This hearty vegan stew is made with winter’s best vegetables, fresh thyme, and chickpeas. It’s a delicious, warm meal for a cold winter night!
This recipe is featured in my Winter Week 2 Meal Plan and the monthly winter vegetable meal plan. For more info, visit the meal plans page.
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I LIVE on soups from October through March. They’re just so warm, comforting, and cozy…the perfect remedy for a harsh Minnesota winter!
Recently, I’ve been creating soups and stews that can serve as complete meals. The kind that are filling enough so you don’t need to prep much else for your lunch or dinner.
That’s how I came up with my Vegetarian French Onion Soup with Lentils. And this vegan stew has the same formula…loads of filling veggies with some added plant-based protein (chickpeas in this case)!
Since winter is prime soup season, after all, I added an assortment of cold weather vegetables to my vegan stew. You’ll taste sweet parsnips, pungent yet mild turnips, earthy beets, and starchy sweet potatoes that act as natural thickener.
It’s loaded with flavor and nutrition, and has a beautiful pink hue. What more could you want?!
How to Make Vegan Stew
This one pot stew recipe will help you get dinner on the table…stat! More detailed info in the recipe card below.
- Saute a diced onion in a some olive oil in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat. Throw in the garlic and salt and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the diced veggies and let them cook down.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and add the fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook until the veggies are tender.
- Stir in the chickpeas and serve!
Expert Tips – How to Serve and Store Vegan Stew
- Feel free to sub or add other winter veggies, such as rutabaga, celeriac or celery, and regular potatoes.
- Add more herbs to taste, if desired, including more thyme or rosemary if you have it on hand.
- Serve vegan stew with crunchy bread (it tastes great dipped into the broth!) or over rice.
- Since the sweet potato helps to thicken the broth, you don’t need to add flour or cornstarch. As a result, this recipe is gluten free. But if you did want to make it thicker, you could stir in some cornstarch towards the end of cooking time.
- Store vegan stew leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave (on high for 1-2 minutes).
- You can also freeze vegan stew. It should last for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating and serving.
More Vegan Stew and Soup Recipes
Love this easy winter vegetable stew? You should also check out:
- Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Stew
- Celeriac and Apple Soup with Crispy Chickpeas
- Apple Ginger Kabocha Squash Soup
- Roasted Parsnip and Pear Soup
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Stew with Winter Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 5 cloves garlic - pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt - more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - more to taste
- 1 turnip - peeled and diced
- 1 sweet potato - peeled and diced
- 1 beet - peeled and diced
- 3 parsnips - peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme - or 1 teaspoon dried
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes before adding the garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir, and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the diced veggies and let them cook down for ~5-7 minutes before adding the thyme and pouring in the vegetable stock. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce heat to low. Let the veggies cook for ~20 minutes, until tender. Stir in the chickpeas.
- Serve warm with crunchy bread!
Notes
- You can add or sub other winter veggies, like rutabaga, celeriac, or white potatoes. Feel free to add more herbs, such as rosemary.
- If you want to thicken the stew more, stir in a little cornstarch towards the end of the cooking time.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over the stove for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, or in a bowl in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
- You can also freeze this stew in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating and serving.
Nutrition
Brrrr…enjoy! – Lizzie
Cedars
I love this. Definitely added to my winter soup rotation.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
So glad to hear it!
Sous Chef Will
Super hearty and the sweet potatoes and chickpeas make it remarkably creamy despite being vegan!