The ultimate one-pot family meal - Rich and hearty Vegan Portobello Pot Roast with red wine, herbs & vegetables. They all combine to make a delicious plant-based feast!
Recipe from The Plant-Based Journey by Lani Muelrath. Shared with permission from both Lani and Ben Bella Books. Image rights belong to Melanie McDonald of A Virtual Vegan.
This Portobello Pot Roast recipe is the ultimate one-pot family meal. With meaty portobello mushrooms, chunky vegetables, red wine and herbs, it's rich, flavourful and hearty.
How to make Portobello Pot Roast
A traditional Pot Roast is made by searing the meat, then placing it in a pot with the vegetables, broth, sometimes some wine and herbs. It's then all roasted together really slowly in the oven.
This Vegan Pot Roast is made in much the same way, by searing the portobello mushrooms then cooking them with the vegetables and broth in the oven.
Remember when you put it all together, that not much evaporation happens in the oven because it has a lid on it, so don't add too much broth at first. Check it as it's cooking and add a little more if you think it needs it. You can always add more but you can't take it away.
I like to use the broth sparingly when I make this recipe so that the gravy is really thick, dark, rich and flavourful like in the photos, but you can add more broth (like in my video), so it is much thinner if you prefer. It's almost like a stew then.
Serving suggestions
This Portobello Pot Roast smells amazing and is so rich and delicious.
Serve it with some extra oil-free crispy roasted potatoes or my vegan mashed potatoes and some crusty bread to mop up that tasty gravy.
Also on the side, some steamed vegetables, roasted red cabbage, a little horseradish sauce and a big glass of red wine. The horseradish complements it perfectly.... as does the wine - hic ...
Got an Instant Pot?
If you have an Instant Pot, I have created a Vegan Portobello Instant Pot Pot Roast which you will love!
Here it is:
Possible variations
This recipe has become a staple for us. I do however add a little more red wine to the sauce and a bit less stock. A few dried and rehydrated porcini mushrooms to intensify the flavour a little are amazing too. Some other ideas:
- Cook it, let it cool and use it as a pie filling. Make it as directed so the gravy is pretty thick. Then make a pastry crust and fill it with the pot roast to make a pie. Divine is the word!
- Cook in a slow cooker - Directions are in the recipe
Hungry for more?
Love hearty stews? You might also enjoy my Vegan Irish Stew.
Portobello Pot Roast
Author:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup | 120mls red or white wine , I think red works best
- 4 large portobello mushrooms sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 3 tablespoons flour if sensitive to gluten use gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 cups | 720mls vegetable broth divided. If you use all the broth it will end up with thin gravy like in my video. I personally prefer to use less and have a thicker gravy. Usually about 500 mls total.
- 4 large potatoes quartered
- 4 large carrots cut into 3-inch pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce , or 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (for slow cooker instructions see recipe notes)
- In a large saucepan (or a large stovetop to oven like a Dutch Oven , heat 1/4 cup of the wine and add the portobello mushroom slices. Allow them to cook through and brown a bit—you’ll need to keep moving them around and turning them—and then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the pan and add the onion and garlic. Caramelize the onions by stirring them until they wilt and begin to brown. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
- Mix the flour, sage, and basil together in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the broth to create a paste, and pour the mixture into the same pan you used for the mushrooms and onions. While stirring constantly over medium heat, very slowly add the rest of the broth so that you create a gravy or sauce.
- When the mixture just starts to boil, turn the heat off and add any additional seasonings you prefer, such dried herbs and black pepper.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the gravy mixture. If more liquid is needed to keep the vegetables from drying out, add more broth.
- Add the mushrooms and onions to the mixture and ladle into a large ceramic or glass pot or casserole dish with a lid, layering in the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Place the lid on and put into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
This is a popular recipe that was previously published on A Virtual Vegan in 2015. I have updated the post and added a video to make it even better!
Bev says
Hi,
We are new vegetarians and landed on your site. So glad we did! We tried the portabella pot roast recipe tonite. Oh yum! My son actually stated he was willing to join us on our new vegetarian journey after eating two large bowls of this savory dish, Thank you for sharing the recipe. We look forward to trying many more!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it! It makes life so much easier if everyone is happy and willing to be on board. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know and have fun trying my other recipes!
Renee says
This was so delicious! Great depth of flavor. No one would ever miss the beef. My flour did't blend well, so I just mixed it with the broth in my nutribullet then added. Worked great. I also used Marsala wine that I really like cooking with, alone with fresh rosemary and thyme from my garden. I don't remember if the recipe called for bay leaves, but I added those too. I love them in everything. This will be a regular at my house. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Renee. It's certainly a favourite of mine. I too love cooking with Marsala. It gives gravies and sauces such a lovely rich flavour. Thank you so much for coming back to leave feedback. I appreciate it!
Dawn says
I had no idea younger supposed to remove the black stuff known as the gills from the mushroom. I hope my crockpot dish is not ruined now.
A Virtual Vegan says
Your meal wont be ruined. This isn't actually my recipe though, it's one I shared (with permission from the author) from a book I reviewed. The recipe is printed as it is in the book and doesn't state to remove the gills from the mushrooms because you don't need to. However, I personally don't ever remove the gills from portobello mushrooms unless I am stuffing them and then it's only so there is a little more room for the filling. I personally feel that it's a waste to remove them and throw them away. The only reason people suggest you do is because they are so dark they can discolour sauces etc. That isn't an issue with this recipe because the sauce is already dark. They can also have a bit of grit caught in the gills but a long as you clean them properly that's not an issue.????
Denise says
I made this tonight and it' was very good. Mine isn't as pretty as yours, though. ;-)
I used cauliflower rather than potato and almond flour rather than regular flour but this is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it Denise!
