Vegan Étouffée with Portobello Mushroom and Spinach

A one pot vegan mushroom étouffée recipe features umami rich portobello mushrooms and buttery baby spinach for whenever you’re craving big, bold, southern flavors.

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vegan portobello and mushroom cajun stew étouffée recipe

This is one of the first recipes I developed that has continued to make it into my meal preps season after season. It’s incredibly easy to prep in large batches and clean up quickly. Meal preps don’t have to be boring and this recipe is loaded with different spices and textures to keep your taste buds interested!

If you’re looking for more cozy comfort meals, give the following recipes a try.

What is a vegan étouffée?

The word “étouffée” means “smothered” in French which means to braise over low heat on the stove. Étouffées are a creole dish typically made with seafood and stewed in a mix of spices and served over rice. This Louisiana-style vegan étouffée replaces the meat and seafood with portobello mushrooms but uses the same technique of creating a roux and infusing a blend of spices as you would expect from this classic creole dish.

How to make a portobello mushroom étouffée

Step 1. Prep the “holy trinity” ingredients

Step 2. Create a roux on the stovetop

Step 3. Simmer in creole spices and broth

vegan etouffee with mushrooms recipe in one pot

Step 4. Add sliced portobello mushrooms and serve

vegan etouffee mushroom recipe with parsley

Key ingredients & substitutions

  • Portobello Mushrooms – I prefer to use portobello mushrooms because of their “meaty” bite and can be cut or broken off into different sized pieces. You can substitute with any other type of mushroom such as cremini or shitake mushrooms
  • Holy Trinity – the holy trinity is the mix of celery, onions, and green bell peppers to create the base of most cajun or creole cuisine such as jambalaya or gumbo. It is a crucial mix of ingredients for any type of vegan étouffée!
  • Roux – a roux is all purpose flour slowly cooked in equal parts fat, for this recipe I’m using vegetable oil. A roux is a thickening agent for the stew. For a gluten free vegan étouffée you can substitute with another type of starch such as cassava flour or cornstarch.
  • Cajun Spices – To simplify things I use a mix of old bay seasoning and store bought seasoning but you can tailor the spices to your taste buds. These cajun mixes are typically an aromatic blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, thyme and oregano. Be careful of the salt content in these spice mixes!
vegan portobello mushroom etouffee ingredients celery, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, portobello mushrooms, cajun seasoning, creole seasoning, all purpose flour, olive oil, vegetable broth, chile powder, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, parsley, lemon
vegan portobello and mushroom cajun stew étouffée recipe

Vegan Portobello Mushroom and Spinach Étouffée

A one pot easy spinach and mushroom étouffée for whenever you're craving big, bold, southern flavors.
Start Cooking Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 121

Ingredients  

Vegetables
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 onion medium size
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 stalks of celery medium size, roughly 1 cup chopped
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 2 large portobello mushroom
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley
  • ½ lemon
Staples & Spices
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 14.5 oz diced tomatos 1 can
  • 2.5 cups vegetable stock I prefer using vegetable bouillon + water
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • ½ tbsp creole seasoning
  • ½ tbsp old bay seasoning
  • ½ tsp chile powder optional or an extra smoky kick
  • ¼ tsp salt I recommend tasting before adding salt
  • 1 bay leaf

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven or large pot ~ 6 quarts

Method
 

  1. Prep the vegetable ingredients. Dice the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Slice the portobello mushrooms or use your hands to break into chunks.
  2. Create the roux. in a large pot over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and let it heat up. To test if the oil is ready, drop in a few sprinkles of the flour and wait for it to start sizzling. Pour in the rest of the flour and mix well, this is the roux. As the roux starts to cook the color will start to darken. Continue gently stirring until the roux gets to a light brown color (about the color of the mushrooms!). I like to stir every 15-30 seconds so it doesn't burn for about 3 minutes.
  3. Sautee the vegetables. Add in the onions, celery, green bell peppers, garlic, creole seasoning, old bay seasoning, chile powder, and tomato paste. Mix well and let the vegetables cook another 3 minutes.
  4. Add the broth and simmer. Add in the canned diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, and bay leaf. Stir well. Bring the temperature up to allow the broth to start simmering and then adjust the temperature back down to low to maintain the simmer. Cover with a lid and allow the broth to simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and cover the lid again to allow the stew to cook for another 10 minutes. At this point the stew should have thickened because of the roux.
  6. Serve. Turn the heat off, remove the bay leaf, add the juice of half a lemon, and fold in your spinach. The residual heat should be enough to cook the baby spinach immediately. Taste the broth to see if more salt is needed. Serve over a bed of white rice and garnish with parsley and your favorite hot sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 12.4gProtein: 2.7gFat: 7.4gSaturated Fat: 1.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.5gSodium: 883mgPotassium: 405.8mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 4.2g

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