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This Vegetable Stew is the perfect recipe to make when the weather starts to cool down. It’s jam-packed with veggies, and tastes like my mom’s classic beef stew– only without the meat!
How Do You Make Vegetable Stew from Scratch?
The key to a good vegetable stew is using lots of fresh vegetables, so the hardest part of this recipe is simply chopping up all of the veggies before you get started.
Once the vegetables are chopped, you’ll sauté the aromatic veggies, like onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, until they are soft. Then, add in the rest of the veggies and herbs, and sprinkle in a little bit of flour. (I use a gluten-free blend to keep this soup gluten-free, but any type of flour should work.)
How to Thicken Vegan Stew
Adding flour is traditional in stew recipes, as it helps to thicken the broth.
If you’d rather keep this soup grain-free, try using an immersion blender at the end of the cooking cycle, to puree the soup slightly instead. That should offer a similar thickened result, but be careful not to over-blend! A good stew should definitely have lots of texture.
What are the Best Vegetables to Put in Soup?
Soups are a great way to clean out the veggies from your fridge, so you can add in practically anything you have on hand.
Here’s what I suggest using:
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Potatoes (Yukon gold or sweet potatoes)
- Canned jackfruit (optional, but adds a meat-like texture)
- Plenty of seasonings
If you’re not a huge fan of mushrooms (like me) try chopping them very small, so that their texture won’t be as noticeable. They really blend into this veggie stew, and add extra antioxidants to each bite.
Is Vegetable Stew Good for You?
Vegetable stew is a comforting way to eat an entire bowl of vegetables, so you’ll be flooding your body with vitamins and minerals with each bite.
Here’s what I love about the ingredients:
- Mushrooms. Mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants, which may help protect your brain as you age. (Researchers at Penn State recommend eating 5 button mushrooms each day.) Mushrooms are also rich in B vitamins, which help the body produce red blood cells, and carry oxygen throughout the body.
- Onion. Onions are also high in antioxidants, including quercetin. In one study, quercetin-rich onion skin extract was shown to significantly reduce systolic blood pressure. Regularly eating onions may also promote heart health by reducing high triglyceride levels and lowering inflammation.
- Jackfruit. Jackfruit is rich in antioxidants, and and is a good source of fiber. Jackfruit may help to balance blood sugar levels, possibly because of the flavanoids it contains. It’s also high in vitamin C and carotenoids, which may help to lower inflammation.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. Did you know one medium Yukon gold potato meets almost half of your daily Vitamin C needs? (According to the USDA database.) This variety of potato is also a good source of potassium, which may help to lower blood pressure.
- Garlic. In one large study, garlic supplementation was shown to reduce the number of colds by 63% compared to a placebo. (The length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70% in this study!)
If you have more vegetables to use up, I think bell peppers, zucchini, and even winter squash would be delicious in this soup. And if you don’t like something, feel free to leave it out!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped (1.5 cups)
- 5 carrots , chopped (2 cups)
- 3 celery ribs , chopped (1 cup)
- 8 ounces mushrooms , chopped (3 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (see notes)
- 8 ounces Yukon gold or red potatoes , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
- 4 cups water
- 1 (14 oz.) can green jackfruit , drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms until they start to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, thyme, and tomato paste, and stir for 1 minute. Add in the flour, and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add in the potatoes and water, and bring the liquid to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, shred the jackfruit with your fingers, to create a shredded meat texture. Rinse again, to make sure you remove as much brine as possible, then add it to the pot, along with the salt and tamari. Add the balsamic vinegar if you want more of a "wine" flavor, or leave it out. (You can also add this at the end, if you'd rather taste it without the vinegar, first.)
- Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat and cover. Simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in the frozen peas, which will thaw quickly.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste, adding salt and pepper as needed, then serve warm. Leftover stew can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Need some more cold weather soup ideas? Here are some of my favorites!
- Creamy Red Lentil Soup
- Ultimate Detox Soup
- Easy Butternut Squash Soup
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- Miso Soup
- Tomato Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Arugula Soup
If you try this vegetable stew recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite cold-weather comfort food?
Very tasty and healthful stew. I. Place of jack fruit, I used a can of great northern beans, and used low sodium veggie broth, decreasing the salt. My family loved it and will definitely make this again. Thanks so much!
You are always in my table…At least 2 ou 3 times a week your recipes is in my dining table.
Today I did use this recipe as a base for the beef stew, with real beef.
And…Its delicious, amazing, gorgeous!
Thanks Thanks!
This was amazing…all the comfort food feels and tastes. I sautéed the veggies a few minutes longer and I used low sodium vegetable broth instead of water. The balsamic vinegar is not an option. It adds great flavor.
lOVE this recipe. My question is…it says you can freeze for up to 3 months, but whenever I freeze anything with potatoes in it, they come out tasting mealy.
I made this without the jackfruit and it was delicious! Real beef stew flavor!
This is the BEST stew I’ve ever made!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! It’s the first time I’ve tried jackfruit and it really tasted lovely. Will definitely be trying this again x
This stew is amazing! I had never heard of jackfruit before this recipe and I am so glad to you introduced me to it. Even my husband, the meat eater, loves this stew.