Easy Vegetable Stew Recipe
Colder weather calls for hearty meals, and this easy one pot vegetable stew is perfect for an easy dinner that everyone will love! It comes together in about 45 minutes and is loaded with root vegetables and lentils which make this vegetarian stew super filling!
You Will Love This
- Vegan lentil stew is packed with nutrients! Five veggies and lentils mean that your family is getting a full serving of vitamins, fiber, and plant-based protein—all the good stuff they need to maintain a balanced diet in the cold weather months.
- Have I mentioned that it’s vegan?! This stew is an especially great option if you’re just trying to cut back on meat and dairy, or if you’re new to preparing vegan meals for your family. The umami flavor, starchy vegetables, and protein-rich lentils mean no one will miss the meat in this meal.
- It’s so easy! Some simple chopping is all the prep this veg stew requires, and it all comes together in one pot! Lentils are the one dried bean that doesn’t need to be soaked overnight, so dinner is ready in under an hour!
- If you loved this vegetable stew recipe, be sure to check out my Creamy Vegan White Bean Stew, my Simple One Pot Chickpea Stew, or my Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Onion, Carrot, Celery – The classic mirepoix (chopped onion, carrot, and celery) is what gives this veggie stew such a delicious flavor base. To save time, see if your local grocery store offers a pre-chopped mirepoix.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms – I prefer the flavor and texture of baby Bella mushrooms, but feel free to use your favorites!
- Fresh Garlic – Freshly sliced garlic will give this stew the best flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can sub 1/2 a teaspoon or so of garlic powder in its place.
- Dried Herbs – My favorite combo is dried thyme, dried oregano, and dried sage. You could also use dried rosemary, dried parsley, or even dried basil. Italian seasoning is another great substitute.
- Flour – Stick with all-purpose flour for the best flavor and texture in this stew. But if you want to keep it gluten free, you can skip the flour which result in a thinner consistency. Or dissolve two tablespoons of corn starch in two tablespoons cold water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the pot while everything is simmering and it will thicken up beautifully!
- Balsamic Vinegar & Soy Sauce – The combination of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce in this stew is what gives it the classic flavor of beef stew without the meat! If you aren’t a big fan of balsamic vinegar flavor, try adding just half initially and then adding more as needed. As the vinegar simmers in the stew it will loose some of it’s acidity as well and actually sweeten the dish slightly (similar to how a balsamic glaze made from simmered balsamic vinegar ends up being slightly sweet) which balances out the acidity of the tomatoes well. You could also just replace the vinegar with red wine if you prefer.
- Baby Yellow Potatoes – Baby yellow potatoes will work best in this dish because they have thin skins and they cook quickly. If you’re using another type of potato, make sure to dice them into bite-sized pieces and consider adding them along with the onion, celery, and carrot so that they cook through by the time the lentils are cooked.
- Red Lentils – I like to use red lentils for this veggie stew as they cook quickly and they’re so tender. If you are using brown or green lentils, you will want to cook them fully or almost fully before adding them to the stew.
- Tomato Sauce – Canned tomato sauce adds such a delicious depth of flavor to this dish. A great substitute for tomato sauce is equal parts tomato paste and water.
- Veggie Broth – If you aren’t worried about this stew being vegan you can substitute chicken broth or beef broth in place of the veggie broth.
- Bay Leaves – I love to use dried bay leaves to add another layer of delicious aromatic flavor whenever I’m simmering a soup or stew for a while.
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.
Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
Add flour and stir to evenly coat everything.
Cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
Stir in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce to deglaze pan, scraping the yummy bits off the bottom.
Add potatoes, lentils, tomato sauce, broth, and bay leaves, along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally so that the lentils don’t stick to the pan, but don’t bring to a boil.
Turn heat to low and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley, serve with mashed potatoes, and enjoy!
Tips
- Salt is a very important ingredient in this recipe! You’ll notice that I mention adding a couple pinches of salt and pepper throughout the recipe instructions. Please make sure that you are salting this stew moderately/liberally! The salt is going to help the potatoes to break down and cook in the acidic stew base with tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce. Acid can prevent potatoes from breaking down and cooking properly, and salt is the best way to counteract this!
