Creamy Mushroom Sauce (Geschnetzeltes)

Creamy mushroom (pasta) sauce with soy curls (vegan Geschnetzeltes) is a rich and comforting dish and yet light enough to enjoy year-round! With a simple ingredients list containing several pantry staples and under 30 minutes to prepare, this Swiss-inspired dish is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and wonderfully wholesome!

Creamy Swiss-inspired Mushroom (Pasta) Sauce with Soy Curls

“Geschnetzeltes” is German for ‘sliced meat’ or ‘sliced meat Zurich style’ and is a Swiss dish from Zurich. It initially combined veal with a white wine cream sauce, though these days other meats are used, and the sauce often contains mushrooms. So obviously, for this vegan mushroom sauce, we’re substituting the meat with textured vegetable protein (TVP) for an equally hearty meal, minus the meat, dairy, or any animal products!

The result is a super creamy, hearty mushroom cream sauce to serve over spaetzle, pasta, rice, mashed potato, or Rösti (vegan hash browns). I love comforting dishes with gravy, like vegan meatballs and Hungarian goulash, so I couldn’t wait to try my hand at vegan Züricher Geschnetzeltes.

However, while the mushroom pasta sauce is definitely creamy and packed with flavor, it is also surprisingly light – making it a great option even during the summer months when you want something comforting yet light.

The Ingredients for vegan Geschnetzeltes

For the soy curls/ ‘meat’:

• Soy curls: This is also called textured vegetable protein or TVP – and is available in most health food stores and online. Alternatively, use a vegan soy ‘mince’ alternative.
• Vegetable stock: I used a combination of stock powder and water.
• Oil: I use olive oil. Any neutral cooking oil will work.
• Soy sauce: Use tamari for gluten-free. Dark or light soy will work, and you can adjust the amount, to taste.
• Aromatics: I used a simple combination of smoked paprika and bay leaves.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

• Mushrooms: Use your mushrooms of choice. Button, cremini, chestnut, baby portobello, or mixed wild mushrooms will all work. You could also use dried mushrooms and rehydrate them first for this hearty mushroom pasta sauce.
• Oil: Use a vegetable cooking oil of your choice.
• Aromatics: You’ll need fresh garlic and onion, as well as onion powder for depth of flavor. I also used more soy sauce (or tamari) to taste.
• Spices: This mushroom cream sauce just needs a simple combination of salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
• Vegetable stock: I used vegetable stock powder for seasoning (not liquid stock) PLUS some vegetable broth (or water).
• Cream: Use the vegan cream of your choice; oat, soy, cashew, etc.
• White wine: Make sure to use vegan white wine- a dry white wine is best (like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc). For an alcohol-free version of this mushroom pasta sauce, you can use extra vegetable broth instead.
• Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the sauce. You could alternatively use another starch or even flour- but the amount needed and texture will vary slightly.
• Parsley: I use fresh parsley to garnish the dish.

I then recommend serving the vegan mushroom sauce with either spaetzle (it’s the ultimate spaetzle sauce!), the noodles of your choice, rice, or potatoes.

Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

How to Make Vegan Mushroom Sauce

To prepare the soy curls (TVP):

• First, bring a large pot containing 1 liter of water to a boil with the vegetable stock powder (or alternatively, use salty liquid vegetable broth) and 2 bay leaves. Once boiling, add the soy curls/chunks and allow them to cook and soften for between 10-15 minutes, until tender.
• Drain the mixture in a large colander, pressing on the chunks with a spatula/potato masher to remove excess liquid.
• Then, heat the oil in a large skillet with the soy sauce and paprika. Add the soy chunks and fry them for a few minutes until slightly crispy. Then transfer them to a bowl and set them aside.

To prepare the mushroom cream sauce:

• While the soy curls cook, you can chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
• Once the soy chunks are ready, give the skillet a quick wipe. Then heat up the new oil in the pan, sautéing the onion for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Then add the mushrooms and allow them to brown for a few minutes.
• Next, add the garlic and spices (onion powder, stock powder, pepper, and chili flakes) and mix well. Then add the vegan cream and stir.
• In a separate small bowl, create a slurry by combining the cornstarch with the cold vegetable broth/water. Add that to the pan, stirring well.

• Then add the white wine (or extra broth) and simmer the mixture over medium heat for several minutes before stirring in the soy sauce.
• Finally, add the soy chunks, mix, taste test, and season if needed. Serve the vegan cream sauce over spaetzle, noodles, rice, or mashed potato and garnish with fresh parsley – enjoy!

How to Store

To store: You can keep the leftover mushroom cream sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for between 3-4 days.

To freeze: Allow the mushroom sauce to cool and then freeze in an airtight container or bag/s (with excess air removed) for up to three months. Then, allow it to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

To reheat: To reheat the sauce, simply add it to a saucepan on the stovetop and gently heat, adding a splash of dairy-free milk if needed to return it to the correct consistency.

Recipe Notes and FAQs

• For a richer sauce: You could substitute the oil for vegan butter for a richer, silkier vegan cream sauce. If you use salted butter, adjust the amount of salt added to the Geschnetzeltes recipe.
• You can enjoy this soy-free: Okay, it does turn the dish away from a heartier dish and more into a creamy mushroom sauce, but it tastes delicious with or without the extra protein from the soy! You can then use the mushroom cream sauce to serve over meatloaf, cauliflower steaks, baked potatoes, mixed into pasta, etc.
• Experiment with herbs: Along with parsley, you could also garnish this spaetzle sauce with oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.
• For extra umami: You could add a large pinch of nutritional yeast. It’s slightly nutty, cheesy, and packed with umami flavor.
• Add some greens: Feel free to up the nutrients in this dish with some kale or spinach added into the vegan mushroom sauce in the last few minutes, just enough to wilt.

More Vegan Mushroom Recipes

• Mushroom Stroganoff
• Mushroom Risotto
• Vegan Mushroom Gravy
• Mushroom Bourguignon
• Baked Ziti with Mushrooms
• Vegan Gyros
• Portobello Steaks
• Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

If you try this creamy mushroom sauce with soy curls, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing them.