A rich gravy and plenty of hearty vegetables come together for one delicious and comforting veggie stew. Serve this vegan stew with a big hunk of bread for mopping up every last bit of sauce!
Hey friends!
Since St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner, stew and shepherd’s pie is a must, don’t you think?
This veggie stew is chock full of hearty veggies and is super thick…just like ya want a stew to be!
If you’re heading inside after being out in the cold, this will warm ya right to your toes (and fill ya up).
Serve this vegan stew with a thick slice of homemade bread and you won’t be disappointed.
How to Make Vegetable Stew
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot and cook onion and garlic.
- Cook mushrooms.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Add carrot, parsnip, celery, potato, rutabaga, salt, pepper and herbs.
- Pour in broth, cover and cook.
- Once done, remove/discard bay leaves.
- Stir in peas and balsamic vinegar.
- Add cornstarch slurry to thicken, along with a little more broth.
- Enjoy!
Refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions on how to make vegan Irish stew.
How to Thicken Stew?
A cornstarch slurry was added at the end of cook time to thicken.
You can omit if you wish.
Alternatively, if you don’t need this stew to be gluten free or vegan, feel free to add a flour roux.
To do this, add about 2 tablespoons of butter to a pan, melt and stir in an equal amount of flour. Whisk to form a paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir into stew.
Can I Freeze Stew?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this stew. The integrity of the potatoes, especially, are not the same when thawed/reheated.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days.
If you need to loosen upon reheating, add in a splash of veggie broth.
What To Serve With Stew
Enjoy this hearty veggie stew with any of these –
- Crusty bread (a must, in my opinon)
- Celeriac puree
- Parsnip mash
- Garlic mashed potatoes or
- Creamy polenta, like this stove-top polenta from Little Ferraro Kitchen or Instant Pot Polenta from Instantlicious.
Helpful Tips & Variations
Cook time could vary, depending on the thickness of your veggies and how much of a simmer you have. Just cook until the veggies are tender. If you need a little more broth to loosen, simply add more. Conversely, if you need to thicken things, add a cornstarch slurry.
Unsalted veggie broth was used. If you use regular or a low sodium variety, you may want to adjust the salt added.
Baby bella (cremini) mushrooms were used, but you can use white button if you prefer.
Baby potatoes were used and cut into chunks. You can use regular potatoes instead, if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
Don’t fret if you have the exact quantities of vegetables listed. If you have less of one vegetable and more of another, just go with what you have! It’ll still taste delicious!
Hope you love this veg stew as much as we do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,
~Dawn
P.S. If you think this veggie stew will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO
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Vegan Stew {Vegan Irish Stew Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion -diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic -minced
- 227 grams baby bella mushrooms -or white button mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 large carrots -peeled & sliced into roughly 1/4 – 1/2 inch chunks (about 2-2.5 cups)
- 2 parsnip -peeled & sliced into roughly 1/4 – 1/2 inch chunks (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 celery -sliced into 1/4 inch or so chunks (about 1. 5 cups)
- 3/4 lb baby potatoes -cut into bite-sized chunks (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 small rutabaga -peeled & cut into small chunks, roughly 1/4 -1/2 inch (about 2 cups)
- 1.25 tsp salt -or to taste (see 'Notes' below)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 – 6 cups unsalted vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1-2 tbsp cold water
Suggested Garnish Options
- freshly chopped thyme
- freshly chopped rosemary
- freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, add olive oil.
- Once shimmering, add onions and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients down to rosemary (I added 5 cups of broth to start). Stir to combine.
- Pour in broth. Bring to a simmer. Reduce to a medium-ish simmer, cover with lid slightly ajar and cook 35-45 minutes (stirring periodically) or until veggies are tender. Remove bay leaves and discard.
- Stir in frozen peas and balsamic vinegar.
- Mix cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water and pour into stew and cook 1-2 minutes until thickened. Add another 1/2 cup – 1 cup of broth if you want a looser consistency. Taste for seasoning.Note: I like to start with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water and see how I like the thickness before adding more. Alternatively, you can skip this of you like.
- Portion, garnish (as desired ) and enjoy! Yields 5-6 servings. Nutrition information (estimate only) based on 6 servings.
Notes
- Unsalted veggie broth was used. If you use regular or a low sodium variety, you may want to adjust the salt added.
- Cook time could vary, depending on the thickness of your veggies and how much of a simmer you have. Just cook until the veggies are tender. If you need a little more broth to loosen, simply add more. Conversely, if you need to thicken things, add a cornstarch slurry.
- Baby bella (cremini) mushrooms were used, but you can use white button if you prefer.
- Baby potatoes were used and cut into chunks. You can use regular potatoes instead, if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
- Don’t fret if you have the exact quantities of vegetables listed. If you have less of one vegetable and more of another, just go with what you have! It’ll still taste delicious!
Nutrition (estimate only)
