This one-pot vegetarian stew simmers sweet potatoes, carrots and diced tomatoes with garlic, rosemary, thyme and smoked paprika, then gets thickened with tapioca starch and finished with a spoonful of Dijon mustard. It’s ready in about 55 minutes and naturally vegan and gluten-free.
5-Stars From Our Readers
“Such a hearty stew! I had no trouble convincing my meat-loving husband that this vegetarian stew would be equally as satisfying – delicious!”
— Lauren
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“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!”
— Tavo
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A Vegetarian Stew That’s Anything but Bland
As a vegetarian since the age of eight, I’m no stranger to making meatless versions of hearty dishes. Stew was one I really wanted to get right, because so many vegetarian versions end up tasting boring and bland. I set out to make one with real flavor, and I think I succeeded.
The secret is Dijon mustard. Most stews get their tang from a splash of vinegar, but the mustard adds just the right kick and an extra layer of flavor. Tapioca starch thickens the broth into a silky stew base, and sweet potatoes and carrots make it hearty, all in one pot in under an hour.
It’s just the thing on a chilly evening with a slice of crusty bread for dunking!
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.
How to Make Vegetarian 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!
Want it hands-off? My slow cooker vegetable stew cooks while you’re out.
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.
Kristen’s Top Tips
- Swap the starch if needed: Tapioca starch gives this stew its thick, silky texture, but any starch works. Cornstarch and arrowroot are my two favorite replacements.
- Let it thicken: The stew keeps thickening as it cools, so don’t worry if it still looks soup-like when you pull it off the stove.
- Add protein: For an even heartier stew, stir in tofu, tempeh or canned lentils or chickpes for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Turn up the heat: 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, pumpkin butter swim biscuits, or naan.
- With crushed crackers or tortilla chips.
- A sprinkle of cheese, sour cream, or plain yogurt.
Storing and Reheating Veggie Stew
Fridge: This leftover stew keeps in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 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 Bowls to Enjoy
Vegetarian Stew with Sweet Potatoes
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
Method
- 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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using a third-party calculator and is an estimate only.
This is lovely. Would love to try these. The appearance reminded me of Japanese curry. Thanks for sharing!!
I love loaded veggie stews and this one is so good! Love the addition of smoked paprika!
Perfect dinner for these cold winter nights…and love that’s it’s vegetarian too!
This stew was wonderful! It made the perfect meatless Monday meal. Will make it again for sure!
This is a great recipe for the colder weather, and so full of flavour. Really enjoying it!
This is absolutely deilcious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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!
This was fantastic and we never add meat to anything so it was perfect for us!
So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
This is such an amazing recipe!! Super comforting, easy to make and so healthy!
Such a hearty stew! I had no trouble convincing my meat-loving husband that this vegetarian stew would be equally as satisfying – delicious!
This sounds delicious! We are working on eating less meat for 2022 so this is a perfect way to get started.
This is perfect for the cold days, delicious!
This is perfect for meatless Monday!
This stew turned out great! Nice rich flavors!
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.
Looks so hearty, rich and comforting. A perfect stew for these cold winter days.
YUM! I love stew, and this is perfect for meatless Mondays! Thanks!!
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!
This is such a warm, comforting and filling stew that is perfect for the colder months.
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!
A lovely hearty stew – loved it!
Yay! Thank you!
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!
I’so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