Mushrooms a la Stroganoff

This vegetarian take on stroganoff swaps the beef for 4 cups of mushrooms, and it works beautifully. A mix of cultivated and wild mushrooms gives you layers of earthy, woodsy flavor that hold their own against the paprika-spiked, creamy sauce.

No butter, no oil, no sour cream. The onions simmer in vegetable stock instead of fat, and the sauce gets its creaminess from strained nonfat yogurt swirled in at the very end. Straining the yogurt through cheesecloth for 8 hours removes the watery whey, leaving a thick, tangy base that mimics sour cream’s richness without the fat.

Sweet paprika and a pinch each of cayenne and hot paprika give the sauce its warm, ruddy color and gentle heat. Lemon zest is the unexpected touch that brightens the whole dish, cutting through the earthy mushrooms with just enough citrus to keep things lively.

Chef Tips

• Strain the yogurt ahead of time. Eight hours in cheesecloth is the minimum. Unstrained yogurt is too thin and will make the sauce watery.
• Let the sauce cool 5 minutes before adding the yogurt. Hot liquid curdles yogurt. That brief rest makes the difference between a smooth, creamy sauce and a broken, grainy one.
• Use a mix of mushroom types if possible. Cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms together create more depth than button mushrooms alone.

Variations

• Wild rice pairing: Serve over a blend of brown and wild rice for a nuttier, more textured base than noodles.
• Full-fat version: Skip the straining step and use full-fat sour cream for the traditional stroganoff richness.