here are some of them if you would like to give them a try:
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Recipe ingredients
Mushrooms: I’ve only made this dish with plain mushrooms (white or brown) or a mix of both, as they're affordable and available year-round. While you could use fancier wild mushrooms, they are costly and seasonal.
White wine: I usually make the stew with white wine, but red wine can be used instead. You can also leave out the wine entirely if you wish.
Heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk to round up the taste of the stew.
Cornstarch: Optional to thicken the sauce if necessary. I only need it if I use milk. If you use heavy cream instead of milk, you won't need to thicken the sauce, as the cream will give the stew the right consistency.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make mushroom stew?
- Step #1: Clean the mushrooms. Halve or quarter them, depending on their size. If they are very small, you can leave them whole. Chop the stems into 2 or 3 pieces.
- Step #2: Saute onions and garlic. Add the mushrooms, cover the pot, and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Step #3: Add tomato paste and spices. Stir to coat.
- Step #4: Add the white wine. Let it bubble off completely. Add vegetable broth, cover, and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- Step #5: Near the end of cooking, thicken the gravy with the cornstarch slurry. If using heavy cream, you don’t need cornstarch - just stir in the cream and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Step #6: Adjust the taste with lemon juice and more salt and pepper. Add the chopped herbs.
Try more mushroom recipes, such as Broccoli and Mushrooms with Blue Cheese, Herb-Stuffed Mushrooms, Jägerschnitzel - German Schnitzel, or Veal Marsala Recipe.
Good to know!
I never wash mushrooms because they can absorb water and lose flavor; instead, I wipe them thoroughly with paper towels. However, if they are covered in dirt (which they sometimes are), give them a quick rinse under cold running water (4-5 seconds) and then dry them thoroughly with paper towels.
Don’t discard the stems - chop them and add them to the dish.
Recipe FAQs
Definitely. Replace the dairy with vegan alternatives, like soy milk or soy cream, almond milk, or whatever you like to use in this kind of dish.
Store in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Reheat on the stove and add a splash of milk when you do it. Stir frequently.
Cool the dish completely and place it in freezer bags. Make the portions as large as you think necessary.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost in the refrigerator and heat thoroughly before serving.
Mushroom Stew (Mushroom Main Dish)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mushrooms white or brown, 1 kg
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
- ⅔ cup white wine 150 ml
- ⅔ cup vegetable broth 150 ml
- ⅔ cup heavy cream or milk, 150 ml, Note 1
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch optional, not necessary if using heavy cream
- 1 bunch parsley or chives
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice or to taste
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms by wiping them carefully with kitchen paper to remove any dirt that might stick to them. Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on their size. If they are very small, you can leave them whole. Chop the stems in 2 or 3 pieces as well. Set aside.2 lbs mushrooms/ 1 kg
- Saute: Finely chop the onions and the garlic cloves. Heat the oil and the butter in a stew pot and cook them until the onions are translucent.2 onions + 4 garlic cloves + 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter
- Cook: Add the mushrooms, cover the pot and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the tomato paste, sweet paprika powder, and some salt and pepper. Stir to coat the mushrooms with the spices. Add the white wine and let it bubble off completely. Add the vegetable broth, cover, and cook for about 15-20 minutes.2 teaspoons tomato paste + 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder + fine sea salt and black pepper + ⅔ cup white wine/ 150 ml + ⅔ cup vegetable broth/ 150 ml
- Thicken: Shortly before the end of the cooking time, whisk the milk and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Slowly pour the mixture into the pot while whisking all the time. Stir well and let cook for another two minutes or so until the sauce thickens slightly.½ tablespoon cornstarchIf you are using heavy cream, the cornstarch will not be necessary. Just stir the cream into the dish and let cook for a couple of minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.⅔ cup heavy cream/ 150 ml
- Adjust the taste with lemon juice and more salt and pepper. Chop the herbs and add to the stew.1 bunch parsley + 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice + fine sea salt and black pepper
- Serve immediately with one of the sides mentioned above.
Notes
- The nutrition is calculated considering that you have used milk and cornstarch. If using heavy cream, one portion of the mushroom stew will have about 350 calories.
Caria says
Forgot to taste the stew at the end to see if it needed salt/pepper. I used two different types of mushrooms. I served it over brown rice. Would definitely make it again.
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Caria, I am happy to hear you like the stew.
Gloria Borger says
This Looks delicious I will definitely try this recipe. Thank for sharing
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
This sounds delicious Adina, especially served over soft polenta. We have a son who refuses to eat mushrooms as well, he doesn't know what he is missing.
mjskitchen says
I still make your baked polenta with mushrooms because we absolutely love it. This dish with the creamy polenta looks like another keeper. Am going to try this one as well. thanks Adina!
mary anderson says
great recipe. i really love to make this kind of recipe because kids these days they dont like to have heavy stuff all the time glad i can make something delicious for them thanks to you 🙂
T says
I am currently eating this right now, and it's great! The stew tastes a lot like a marsala sauce- and eating it over polenta is very savory and satisfying. I added about double the amount of cornstarch (I think I used fewer mushrooms and ended up with a greater proportion of liquids). I did add fresh thyme to the recipe because anything with mushrooms deserves thyme, in my opinion.
Thanks for the recipe!
Adina says
So great to hear this, T. 🙂 Thyme is a great idea, I use it often for mushrooms myself.
Kim says
Mmmm. This recipe sounds tremendous. My mother always served a hearty Italian stew over soft polenta, so this has me thinking of her and home. I'm lucky that my kids will eat mushrooms, although one likes them a little better than the other. Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe.
mjskitchen says
I pretty much love anything served with polenta, but these mushroom take the cake. What a good looking bowl of deliciousness!
Marvellina|What To Cook Today says
My kids hate mushrooms too. Even my son who will eat pretty much everything refuses mushrooms LOL! My husband and I love mushrooms though! This mushrooms stew look absolutely delish
Amy Kugali McWilliams says
I just made this, it is so incredibly delicious! Thank you I will never make a complicated French style mushroom soup ever again! YUM!
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Amy. I am so glad you liked the soup! ??
Sissi says
Wonderful way to serve a mushroom stew! Purée looks so amazing together with mushrooms! I love the stew recipe too! I am a big fan of mushrooms, so thank you for sharing one more mushroom recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
This is such a unique but delicious looking/sounding dish. We're crazy for mushrooms and I know this would be a big hit. Haha, we have one mushroom hater in the family too, so sad for him!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Looks really great over polenta!