This vegan mushroom stew is one of those weeknight recipes that feels much more special than the effort required. Cremini mushrooms, rosemary, garlic, balsamic vinegar, cashew cream, miso, and pre-cooked farro–about 10 ingredients and minimal active cooking time. The depth of flavor is something people consistently can’t believe comes from a fully plant-based pot. Serve it with my no-knead whole wheat bread for dipping into the rich, silky broth.
Farro is one of my favorite grains, but it takes a long time to cook. My habit is to make a big batch, drain it, and freeze 2-cup portions in sealed bags. That way it’s ready whenever I need it, and this stew cooks in about 30 minutes flat because of it. Trader Joe’s 10-minute farro also works perfectly here if you want an even faster route. Pearl barley is a great substitute if you can’t find farro. Same quantity, no other adjustments needed.
Any time I use sliced mushrooms in a stew, I brown them on their own first before adding any liquid. They go into a hot pot and stay there, undisturbed, for a full minute at a time. That contact with the heat is what gets them properly golden and concentrated rather than steamed and mushy The balsamic vinegar goes in after, which lifts all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and adds a low acidity that balances the richness of the cashew cream.
For extra mushroom depth, try simmering a small handful of dried shiitakes in the vegetable stock before you start, then blend the rehydrated mushrooms into the cashew cream mixture. One reader who has made this stew over a dozen times swears by this method and calls the result “a deep and delicious umami bomb.” I’ve tried it both ways and can confirm it’s worth the extra step.
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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stew with Farro and Kale
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (454 grams) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours & drained
- 1 tablespoon light miso
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 4 cups vegetable stock, divided
- 2 cups cooked farro (see note)
- 2 cups chopped kale, packed
Equipment
- Blender
Notes
- For this recipe, you’ll need 3/4 cup dry farro. Bring it to a boil with 4 cups of water and simmer until tender, about 35-40 minutes. Drain it and you’re good to go. You can do this up to 5 days in advance or freeze the drained and cooked farro in a sealed bag for up to 6 months.
- I used a very flavorful homemade stock that I had boosted with a handful of dried mushrooms for this stew. There’s a minimal amount of ingredients in this recipe, so you really want to make sure that the stock is delicious on its own.
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the onions and stir. Sauté the onions until translucent and very soft, about 5 minutes. If the onions start to brown on the edges, lower the heat.
- Add the rosemary and garlic to the pot and stir until very fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add all of the sliced mushrooms to the pot. Give them a quick stir and then let them sit for a full minute. Once the minute is up, stir them up and then let them sit again for another full minute. Stir them up after that and season them with pepper. Let them sit for another full minute. Once they start glistening, season the mushrooms with salt. Keep stirring and sautéing the mushrooms until they are tender, about 3 additional minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the pot and stir. Let some of the strong vinegar aroma evaporate a bit. The mushrooms should be pretty juicy at this point!
- Remove ⅓ of the sautéed mushroom mixture and place it in an upright blender. Also in the blender, add the drained cashews, miso, nutritional yeast, and 2 cups of the vegetable stock. Blend this mixture on high until completely smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the remaining vegetable stock into the pot. Add the cooked farro to the pot as well.
- Pour the blended mushroom and cashew cream into the pot and stir. bring the stew to a boil and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes—just to let the stew thicken slightly and to let the flavours meld. Then, add the kale to the pot and stir. Keep simmering the stew until the kale is wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Check the stew for seasoning and adjust if necessary (more salt, balsamic vinegar, pepper etc). Serve the stew hot!
I have made this recipe over a dozen times, and each time it is more delicious than the last. I do simmer dried shiitake mushrooms in the veggie stock, and then blend the rehydrated mushrooms into the cashew miso mix, but written as is without this added mushroom oomph, this recipe is a deep and delicious umami bomb. Love it.
Delicious soup. We are making it again to take to church for Lent. Thank you for posting.
Me too! Nativity lent!
This is so so so good. 10/10. No notes.
Exquisite, no adjustments needed. Perfect for a cold winter night.
Does this keep well in the freezer and for how long?
You can freeze this recipe! In general, fully prepared soups can stay in the freezer up to 6 months.
-L
Wow!!! I just made this as close to the recipe as I possibly could. Absolutely delicious. I used tahini instead of miso since I didn’t have miso home! I could eat this every single day. Thank you for sharing. Yum!!!
This soup was unbelievably delicious! You are so talented. The way you put healthy ingredients together to create such a satisfying meal is brilliant. I didn’t have time to make the farro so I used already made bulgur that had been spiced with a tbsp of tomato sauce and onions. I was nervous for the unintended modification but it still turned out incredible. I can’t wait to try your other recipes! Request a chestnut recipe — possibly a chestnut soup. My husband and I are not Vegan however, we’ve been dedicating vegan dieting for a few days out of the week for a couple years now. Trying to extend those days. It is not easy combining natural, meatless, non-dairy ingredients without a plethora of additives. Not a fan of vegan cheeses and the other processed stuff. Your recipes avoid a lot of that. I’m thrilled and so is my stomach and system! Thanks a million for sharing these recipes. As we say in my culture – God bless your hands!
This was incredible. I followed your recipe to a T and both my partner and I were delighted and amazed at how rich, flavorful, hearty, and creamy this was while still being vegan.
Additionally, I found and tried another of your recipes a few days after this one – your “Pasta with Creamy Eggplant-Walnut Pasta Sauce” – and it, too, was fantastic. These two recipes are elegant and complex in flavor and easy to prepare. I am thrilled! Thank you!
So good! I made a few substitutions for personal preference/what was available at the store; used silken tofu instead of soaked cashews and used barely instead of farrow. Stilled turned out so so so good
Wonderful recipe, as always. First time commenter, but have been meaning to thank you for all of your creations. My bf and I make 2 of your recipes every week (I’m vegan, he’s not). You are extremely talented and low-key a big part of our lives. I recommend your recipes to everyone as being delicious, healthy, and not requiring niche ingredients or techniques while still being non-obvious. We have particularly enjoyed the butternut squash patties with salsa verde and red wine lentils with the confit recently – both ended up feeling very elevated and “chef-y.”
Made this for the family and my clinic staff. Absolutely delicious. I did add carrots and celery just to make it more stew like. My Omni staff asked me to bring it again on repeat
This is an EXCELLENT savory soup. I am gluten free so skip the farro and serve it over purple rice – which has a similar nutty texture. I have made a few of these soups but this one of my favorite so far. Definitely in my dinner rotation!
I can’t find farro locally (and online is never cheap), would pearl barley work as a substitute? Or quinoa, rice but they’re a different texture…
Hi! Pearled barley would be great! It has a similar texture and flavour. Just make sure that you have 2 cups cooked pearl barley ready to go and then you can follow the recipe as-is without any other adjustments.
-L
Absolutely delicious! I used the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro for this and it worked perfectly. I also didn’t have kale so ended up using collard greens (which ended up being a perfect substitute). Will definitely be saving this one to make over and over again.
This was absolutely delicious, rich and creamy!
I made the farro on the instapot with half of the veggie stock (2 cups). It was quick- 7 minutes pressure cook and 7 minutes natural release. I followed the rest of the recipe and had to add about a cup and a half of water since the farro absorbed all the broth. But it came out as pictured and just so so yummy