- Feel free to switch up the veggies! You can dress up this vegan mushroom stew by swapping the veggies for your favorites. I love frozen peas, frozen green beans, or canned chickpeas. Just make sure you keep the proportions the same and it’ll turn out delicious!
- You can also switch up the flavors of this stew very easily by adding cumin, paprika, or even a pinch of ground ginger or cinnamon!
- To add a little kick to this veggie stew, try adding red pepper flakes right to the pot or add a little pinch to each individual serving.
Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make Ahead: This vegetable stew recipe is the perfect make ahead dish because the flavors just get better with time!
- Storage: Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezing: This vegan stew can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat. You may need to add a splash of broth to loosen up the stew as it will thicken as it cools. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Season to taste with salt and enjoy!
FAQ
I try not to think of foods as good or bad. However, this vegetarian stew is loaded with fresh veggies and made with real, whole ingredients which means that you can feel good about feeding it to your family!
Stew might seem a bit complicated, but it’s actually one of the easiest meals to throw together! My vegetable stew recipes come together all in one pot in about 45 minutes and there are no fancy cooking skills required! If you can chop veggies and stir, you can make veggie stew!
No! As I mentioned, all the ingredients cook together in one pot! The veggies are added raw and cooked in a flavorful broth of tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and herbs for a delicious weeknight dinner your family will love!
Vegetarian Family Favorites
Did you love this recipe?
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Vegan Mushroom Stew
Colder weather calls for hearty meals, and this easy one pot vegetable stew is perfect for an easy dinner that everyone will love! It comes together in about 45 minutes and is loaded with root vegetables and lentils which make this vegetarian stew super filling!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrot
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 16 oz. baby Bella mushrooms, halved
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 16 oz. baby yellow potatoes, halved
- 1 cup uncooked split red lentils
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrot, and celery along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add flour and stir to evenly coat everything. Cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce to deglaze the pan, scraping the yummy bits off the bottom.
- Add potatoes, lentils, tomato sauce, broth, and bay leaves, along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so that the lentils don’t stick to the pan.
- Turn heat to low and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, serve with mashed potatoes, and enjoy!
Notes
- Salt is a very important ingredient in this recipe! You’ll notice that I mention adding a couple pinches of salt and pepper throughout the recipe instructions. Please make sure that you are salting this stew moderately/liberally! The salt is going to help the potatoes to break down and cook in the acidic stew base with tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce. Acid can prevent potatoes from breaking down and cooking properly, and salt is the best way to counteract this!
- Feel free to switch up the veggies! You can dress up this vegan mushroom stew by swapping the veggies for your favorites. I love frozen peas, frozen green beans, or canned chickpeas. Just make sure you keep the proportions the same and it’ll turn out delicious!
- You can also switch up the flavors of this stew very easily by adding cumin, paprika, or even a pinch of ground ginger or cinnamon!
- To add a little kick to this veggie stew, try adding red pepper flakes right to the pot or add a little pinch to each individual serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of stew
- Calories: 355
- Sugar: 9.7 g
- Sodium: 650.1 mg
- Fat: 9.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 57.3 g
- Fiber: 8.5 g
- Protein: 13.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Just made this for dinner tonight. Outstanding! Full of rich flavor. Filling and satisfying. This is a major keeper. Thank you❤️
You won’t miss the beef in this stew. Full of flavour and very filling. We sprinkle some grated cheddar to melt in on the top and tuck in with a nice slice of sourdough. The melted cheddar doesn’t make it vegan but adds a nice creamy topping. Its one of my favourite recipies and its so good on a cold winter night! Bravo!
OMG, This is definitely added to my favorites list. Very easy and SO delicious. We are going to add more mushrooms but other than that it was perfect. Thank you so much for sharing.
