Vegetable Stew

Quinoa adds plenty of plant-based protein and heartiness to this comforting Vegetable Stew. The perfect gluten free and vegan stew recipe to add to your weekly dinner menu, it's also easy to make and ready in just about an hour.

Why We Love This Recipe

• Hearty and filling: This Vegetable Stew is surprisingly rich, despite the lack of meat and dairy. We use hearty fall root vegetables and mushrooms to add body to the stew, plus cooked quinoa, which really rounds this stew out as a full meal.
• Packed with vegetables: Sweet potato, carrots, mushrooms, celery, onion and kale – that has to be at least a few of your daily servings of vegetables, all in one dish!
• Plant-based protein: Quinoa adds a bit of plant-based protein to this stew, making it a well-rounded recipe.
• Meal prep friendly: This vegetable stew honestly tastes even better after a day or two, so it's perfect for making ahead of time. Make a big batch on Sunday and enjoy through the week, or freeze some of it for an easy meal on a busy weeknight down the road.
• Super flavorful: Thanks to red wine and plenty of herbs, this vegetable stew has rich, hearty flavor that you might not expect from a fully vegan recipe! It's something the whole family will love.
• Easy: When I think of stew, I think of a long, complicated recipe that requires several hours on the stove. This vegetable stew is the total opposite – there are only a few quick steps and it takes less than an hour from start to finish.

Ingredient Notes

• Mushrooms: You can really use any variety of mushroom in this vegetable stew. We used baby bella mushrooms, which are super easy to find at any grocery store. We keep them in pretty large pieces (halves or quarters) for a meaty texture that makes this stew extra hearty.
• Sweet potato: You can sub sweet potato with butternut squash, acorn squash, or even regular yellow potatoes if preferred.
• Kale: We use lacinato kale, but curly kale works well too. You can also use spinach or another leafy green like swiss chard.
• Broth: We like to use low sodium vegetable broth in this vegetable stew. For a unique flavor, you can also try using mushroom broth!
  • If you want to try your hand at homemade vegetable broth (using leftover veggie scraps), try this recipe!
• Quinoa: We used tricolor, but any variety of quinoa will work in this recipe. We cook it ahead of time separately to make sure it cooks correctly and doesn't soak up too much of the broth in the stew.
  • You could also sub quinoa with another grain like wild rice or brown rice.

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
2. Add oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. 
3. Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, and sweet potato and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add flour, stir well to coat evenly, then add red wine and stir well. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes to reduce slightly, then add in broth, tomato paste, rosemary, bay leaves, sage, salt and pepper. 
4. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add parsley, kale and 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa. Stir well and let cook for additional 5-7 minutes. 
6. Remove bay leaves and rosemary before serving.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Storage: let the vegetable stew cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 5 days. Reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Freezer storage: Let the stew cool completely before transferring to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then heat over medium in a saucepan.
• Serve with:
  • Italian chopped salad
  • Vegan garlic bread
  • Apple pecan salad with balsamic vinaigrette
  • Vegan cornbread

More Hearty Stews To Try

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📖 Recipe

Vegetable Stew

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★★★★★

4.8 from 4 reviews

• Author: Lexi
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 6
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Quinoa adds plenty of plant-based protein and heartiness to this comforting Vegetable Stew. The perfect gluten free and vegan stew recipe to add to your weekly dinner menu, it's also easy to make and ready in just about an hour.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa (about ¾ cup uncooked)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced (~1 ½ cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup celery, diced (2-3 stalks)
• 1 ½ cups carrots, diced (4-5 carrots)
• 5 cups small button mushrooms, halved (about 20-24 oz)
• 3 cups diced sweet potato and/or butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 ¼ cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 4-inch sprigs rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tsp dried sage
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• 3-4 cups chopped kale

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Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
2. Add oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. 
3. Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, and sweet potato and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add flour, stir well to coat evenly, then add red wine and stir well. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes to reduce slightly, then add in broth, tomato paste, rosemary, bay leaves, sage, salt and pepper. 
4. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add parsley, kale and 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa. Stir well and let cook for additional 5-7 minutes. 
6. Remove bay leaves and rosemary before serving.

Notes

Storage: let stew cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 5 days. Reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Freezer storage: Let the stew cool completely before transferring to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then heat over medium in a saucepan.

Slow cooker instructions: Start by sautéing the onion and garlic, then add in everything except for the quinoa, kale and parsley. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add in the quinoa, kale and parsley 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet potato: You can sub sweet potato with butternut squash, acorn squash, or even regular yellow potatoes if preferred. 

Kale: We use lacinato kale, but curly kale works well too. You can also use spinach or another leafy green like swiss chard. 

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Soups
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Bowl
• Calories: 233
• Sugar: 7.1 g
• Sodium: 444.9 mg
• Fat: 6.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 36.3 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Protein: 8.1 g

Keywords: vegetable quinoa stew