A cozy and comforting Vegetarian Stew recipe filled with rich flavors and a silky-smooth texture. Gluten-free and vegan!
I figured it was high time I share my favorite Vegetarian Stew recipe! This hearty bowl of goodness has some nice tender chunks of veggies with a silky-smooth stew base I just know you are going to love!
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📖 Features
- Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free and refined sugar-free.
- Chunky and smooth all the same!
- Salty, sweet, and zesty.
- Super easy to make.
- Makes great leftovers or meal prep food.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
Chunky veggies: What's a stew without a bit of chunk? We're using carrots and sweet potatoes here as the base, but feel free to swap out for your favorite chunks of vegetables.
Spices: The savory spice blend used in this stew recipe really complements a variety of vegetables and pairs perfectly with our secret ingredient (below!).
Dijon Mustard: Yes, mustard! Conventional stews tend to use vinegar but I find swapping the vinegar for mustard to add a nice dash of additional flavor that is positively zesty and delicious in this veggie stew.
Tapioca starch: This is what adds that thickened texture that sets stews apart from soups! It can be swapped out for your starch of choice in a pinch.
For full ingredients list and instructions, see the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
🔪 How-to Make Vegan Stew
Step 1: Sauté onion and garlic.
Step 2: Add spices, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and broth/water
Step 3: Simmer.
Step 4: Stir in tapioca starch/water and mustard.
Step 5: Simmer a bit longer.
Step 6: Salt to taste and enjoy!
💭 Tips, Tricks, and FAQ
Why tapioca starch?
Tapioca starch helps thicken the texture of this vegetable stew recipe, giving it that "stew-like" feel! Any starch can be used to replace the tapioca variety in this recipe. Corn starch and arrowroot are my two favorite replacements.
Let it thicken.
This dish will continue to thicken as it cools, so do not be concerned if it is still soup-like when you pull it off the stove.
Add protein.
If you want to add additional heartiness to this veg stew, tofu or tempeh can be added for the last 5 minutes of cooking time!
Do you like spice?
Add a pinch of red chili flakes if you like your comfort food on the spicy side.
🥣 How to Serve Vegetarian Stew
- On its own (it's perfectly delicious as is!).
- Serve over rice or quinoa.
- Topped with fresh herbs or sprouts.
- Serve with crusty bread, pita bread, or naan.
- With crushed crackers or tortilla chips.
- A sprinkle of cheese, sour cream, or plain yogurt.
♨️ How to Store and Reheat
Fridge: This leftover stew keeps in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for up to one week. To reheat simply heat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed throughout.
Freezer: Store in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months. To reheat, you can let it thaw mostly before reheating over medium heat. Or you can heat it frozen over low heat until warmed throughout.
🍲 More Comforting Recipes You Might Enjoy
What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes (Vegetarian)
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 sweet potatoes chopped into 1" cubes
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup baby carrots or 1 cup roughly chopped regular carrots
- 1 bay leaf dried
- 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika make sure it's the smoked variety!
- 5 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch mixed into 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- sea salt or pink salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat add oil, onion and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes or until onions are beginning to caramelize a little.
- Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, thyme, paprika and vegetable broth/water. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer (med-low). Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add tapioca starch/water mixture and mustard. Mix well and simmer 5 minutes longer or until thickened slightly (it will continue thicken when the heat is turned off).
- Turn off heat, salt to taste, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Maria San Juan says
This is lovely. Would love to try these. The appearance reminded me of Japanese curry. Thanks for sharing!!
Rachel says
I love loaded veggie stews and this one is so good! Love the addition of smoked paprika!
Heather Perine says
Perfect dinner for these cold winter nights...and love that's it's vegetarian too!
Kristen says
This stew was wonderful! It made the perfect meatless Monday meal. Will make it again for sure!
Vanessa says
This is a great recipe for the colder weather, and so full of flavour. Really enjoying it!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
This is absolutely deilcious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
Kristen Wood says
So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Shadi Hasanzade says
This is such a delicious dinner, the combination of all the herbs add a lot of flavor! With some crusty bread, this would be perfect!
Claudia Lamascolo says
This was fantastic and we never add meat to anything so it was perfect for us!
Kristen Wood says
So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Toni says
This is such an amazing recipe!! Super comforting, easy to make and so healthy!
Lauren Michael Harris says
Such a hearty stew! I had no trouble convincing my meat-loving husband that this vegetarian stew would be equally as satisfying - delicious!
Danielle Wolter says
This sounds delicious! We are working on eating less meat for 2022 so this is a perfect way to get started.
Mandy Applehate says
This is perfect for the cold days, delicious!
Jess says
This is perfect for meatless Monday!
Kristen says
This stew turned out great! Nice rich flavors!
Vicky says
I have family visiting at Christmas and some of them are on a gluten free diet. I love that I can make this hearty stew for dinner as it is perfect for a chilly night leading up to the holidays.
Andrea says
Looks so hearty, rich and comforting. A perfect stew for these cold winter days.
Nic says
YUM! I love stew, and this is perfect for meatless Mondays! Thanks!!
Mahy says
Healthy and delicious stew - what else to wish for at this time of the year, huh? I love all the ingredients that yuo are using here!
Lucy says
This is such a warm, comforting and filling stew that is perfect for the colder months.
Farah Abumaizar says
I love sweet potatoes and this is the perfect comfort stew for this weather. Can't wait to try this out! Thanks for the recipe!
Mandy Applegate says
A lovely hearty stew - loved it!
Kristen Wood says
Yay! Thank you!
Tavo says
I loved this stew! So flavor-packed. I made a huge batch and froze it in portions to have as a convenient dinner! Thanks for the recipe!
Kristen Wood says
I'so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