This creamy mushroom stroganoff transported me straight back to my mom's kitchen circa 1987 and it's completely plant-based

Look, I'm not usually the type to get misty-eyed over dinner. But the first time I made this mushroom stroganoff, I had a full Ratatouille moment.

You know that scene where the food critic gets transported back to his childhood? That was me, standing in my kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, suddenly remembering my mom's version from the late 80s.

The thing is, stroganoff was peak comfort food in my house growing up. My mom would make it on rainy Sundays, and we'd eat it while watching rented VHS movies. I figured going vegan meant saying goodbye to that specific creamy, savory magic. Turns out I was completely wrong.

Why this recipe actually works

The secret is cashew cream mixed with a good splash of white wine and nutritional yeast. Sounds weird on paper, I know. But together they create this tangy, umami-rich sauce that's basically identical to the sour cream and beef broth situation my mom used to make.

The mushrooms do serious heavy lifting here too. I use a mix of cremini and shiitake because the variety gives you different textures and deeper flavor. When you sear them properly (and I mean really let them brown), they develop this meaty, caramelized thing that makes the whole dish feel substantial.

Ingredients

For the cashew cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the stroganoff:

• 1 pound mixed mushrooms (cremini and shiitake), sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces egg-free pasta (I like wide noodles)
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Drain your soaked cashews and blend them with water, lemon juice, and salt until completely smooth. This takes about 2 minutes in a high-speed blender. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and resist the urge to stir for about 4 minutes. Let them get golden brown on one side first. Then stir and cook another 3-4 minutes until they're deeply caramelized. Remove and set aside.

3. In the same pan, add onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.

4. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by half, about 3 minutes.

5. Add vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, tamari, Dijon, and smoked paprika. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

6. Return the mushrooms to the pan. Stir in your cashew cream and let everything simmer together for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

7. While the sauce simmers, cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with the stroganoff sauce.

8. Serve immediately with fresh parsley on top.

Tips and variations

If you want an even richer sauce, add a tablespoon of white miso paste when you add the broth. It deepens that savory flavor in a way that's hard to describe but impossible to resist.

No cashews? Silken tofu blended with a bit of tahini works surprisingly well. The texture's slightly different but still creamy and delicious.

This reheats beautifully, which my mom's version never did. The cashew cream doesn't separate like dairy sour cream, so leftovers are actually just as good the next day. Sometimes I make extra just so I have lunch sorted for the week.

You can also skip the pasta entirely and serve this over mashed potatoes or even rice. My partner likes it over roasted sweet potato wedges, which I thought was weird until I tried it. Now I'm a convert.