Name: Vegetable Stew With Dumplings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 400 g carrots; 400 g tomato passata; 500 ml vegetable stock; 3 celery sticks; 250 g parsnips; 300 g swede; 50 g leeks; 100 g frozen peas; 200 g mushrooms; 2 garlic cloves; 1 tsp olive oil; 1 tbsp flour; 2 tsp oregano; 1 tsp parsley; 1 tsp thyme; 1 tsp basil; salt and pepper to taste; 140 g softened butter; 250 g self raising flour; 2 tsp oregano; 150 ml water

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This hearty vegetable stew with dumplings combines lovely winter root vegetables in a thick creamy tomato based sauce, topped with fluffy, homemade dumplings. This recipe is perfect for using leftover vegetables, and I love to use whatever’s in season.

Vegetable stew with dumplings in gray bowls on a wooden chopping board.

Nothing is like a lovely stew to warm you up, and this vegan version is just as filling and satiating as any meat based stew.

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How to make vegetable stew with dumplings

Start by preparing your vegetables. Peel them, and chop into similar sized small pieces. Make sure to mince or cut the garlic finely.

Add mushroom and garlic to a large pot with 1 tsp olive oikl, and saute until the mushrooms start shrinking in size. Add diced carrots, parsnips, swede, celery and leeks, along with 1 tbsp plain flour. Stir the flour into the vegetables, and leave it to saute for a minute until you can’t see the flour anymore. Add passata, vegetable stock and herbs, place the lid on top, and bring the stew to a boil. Reduce it to a simmer, and allow it to cook for 10 minutes while you prepare the dumplings.

For the dumplings, combine the self raising flour, dried oregano and soft butter, and combine to a crumbly texture. Add the water, and mix it all together. The dumpling dough will be very wet. After the stew has cooked for 10 minutes, add the frozen peas and give it a good stir. Taste it, and add salt and pepper to your preferences. Dump large sponfuls of the dumpling mixture on top of the stew. It won’t look perfect, but that’s okay. Put the lid back, and leave the stew to cook for another 20 minutes while the vegetables finish cooking and the dumplings finish baking.

Serve the stew with a couple dumplings on top of each. Garnish with some freshly chopped herbs.

Infographic showing how to make vegetable stew.

The best stew dumplings without lard

Many dumpling recipes use lard, which I cannot stand. I usually avoid using lard in my recipes, and this is no exception. We can make perfectly fluffy and satiating stew dumplings using butter, self raising flour and herbs; no lard required.

Combine the dumpling ingredients to a solid dough, then split into 12 equal pieces. Place the dumplings on top of the stew, and place the lid down. Cook the dumplings while covered for 10-12 minutes. You should do this towards the end of the cooking time to ensure that the vegetables and dumplings are all done at the same time.

How to safely store leftover vegetable stew

You can store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Alternatively, this recipe is also perfect for freezing. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw them thoroughly in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a pot or microwave until piping hot before eating.

I recommend freezing vegetables stew in portion sizes, as thawed leftovers cannot be frozen again.

How to use leftovers in a stew

Stews are amazing for using leftovers. You can easily add leftover cooked or raw vegetables or meat to this dish. Raw vegetables should be added with the other vegetables in the recipe. Cooked vegetables can be added right before placing the dumplings, as they only need to be heated through.

If you would like to add leftover cooked meat, I think shredded ham, gammon, chicken, turkey, sausages, meatballs or even browned mince would be great. Add these at the end of the cooking time, before placing the dumplings on top.

Vegetable stew in gray bowls with a pot of stew on the side.

Stew ingredients

Vegetable stews are best when you have a variety of vegetables. You can use the ones you have at hand, or the ones you prefer, but I always use a combination of the following ingredients:

Root vegetables: parsnips, carrots and swede are amazing together.
Mushrooms: For that umami flavour.
Stock + tomato passata: This gives the sauce a bit more flavour and makes it slightly more interesting.
Dried herbs: Flavour, flavour, flavour. Use a combination of green herbs, or simply go for a nice blend like Italian seasoning.
Dumplings: Gives the stew more depth and chew. We make them from scratch in only a few minutes, but you could add premade dumplings or omit them altogether if you prefer.

Best tips for a great vegan stew

Stews are traditionally very meat heavy. The idea of a vegan vegetable stew might seem foreign, but actually, it tastes like a stew, it looks like a stew, it’s filling like a stew, and it’s got the dumplings.

To make a good vegetable stew, it’s important to create a satiating, umami combination of flavours. I like to use a wide variety of veg, and to use root vegetables as the base. I also think it’s important to use a lot of flavour in the sauce, which means tomato passata, stock, herbs, or other flavourful ingredients.

The secret is a good, thick stew with plenty of varied veg and herby, soft dumplings on top. I promise, no one will miss the meat with this recipe.

Other tasty stews: