· gluten-free · nut-free · soy-free ·

So you want to make gravy for Christmas dinner but haven’t found a recipe that just hits the spot. No worries! This gravy recipe is your new best friend. Not only is it robust, delicious, and rich in flavor (friends and family might even be fooled…) but it’s convenient because it’s made on the stove – no oven required! Your oven is doing enough what with all the roasted vegetables you’re going to need it for.

This gravy is 100% made with plants. That’s right, no thickeners like flour or cornstarch, which makes this recipe gluten-free, nut-free, and all things free! Just 100% pure goodness.

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

 

THICKENED WITH VEGETABLES

Instead of flour, we’re using the power of potatoes. Since potatoes are so starchy, we use them to release their starch and bind everything together to make a creamy sauce.

After cooking the vegetables in water to extract all their goodness, the gravy is strained and returned to the stove where potatoes are added. Then everything is blended up in a high-speed blender and given one last strain to reveal a beautiful, smooth, shiny gravy that everyone’s going to be raving about!

Scroll down for the recipe ↓

 

CARAMELIZATION = Flavor

So what is it that makes this gravy so damn good if it’s just made with…vegetables? It’s the caramelization, of course!

Usually, gravy is made by roasting animal bones and that caramelization is what gives it that deep, rich flavor. So we’ve taken that concept and applied it to vegetables – the key is to get good caramelization on the veggies because that’s where all the flavor is.

You could also do this first step in the oven if you wish—no pressure to do this oven-less—if you prefer to do so. Either way, the veggies will be at their tastiest when they’ve had contact with some high heat.

 

We really hope you love it as much as we do – whether your cooking for your household only or having a few friends over this holiday season, everyone deserves good comforting gravy to go with their delicious meal.

Watch the recipe video here:

 

Vegan No-Oven Gravy

Makes 2 cups | 440ml

1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, cut into rounds (3 cups of rounds))

2 sticks celery, chopped (1 cup chopped)

1 large leek, chopped (2 cups chopped)

5 cloves garlic, skin on

1 medium red beet, medium diced (1/2 cup diced)

4 cups | 600g baby Bella mushrooms

3 quarts | 3 liters water

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 tbsp | 4g whole black peppercorns

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 large sprig fresh rosemary

1/2 cup | 100ml red wine

2 pinches sea salt, plus more to taste

1 cup | 200ml Tomato sauce

1 medium potato, chopped (1/2 cup chopped)

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet or sauté pan on high heat and add onion, carrots, celery, leek, garlic, and beets (you might have to do this in 2 pans, depending on your pan size. Cook for 25 minutes on high heat, or until they get caramelized on all sides. Stir them around every now and then to make sure all sizes are even. The vegetables should be dark brown and caramelized.

2. Meanwhile, place baby Bella mushrooms into a food processor and pulse until mushrooms become very small chunks, stopping and scraping down the sides when necessary. The texture should be almost like rice. You can also do this with a knife if you don’t have a food processor. Set aside.

3. Heat water in a large pot over medium-high heat and add chopped mushrooms, along with dried shiitakes, black peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, and red wine. Once caramelized vegetables are ready, add them to the large pot. Add sea salt and tomato sauce and let cook for 1 hour, or until reduced by half.

4. Remove from heat and strain the gravy into a bowl, being careful because it’ll be hot. Press the vegetables down in the strainer to get as much liquid as you can out of them (we recommend you do this in batches since it can be a lot for a medium-sized strainer).

5. Transfer the strained gravy into a medium pot and place on medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

6. Remove from heat and transfer to a high-speed blender. Blend on medium speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Strain into a clean bowl, using a large spoon or spatula to push the gravy through. The result should be a nice smooth gravy. Use a little bit of extra water to thin if desired, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

 

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

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