Kristal says
I don't recall eating a ton of pot roast when I was a child, but since I love mushrooms and potatoes, and the picture was so inviting, I had to try it. I must say I was not disappointed. Even though it is well over 80 degrees outside, this is comfort food at its finest. Like others suggested, I added more mushrooms (a few crimini and shiitaki) , but no other revisions. My only regret is that the gravy didn't get as thick as I would have liked. I take the blame. I've got to work on my gravy skills. Nevertheless, it was delicious! I can't wait to try more of your recipes.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's one of my favourites meals for sure. If your gravy is ever too thin (in any recipe) and you want to quickly thicken it, just put a tablespoon or 2 (depending how much gravy there is) of arrowroot powder or cornstarch in a small bowl or cup and mix a little water into it gradually to make a thick but pourable paste. Pour it into the gravy, stirring constantly and it will thicken up beautifully!
Kristal says
Thanks for the thickening gravy tip! I'll try it next time.
AJ says
I found the slow cooker version needed a lot more than 4 hours on low, because the potatoes were still hard.
Other than that, this is a tasty dish,thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Sorry it needed longer than it says in the recipe. My potatoes cook within 4 hours in my slow cooker but they are all slightly different. Yours must run a little cooler than mine. I'm so glad you enjoyed it though. It's one of my favourites!
Jayme says
This is an amazing recipe. HOWEVER, tag says "gluten free". It absolutely is NOT!!! Three tablespoons flour. Dangerous mistake for those with Celiac Disease. ????
A Virtual Vegan says
I had some problems when my recipe card was changed a few months ago and things didn't transfer over very smoothly. I had to go through every single recipe and correct them all. This was obviously one detail I missed. Thank you for picking it up and I have amended it to say to use gluten-free flour if necessary.
Jayme says
Thanks. I wasn't criticizing. I know how this happens I figured it was just an error that hadn't been noticed. Love the recipe and have learned to recognize gluten traps, immediately, in recipe and packaged ingredients. Some, especially newly diagnosed, haven't learned what to watch for, yet, so they depend on search terms and tags of "gluten free". Appreciate your site and the fact you responded so quickly.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm just grateful you picked it up :O) So glad you are enjoying the recipe. It's a personal favourite of mine!
Tasha says
Hi Mel,
This recipe looks and sounds amazing! I am planning on making it for a pot luck tonight but I've never actually had any sort of pot roast before. Is this supposed to be eaten like a stew? Sorry for such a naive question!
Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
No problem at all! Pot roast is usually eaten with veggies as a side like you would with a regular roast, but you could totally eat it as a stew too. It would be nice like that and much easier for a pot luck than having to worry about cooking extra veg. I like crispy roast potatoes so usually leave the potatoes out and roast them separately but they are lovely cooked in it as per the instructions too. Hope that helps and enjoy!
KJ says
Hello!
Would you recommend putting in slow cooker at step # 7?? Cant wait to try!
Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes I would. That is how I have made it in the past and it gives the best flavour. I have also made it by just throwing it all in and not browning everything and it was still nice but no where near as flavourful. I hope you enjoy it!
Alex says
This is the second recipe that I've tried of yours and absolutely loved. Can't wait to try more of your awesome recipes!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great to hear Alex! Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope you enjoy the other ones you try as much :O)
Marc says
I made this for dinner tonight. Wow , it was terrific. Thanks for the recipe. Really one of the best dishes I've made in a long time !
A Virtual Vegan says
Wow Marc that is so good to hear! It is one of my favourites too. It's so rich and comforting. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know! :O)
linda says
Hi, this sounds great but I don't have wine... what do you suggest as a replacement?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can just use some extra really good and flavourful broth. If you can get it mushroom broth gives a lovely deep flavour and would be great in this recipe. Tamari is also good for giving a rich savoury flavour so 2 tablespoons of that would be good added too as it will give it a bit of a flavour boost. Just a shot in the dark but if you happen to have some marsala in the back of a cupboard somewhere it is awesome with that instead of the wine!
Lauren C says
This was a pretty great recipe. However, it took way longer than an hour to cook. This might be because I used normal sized potatoes. Maybe if I had used fingerling potatoes or something smaller and quartered them, the chunks would have been tender after an hour. But they were like rocks after an hour. My boyfriend and I ended up getting take-out at 10 pm when it was still not cooked. However, by 11 pm, it was done (we put it in at 7:20 pm) and the house smelled amazing and we were excited to have it for lunch the next day. It was very good, especially with french bread to dunk in it! Next time, though, I would cut up the potatoes into much smaller chunks, double or triple the portobellos called for, and definitely use red wine instead of white (didn't have any at the time). This wasn't very hard to put together and definitely is hearty and delicious. I would make again for sure.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Lauren, Thanks for taking the time to comment! I am sorry to hear your potatoes took so long to cook. When I reviews Lani's book and cooked the recipe I made roast potatoes separately so omitted the potatoes from the actual pot roast. If I had cooked them in it then I would probably have had the same problem as you! I will make a note on the recipe later so that people know to cut them very small or be prepared to cook for longer.
I agree with you, red wine is definitely best for this recipe as it has a much richer flavour and makes the gravy a better colour.
I am glad that you enjoyed your pot roast, even if it was the day after and I hope the take-out was good!
Have a great evening ????
Camille says
I did this yesterday and it is amazing! I didnt have potatoes so I just used sweet potatoes, it turned out very tasty, my boyfriend really liked it too! I am going to serve this to my sister (omni) this sunday! Thank you for this great recipe! :)
Michelle says
Pot roast was my favorite dish on Sundays, and I love this!