Vegetarian Mushroom Stew

Vegetarian Mushroom Stew has red bell pepper, onion, paprika, and sour cream, and this is delicious plain or over Cauliflower Rice! And the stew is low in carbs and gluten-free.

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Everyone who likes red bell pepper, onion, paprika, and sour cream is going to love this easy, delicious, and low-carb Vegetarian Mushroom Stew. And I know low-carb eating can be challenging for vegetarians, so I’m feeling especially happy to share this.

I’m not sure if I should be calling this recipe a mushroom stew, because actually all the veggies are cooked separately in a large deep frying pan at relatively high heat, and then some paprika and sour cream is stirred in at the end and just barely warmed through. But the finished dish feels like a stew to me, so that’s the name I’m going with.

This mushroom stew would be delicious served over Cauliflower Rice if you wanted a more substantial meal, and if you’re doing that I might cut the veggies a bit smaller. And I wouldn’t mind a bit more sour cream added at the table either. But no matter how you eat it, this is so tasty!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• onion
• red bell pepper
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• mushrooms, preferably brown Cremini mushrooms
• paprika, preferably Szeged Hungarian Paprika (affiliate link) 
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• sour cream

What mushrooms did we use for the Mushroom Stew?

I made this recipe with brown Cremini mushrooms from Costco, but any mushrooms you like will be fine. And if you want to buy more than one kind of mushrooms, that will only make it better.

Can you add other vegetables to this recipe?

You can definitely add other vegetables to the stew but they will need to be cooked separately to accommodate the different cooking times. Longer cooking vegetables like turnips, sweet potatoes, or carrots will need more cooking time than the vegetables I used. You can also use vegetables like zucchini or cauliflower, which will probably cook about as quickly as the mushrooms do. I think kale would also be delicious added to this recipe.

Is the mushroom stew gluten-free?

This recipe doesn’t use any thickening or packaged broth so the recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Want more ideas using mushrooms?

Check out Mushroom Recipes to see more tasty recipes for mushroom fans!

How to Make Vegetarian Mushroom Stew:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cut red bell pepper and the onion into short strips or slivers.
2. Heat oil and cook onions about 5 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove onions to a bowl.
3. Add a little more oil and cook tbell pepper about 5 minutes, until a few edges are starting to char. Remove red peppers to the bowl with the onions. (If your pan is big enough you can probably cook the onions and mushrooms together.)
4. While the onions and peppers are cooking, wash mushrooms if needed, dry, and cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick.
5. Put a little more oil in the pan and cook mushrooms until they’re well browned. Remove mushrooms to a separate bowl.
6. I would always use Szeged Hungarian Paprika (affiliate link) for a dish like this.
7. Put the onions and peppers back into the pan, sprinkle over the paprika and cook a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add the mushrooms back to the pan and heat until any accumulated juice has evaporated, then reduce heat to very low and stir in the sour cream. 
9. Heat just until it is warmed through (do not boil) and serve immediately.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This would taste great served over Cauliflower Rice or served with Cauliflower Rice with Basil, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts as a low-carb side dish. If you want a separate side dish I’d love it with Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms, Garlic-Roasted Green Beans, or Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar.

More Low-Carb Recipes with Mushrooms:

• Kale, Mushrooms, and Cheese breakfast Casserole
• Stuffed Mushrooms with Olives and Feta
• Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan
• Grilled Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Roasted Mushrooms

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Vegetarian Mushroom Stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

This low-carb Vegetarian Mushroom Stew is delicious plain, or serve over Cauliflower Rice! 

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into short strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeds cut out and cut into short strips
• 6 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. brown Cremini mushrooms, washed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 tsp. Hungarian paprika, or more (see notes)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Cut the onion and the red bell pepper into short strips or slivers.
2. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until onion is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the onion to a bowl.
4. Add another 2 tsp. olive oil, add the bell pepper and cook until done and starting to char, about 5 minutes. (You can also cook onions and peppers together if your pan is extra large.)
5. While onions and bell peppers cook, wash the mushrooms, dry, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
6. Add a 2 tsp. more oil to the pan, heat the oil, and then cook the mushrooms until they are softened and well-browned.  (You might need to do this in two batches if your pan isn’t large enough but I fit them in the big frying pan I used.)
7. Remove the mushrooms to a different bowl.
8. Put the onions and red peppers back into the pan, turn heat to medium, sprinkle paprika over the veggies, and saute for about 2 minutes, until the paprika is fragrant.
9. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
10. Then add mushrooms and any accumulated juice and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
11. Turn heat to low, wait about one minute to let the mixture cool down so the sour cream doesn't curdle, and then add the sour cream and gently stir to combine with the vegetables.
12. Cook just until the sour cream is heated through, do not boil.
13. Serve hot, over cauliflower rice if desired.

Notes

You can use sweet or sharp paprika, but I used sweet. I would always use Szeged Hungarian Paprika (affiliate link) for a recipe like this, and might even increase the amount of paprika a bit.

Recipe adapted from Mushroom Paprikas’ found in Fine Cooking Magazine; I could not find the recipe online.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 164mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Vegetarian Mushroom Stew is loaded with healthy low-carb vegetables, and would be approved for low-carb diet plans as well as any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would recommend low-fat sour cream; other low-fat diets will prefer full-fat.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stew Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2012. It was last updated with better photos and more information in 2023.

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