Mushroom Sauce for Steak
This easy homemade mushroom sauce is rich, savory, and full of mushroom flavor. Perfect for spooning over chicken, pork, steak, or mashed potatoes, it's a versatile sauce that makes an everyday meal feel special.
Servings: 6 Yield about 2 cups
Equipment
- 10"-12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound small cremini mushrooms (brown mushrooms)
- ¼ cup chopped shallots 1 medium
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or microplaned
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1½ cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened divided use
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for sautéing
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt amount depends on your broth
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional additions
- heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons cognac or dry sherry
Instructions
Prepare the mushrooms
- Trim the stems from the mushrooms flush to the base. Gently and quickly rinse under a trickle of cold water and dry on paper towels. Slice thinly.
Brown the mushrooms
- Heat a 10-inch skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms to the dry skillet and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and develop a rich golden-brown color, 6-8 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook 1 minute longer. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl or plate.
Cook the shallots & garlic
- Add the olive oil and saute the shallots until soft, 1-2 minutes then add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Watch the heat and turn down if needed. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer the wine down until it is almost gone with just a little left in the pan.
Build the sauce
- Turn the heat up a little and stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and thyme sprigs. Simmer until the liquid reduces and the flavors concentrate, 7-8 minutes. While it's simmering, make the beurre manié. Mash the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter and flour together with a fork until it's a smooth paste.
Thicken the sauce, add mushrooms
- Whisk the butter paste into the simmering liquid a little at a time until the sauce reaches a thickened, glossy consistency. Remove the thyme stems. Add the browned mushrooms back to the skillet and stir to coat. Finish with salt and pepper and adjust seasoning. The amount of salt you use will depend on the saltiness of your broth. Serve warm.
Notes
Storage - Refrigerate leftover mushroom sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it chills, so add a splash of beef broth to loosen it to your preferred consistency. For make-ahead preparation, refrigerate the sauce and reheat just before serving.
For an extra layer of flavor, add 1–2 tablespoons of Cognac to the pan after sautéing the mushrooms and aromatics letting it simmer for about a minute before adding the broth. Cognac adds wonderful depth and complexity to the mushroom sauce.