This vegan goulash with mushrooms and potatoes is easy to make in one pot and is a meatless version of the traditional Hungarian goulash. It's a hearty stew with deep flavours that you can serve with polenta, brown rice, or crusty bread.
Goulash (gulyás in Hungarian) is the traditional stew of Hungary, and its origins go back to the 9th century. It was a hearty stew eaten by Hungarian shepherds, which they prepared with lots of meat, onions and whatever other veggies they had on hand. It wasn't until the 18th century that the paprika that is now quintessential to a goulash was added to the formulation.
This version is a goulash without meat that's hearty enough to satisfy even the meat-eaters in your life. Its base includes a mix of sauteed veggies, like onions, carrots and sweet red peppers, to which I added a generous amount of mushrooms and some potatoes.
Everything is seasoned with lots of Hungarian paprika, dried thyme and ground black pepper and the end result is ridiculously delicious.
What you'll need to make this mushroom goulash
Paprika - Paprika is the most important ingredient for a great goulash. Hungarian paprika works best in this goulash. It's a sweet, mild paprika with an intense aroma and a striking red colour. If you can't find Hungarian paprika, use another kind of sweet paprika (don't substitute with smoked or hot paprika).
Mushrooms - Closed cup (crimini) mushrooms work great in this goulash, but you can also use a mix of mushrooms such as chestnut, Portobello or oyster mushrooms. You can also enhance the mushroom taste with 20 g (½ cup) porcini mushroom rehydrated for 30 minutes in hot water.
Potatoes - Both yellow and red potatoes work well here, and you can also use baby potatoes if you want. It's a good idea to use floury potatoes because their texture will thicken your goulash naturally.
Vegetable stock - Make sure the stock you're using is vegan; alternatively, use homemade stock instead.
How do you make it?
Making this mushroom goulash is super easy, and even though it doesn't look like it, it's actually a very hands-off recipe.
You start by chopping all the veggies, which you saute in a bit of olive oil. You then add all the spices, passata, potatoes and bay leaves, pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender and you're done.
This veggie goulash goes well with crusty bread, which is the perfect vehicle to sop up the sauce, but you can also serve it over polenta or brown rice instead.
Tips for making the best vegan Hungarian goulash
- Goulash is all about that paprika flavour, so don't skimp on it. I use 2 full tablespoons, but you can add more if you like.
- Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days refrigerated in an airtight container. You may need to add a dash of water or stock when reheating the goulash.
- You can reduce cooking times by chopping the vegetables smaller.
- If you want to add a bit more protein to this goulash, you can add a can of red kidney beans, cannellini beans, or even chickpeas.
- Some people don't want to use oil, but you can make this vegan goulash oil free. To do so, add the onion, carrot, peppers and mushrooms to a pot with a cup of stock and bring to a boil. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the veggies are tender and the liquid is all but gone, then continue with the recipe.
If you liked this Vegan goulash with mushroom and potatoes, you may also enjoy:
Vegan Spanish Chickpeas and Rice
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Vegan Goulash with Mushrooms and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 sweet red pepper, diced
- 16 oz (450 g) closed cup (crimini) mushrooms
- 2 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground black pepper
- 7 fl oz (200 ml) passata
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cup (500 ml) vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven and fry the onion or 2-3 minutes until softened and slightly golden. Add the garlic and continue to fry for another minute until fragrant.2 tbsp olive oil2 medium onion4 garlic cloves
- Next, add the carrot and sweet red pepper to the pot and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Tip in the mushrooms and cook for 7-8 minutes until they reduce in size and there's very little liquid left.1 large carrot1 sweet red pepper16 oz closed cup (crimini) mushrooms
- Stir in the paprika, thyme and ground black pepper, then add the passata, potatoes and bay leaves. Cover everything with the stock, give it a good stir, and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is bubbling, lower the heat and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. If the goulash looks too thin, break down some potatoes with the back of your spoon or a potato masher to thicken the sauce.2 tbsp Hungarian paprika1 tsp dried thyme¼ tsp ground black pepper7 fl oz passata2 medium potatoes2 bay leaves2 cup vegetable stock
- Serve hot with crusty bread, polenta, or brown rice.
Landrey
A great recipe
Vale
¡Excelente receta! La tengo guardada entre mis favoritas para usarla cada vez que la necesito.
¡Gracias!
Gladys King
Love Vegan Cocotte recipes my email is gladysgking77.com @gmail. I have heart disease and my cardiologist put me on plant based. But most recipes I find have ingredients I haven’t even heard of. So thank you so much
Paris
Glad you liked them Gladys, the vast majority of my recipes use simple ingredients that you can find in any supermarket.