Vegetable Stew

Published: February 23, 2020 Updated: February 23, 2020 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 30 Comments

A rich broth and plenty of hearty vegetables come together for one delicious and comforting veggie stew recipe. Serve this vegetable stew with a big hunk of bread for mopping up every last bit of sauce!

Bowl of vegetable stew with a spoon resting in it.

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 vegetable stew with a thick slice of homemade bread and you won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients for a hearty vegetable stew recipe.

How To Make Vegetable Stew

Full details on how to make this vegetable stew are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Heat some olive oil in a large pot and cook onion and garlic.
Add mushrooms and cook.
Stir in tomato paste.
Add carrots, parsnips, celery, potato, rutabaga, salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour in broth, cover (with lid slightly ajar) and cook. Once done, remove and discard bay leaves.
Stir in peas and balsamic vinegar.
Add cornstarch slurry to thicken, along with a little more broth. Now it’s ready to serve and enjoy!

How To Thicken Stew

To thicken this vegetable stew, a cornstarch slurry was added at the end of cook time. 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 to 4 minutes. Stir into stew.

What To Serve With Stew

Enjoy this hearty vegetable stew with any of these:

Two bowls of vegetable stew, each with a spoon resting in it, alongside slices of bread.

Tips and Variations

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! This vegetable stew will still taste delicious!
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 are used, but you can use white button if you prefer.
Baby potatoes are used and cut into chunks. You can use regular potatoes instead, if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.

Partially eaten bowl of veggie stew with a spoon resting in it.

More Comfort Food Recipes

If you make this vegetable stew recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

Vegetable Stew

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Course Main Course

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced, about 227 grams (or white button mushrooms)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into roughly ¼-inch to ½-inch chunks (about 2 to 2.5 cups)
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into roughly ¼-inch to ½-inch chunks (about 1.5 cups)
2 ribs celery, sliced into ¼-inch or so chunks (about 1.5 cups)
¾ pound baby potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks (about 3 cups)
½ small rutabaga, peeled and cut into roughly ¼-inch to ½-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
5 to 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, depending on the consistency you want
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
Chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or parsley leaves, garnish to taste (optional)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. (I used an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.)
Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add carrots, parsnip, celery, potato, rutabaga, salt, black pepper, thyme rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Pour in vegetable broth (I add 5 cups of broth to start). Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cover with the pot lid slightly ajar and cook for 35 to 45 minutes (stirring periodically) or until veggies are tender. Remove bay leaves and discard.
Stir in frozen peas and balsamic vinegar.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the stew, stirring through. Then bring the stew to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add another ½ cup to 1 cup of vegetable broth and heat through if you want a looser (thinner) consistency.
Note: I like to start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water and see how I like the thickness before adding more. Alternatively, you can skip this of you like.
To serve, divide the stew into bowls and garnish (if desired) with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Notes

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 or thin the stew, simply add more. Conversely, if you need to thicken things, add a cornstarch slurry.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword St. Patrick’s Day recipe, vegan stew, veggie stew

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How To Make Vegetable Stew

How To Thicken Stew

What To Serve With Stew

Tips and Variations

More Comfort Food Recipes

Vegetable Stew

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Instructions

Notes

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