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:
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
If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!
Recipe video
Recipe
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 add more broth or some water.
- 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. The data is a computer generated estimate and 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!
Iris says
Can I use sweet potatoes instead?
Melanie McDonald says
I personally think regular white potatoes work better than sweet potatoes in a pot roast (texture & flavour-wise). Sweet potatoes will get really, really soft and probably fall apart.
Kevin says
I feel like i needed way more broth. With your measurments only had broth maybe half way up the dish, but when i look at the video, yours was full. Am i using to much potati ir sonething? I ended up adding another three cups.
Melanie McDonald says
The instructions say to add more stock or water to thin as necessary. Everyone likes their gravy a different thickness. The dish you cook things in makes a huge difference to how much liquid evaporates too. Once it's cooked you can always boil a kettle and add a little water to thin again, or cook with the lid off to reduce if it's a little too thin. Hope that helps.
Theresa says
One of the most flavour packed dishes I have ever tasted.
Kim says
Our new favorite comfort food. Love it and will be making it again soon!
Wendy says
DELICIOUS!! So satisfying. I’ve made this a few times. It’s a favorite.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you're enjoying it Wendy. Thank you!
Anita says
Excellent! Have made it once without sage and once without rosemary and both were delicious.
SandyK says
What kind of red wine did you use.
A Virtual Vegan says
It doesn't really matter. Just make sure to use a decent middle of the road kind of priced one and not a really super cheap one or a cooking wine, and double check it's vegan. I tend to drink Shiraz so that's usually what I put in mine.
elisabetta says
Made this last week and it was fantastic. So rich and comforting perfect on a cold winter evening :-). There was enough left over for the following day and it reheated well and still tasted amazing. I have tried a few of your recipes and love every single one of them.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much. I'm really pleased you are enjoying my recipes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback too. It's much appreciated!
RL says
I made this the other day, and it was very good. I made it according to your recipe, but with the leftovers, I added some coffee to it. My mom used to do this when I was growing up, and I think it does add another wonderful layer/depth of flavor, making it even better.
Michelle Giroux says
Any suggestions on what to sub for the wine is I don't drink/buy alcohol.
A Virtual Vegan says
It really is best with wine as it adds so much flavour but you could use more stock instead, and if you have some, 3 or 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar would be nice for a rich wine-y taste without the alcohol.
peggy says
Heeelp!! I made the pot roast this afternoon but don't plan to cook/serve it till tomorrow. I hope I am not making a mistake!! No time to prep tomorrow but didn't want to cook it today and have to reheat it.
Melanie McDonald says
It should be absolutely fine. I have made it up to the part just before you put it in the oven, then stopped and cooked it later. You just need to make sure the potatoes are well covered with gravy so they don't go brown.
Antonia says
This sounds so amazing. Do you think this would work as a sort of 'Lancashire Hot Pot' - my husband likes having the potatoes like that on top.
PS - just made the pancakes - so yummy. Am rating.
Melanie McDonald says
Definitely! That would be really great. Prepare it as instructed (minus the potatoes. maybe use something else instead like squash or swede), then add the raw sliced potatoes to the top as it goes in the oven. It will be so good!
There is a Hot Pot recipe in my cookbook by the way!
Antonia says
Ohhh yes - will report back. You book looks fantastic Must Get!
Mary says
Loved this recipe. Through in some swede and peas becoi would if I had made a beef stew. Also soaked som dried portabella mushrooms and added their liquid. Was rich and satisfying. Real winter comfort
Terry Ouderkirk says
Absolutely wonderful! Made it last night in the instant pot. Just put the ingredients in and pressure cooked for twenty minutes. I only used two cups of vegetable broth and used 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and thyme. YUMMMM! This is going to be a solid addition to our vegan menu.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Terry. I have an Instant Pot version too, which I think is even better than this recipe. You should try it next time! https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-instant-pot-portobello-pot-roast/
anonymous person says
Why is the instant pot version better than this regular portobello pot roast? I don't have an instant pot. Is the instant pot portobello pot roast recipe better because you made a lot of tweaks and/or flavor changes to recipe or just because you heart using your instant pot??
A Virtual Vegan says
The original Portobello Pot Roast isn't actually my recipe. It was from a book review I did and I shared it with permission from the author as part of my review. Although it's nice, it isn't as flavourful as I like my own recipes to be. On the other hand, my Instant Pot recipe, which you can make on the stove top if you don't have an Instant Pot, is packed with flavour. It is really rich tasting with lots of depth. I think is way better than the other one and it has had nothing but glowing feedback from everyone who has tried it.
Marlo says
Hi!
Sounds delicious!
What kind of potatoes do you recommend?
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I love Yukon Gold potatoes for most things, but russets or red potatoes work well too.
Dorothy says
What is “Swede” ? Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
Swede I believe is called rutabaga in America and Canada? Hopefully that is familiar to you.
Roberta says
Hi, this looks like a perfect Christmas lunch for my young, vegan visitor . I would like to make it look for fun by serving it in individual dishes with,noerhaps, some vegan filo pastry crumpled on top. Do you think this would work ? Any tips would be gratefullly accepted. Your site is wonderful and so helpful. Many thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. I often use this as a pie filling actually. Just make the gravy quite thick by using less broth and top with puff/shortcrust pastry or filo. A lot of the ready made store bought pastry is accidentally vegan. I would make the pot roast as directed then let it cool before putting in individual oven proof dishes then topping it with the pastry. Then cook them in a hot oven until the pastry is crispy and the filling is hot. You can brush the top with a little plant-based milk or for an even more golden top, mix a tablespoon of maple syrup with the milk and brush it on. I hope they go down well with your guests!