Get cozy with this perfect weeknight stew. A vegan pot roast made with portobellos, carrots, and potatoes, all cooked inside an Instant Pot for the ultimate easy fall meal.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information please see my privacy policy.
First off, Happy Halloween, friends!
This is the first Halloween that I won’t have my kids with me. While I am sad not to take them trick-or-treating, I am looking forward to cozying up at home with some Alfred Hitchcock movies, a glass of red wine, and perhaps some Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn.
With Halloween here, it means winter is fast approaching. Cold weather, short days, and, of course, cozy meals. As far as cozy meals goes, I can’t get enough of this vegan pot roast. All the meaty mushrooms and buttery potatoes for me, please!
I’ve been making variations of this Portobello Pot Roast for a few weeks now and I’m excited to finally be sharing it with you!
Let’s take a look at this Vegan Pot Roast.
How to make a vegan Pot Roast
A pot roast has 4 key ingredients. They are:
- Onions
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- and (typically) beef
So how do we make the perfect vegan pot roast? Simple.
We start by finding the best plant-based substitute.
The first time I made this pot roast I used Beefless Tips from Gardein. I was actually pretty impressed with the flavor and texture and would recommend them as an alternative. But in an effort to eat less processed foods, I decided to look for whole food alternatives.
The answer was obvious.
Portobello is one of the best whole food meat substitutes you can find.
We already know it makes an amazing steak. and the perfect holiday entree. Portobellos have a rich juicy, deep meaty texture that, although will never be mistaken for meat, can be equally satisfying to vegans and omnivores alike.
How to prepare the portobello roast.
Just like beef, the portobello gets rubbed with salt and pepper. After it is seasoned, it is chopped and sautéed in your instant pot to brown and crisp the edges. Once the portobello is browned, remove it from the instant pot and assemble the rest of your roast.
The rest of this pot roast is super easy.
How to cook a pot roast in an Instant Pot.
First of all, let’s talk about Instant Pots. For those of you who don’t know, an Instant Pot is a multi-use kitchen gadget that does the work of a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, sautéer, yogurt maker, steamer, and warmer. While I rarely buy kitchen gadgets that take up much room, this one made total sense. Having none of those gadgets already in my kitchen (other than a sauté pan) I decided it was worth the investment and I bought myself an Instant Pot.
This is the one I use.
It’s just about $90 on Amazon but with it you get everything you need. It’s very easy to use, not bulky, and for the price, I believe the best one on the market – perhaps something to add to your holiday list.
While it’s ultra convenient as it is so multi-functional, the reason I absolutely love my Instant Pot is because it makes dinner so easy. After the portobello is cooked, the rest of the ingredients are thrown into the Instant Pot, the lid is sealed, and 30 minutes later, dinner is ready.
That easy!
Making the pot roast on the stovetop.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, no worries. This vegan pot roast can still be yours. Using a Dutch oven or cast iron soup pot, you can essentially follow the same instructions. Cook times will be a little longer, but, the nice thing about a Dutch oven is that you can check for doneness as often as you need.
It’s also important to note that when I made this in my dutch oven, I added an extra 1/2 cup of vegetable broth because more of the broth will evaporate with this method.
Serving and Storing the pot roast.
This Portobello Vegan Pot Roast should be served immediately. Because it’s sitting in the juices of the vegetables and vegetable broth, the potatoes and carrots will eventually start to get soft and mushy. For that reason, this doesn’t store very well and is best eaten the same day.
What to serve with your vegan pot roast?
This pot roast makes a great winter meal or the perfect entrée to your holiday meals this year. Serve it with:
- Sage “Buttermilk Biscuits
- Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes
- Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Are you ready to make this vegan pot roast? Let’s check out the recipe below!
Get cozy with this perfect weeknight stew. A vegan pot roast made with portobellos, carrots, and potatoes, all cooked inside an Instant Pot for the ultimate easy fall meal.
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 4 large portobellos
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large carrots, cut in half into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- 1 sprig rosemary, destemmed
- 1 sprig oregano, destemmed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Set your Instant Pot to the high sauté setting. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil.
Remove the stems from the portobello. Generously rub them with salt and pepper and slice them into 1/2-inch strips. Sauté in the Instant Pot for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Once it's evenly browned, remove the mushrooms from the Instant Pot and set aside.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in your Instant Pot and add onions. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes until they are fragrant and translucent. Stir in garlic, carrots, and potatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are slightly browned.
Add back the sautéed portobellos, tomato paste, red wine, vegetable stock, Worcestershire, rosemary, and oregano. As you do this, make sure to scrap up any browned vegetables from the bottom. Secure the lid on. Select the manual setting to high pressure and set for 30 minutes.
When finished, release the pressure according to manufacturer's instructions. Remove the lid and let the pot roast cool for 10 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, serve the pot roast between 4 bowls. Top with a spoonful of gravy and serve immediately.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know what you think in the comments below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram. Make sure to tag @mydarlingvegan so I can see your creations!
wendy says
Sorry,….still confused. After sauteing the mushrooms, do we put them aside or keep them in the pot for the cooking of the other veggies? Seem like they would get too mushy if they stay in the pot ?
Sarah says
I made it a little more clear in the recipe. The mushrooms are removed after sautéing and set aside. They are placed back in after the rest of the vegetables are sautéed (see step 5). Hope that clarifies it!
suzy says
This looks good and I’ll be making in my Dutch Oven. When do the mushrooms go back in? Or are they reserved until the very end and then the stew put over the top of them. I don’t see them in the instructions after “remove and set aside.” Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!
Sarah says
Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed the recipe to indicate that.
Suzy says
Thanks Sarah! I made it tonight and it was great! It thickened up nicely and was very rich tasting! I’ll definitely be making it again.
Sarah says
Glad you liked it, Suzy!