I haven’t made this yet, but plan to do so today, it looks really good and simple (required for me these days). I was just wondering if anyone had tried freezing it. I looked at the comments and I didn’t see anything about that. I like to cook things like this and put them in the freezer for a rainy day; any tips on that would be appreciated.
Yes! This can be frozen! Check out the “TIPS” section of my post for more detailed information!
Is it OK to use gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried it with gluten-free so I can’t say for sure if it will work or not, sorry!
Second time making it and I realized that I didn’t have red lentils as I was already cooking (poor mis en place on my part)… I used urad dal (split black lentils) which didn’t dissolve as much, but worked out great all the same. First time I was missing new potatoes so added sweet potatoes in the beginning, and instead of tomato sauce used paste plus water and it was also fabulous. It’s forgiving and AMAZING and hits the notes of beef stew while being vegan in the most scrumptious way. Thank you!
Loved this recipe, the flavor was great and it’s one you can switch up easily for a different flavor or texture. Paired well with a cab! Will definitely be making this again!!
Like whoa, such great flavor…thank you for this great recipe! I’m very glad I found it…I added a healthy sprinkling of Trader Joe’s Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend to up the ante…my husband, who’s definitely not a vegan or vegetarian, but only cares for flavor, really enjoyed it. Would definitely make again!
Ah-MAZing! I love it! My house smells delicious! Just came in my shoveling snow after a recent snow storm and this is the best! Thanks! I only wish I would have made some homemade crusty bread.
Ooooooh crusty bread is delicious with this stew for sure! I can’t imagine a more delightful meal after shoveling snow 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this recipe – thank you for leaving a review!
This turned out to be one of my most favorite recipes! Thank you so much for sharing this!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!
Made this last night. HOLY COW it was delicious. I have always made a beef stew that’s been my favorite recipe. This stew is Fantastic and I didn’t miss the meat at all! Great to eat with read to sop up that incredible sauce. Thanks for a great recipe!
Woohoo! I am so glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Can this recipe be converted to a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker but I think it could work! Just make sure not to overcook it so that the veggies don’t get too mushy. My only other concern would be that when you add the heavy cream and shredded cheese, the crock pot might have the soup too warm and cause the cheese to turn grainy in texture. However, I think it’s possible as long as you pay close attention to those things!
Very tasty. Enjoyed a lot. It didn’t make much as I thought it would.
This was so delicious! Full of flavor. We added extra mushrooms and carrots. This stays on our dinner rotation.
Love the extra veggie addition! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!
Hi, can this be cooked in a crockpot?
I’ve not tried it in the crockpot but I don’t see why not! Just be sure to let it cool a bit before adding the cheese. Sometimes the crockpot can heat things up too hot and if the cheese is added when the soup is too warm it will turn grainy.
This is the most DELICIOUS stew! I think I was using the wrong type of pot though… the lentils stuck relentlessly! Even on the lowest possible simmer.
Ughhhh that is so frustrating! This is my trusty stand-by for this stew (and pretty much every other soup recipe that I make) https://amzn.to/3AbOsR6 The lentils might seem like they’re sticking initially with this pot, but as soon as they start cooking they loosen right up and cook perfectly! The heavy bottom and the enameled cast iron are key!
Immediately after cooking, I was disappointed. But I let the stew sit in the fridge for a couple hours after cooking and it was SOOOO good by dinner time. Had a similar consistency to meaty stew. I doubled the potatoes in the recipe and skipped the mashed potatoes. This is a new favorite!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Liz! Thanks for leaving a review – I appreciate it!
This stew turned out amazing and delicious! Like the notes suggested, I did add a can of chickpeas to my stew. Thank you for the great recipe!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Kristina! Thanks for leaving a review – I appreciate it!
SOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!!!! Is there another grain I could use in this in lieu of lentils? Lentils were good but i prefer rice, quinoa, and couscous. Just not sure if either of those would go well with this stew!
I think quinoa could work! The rice might take a bit too long to cook and the couscous may cook to quickly, but those could be cooked separately and then added instead of lentils! So glad you enjoyed this recipe – thanks for leaving a review!