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This Vegetable Stew is a comforting recipe jam-packed with veggies. It tastes like classic beef stew, only without the meat!
This vegetable stew recipe ticks all the boxes. It’s hearty, flavorful, and doesn’t require any complicated vegan ingredients to keep it meat-free. It’s also prepared all in one pot so you won’t have a bunch of dishes to clean later.
All you’ll need is fresh veggies and a few pantry ingredients to get started.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To create a meaty texture in this soup, you’ll use a combination of green jackfruit, which you can buy canned for convenience, and finely chopped mushrooms. If you’re not a mushroom fan, try dicing them smaller so you won’t notice their texture.
If you have other vegetables to use up, bell peppers or cut green beans would be delicious in this soup. And if you don’t like something, feel free to leave it out! (Plenty of readers make this without the jackfruit and it’s still delicious.)
Adding flour is traditional in stew recipes, as it helps to thicken the broth. You can use your favorite gluten-free flour blend or any other variety you keep on hand.
Dried thyme adds a class flavor to this stew, but you can also use rosemary or Italian seasoning for a similar flavor. And if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe, regular soy sauce can be used instead of tamari.
How to Make Vegan Stew
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop 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 the flour to the spices, and stir to coat the vegetables.
Add in the potatoes and water, and bring the liquid to a boil. (You can use vegetable broth if you prefer, but water will give you plenty of flavor after simmering.)
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. Feel free to garnish with fresh parsley or any other herbs you love.
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.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try my Red Lentil Soup, Ultimate Detox Soup, or Instant Pot Lentil Soup for more ideas.
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
If you try this vegan stew recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
Amazing !!! So hearty and delicious my family loved it. Made it without jackfruit because we didn’t have any. I will def be making it again just double next time!
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.