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Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes 10 cups stew + 8 dumplings
  • Print/save recipe

Fluffy herb-infused dumplings are spooned directly onto this cozy vegetable stew so they soak up the savory broth as they steam. Hearty red potatoes bulk up the base, while pearl onions bring bite-sized bursts of sweetness that complement the earthy mushrooms and carrots. Blending half of the navy beans until they’re smooth before adding them to the pot helps thicken the stew and give it body, not to mention add fiber to keep you satiated. The rich flavors of red wine and vegan Worcestershire sauce transform standard veggie stock into a heavenly broth that practically begs to be slurped up at the end of your meal. Be sure to garnish each serving with extra fresh herbs, and enjoy!

Tip: To peel fresh pearl onions, place them in boiling water 1 minute; drain. When cool enough to handle, squeeze from the root end to pop them out of the outer skin (you may need to cut the end of the onion).

For more cozy vegan stews, check out these tasty ideas:

By Nancy Macklin, RDN,

Last Updated:

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. fresh button mushrooms, halved
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ¼ cup red wine or low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1½ lb. small red potatoes, halved or quartered into bite-size pieces
  • 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 8 oz. fresh pearl onions, peeled, or 1 cup frozen pearl onions
  • 1 parsnip, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as Robbies brand)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added navy beans, undrained
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, thyme, and/or basil
  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
  • 3 tablespoons soaked raw cashews

Instructions

  • Soak cashews in enough very hot water to cover 15 minutes; drain and rinse.
  • In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven cook mushrooms, celery, and chopped onion over medium 4 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding wine, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Add the remaining wine and cook about 4 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add the 3 cups broth, stirring to remove any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add the next eight ingredients (through bay leaf). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender.
  • In a small food processor or blender process half of the navy beans until smooth. Add to stew along with remaining undrained navy beans. Season stew with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf. If stew seems too thick, stir in enough water to reach desired consistency.
  • Meanwhile, for dumplings, in a bowl combine flour, herbs, nutritional yeast, baking powder, and onion powder. In a small food processor or blender combine milk and cashews. Process until smooth. Add to flour mixture; stir with a fork just until blended.
  • Drop batter in eight portions over surface of stew. Cover and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into dumplings comes out clean. If desired, sprinkle servings with additional chopped herbs.

Comments (5)

(5 from 7 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Naomi

This stew is delicious! I agree that the dumplings are on the heavy side, but that's to be expected with whole wheat flour and no oil. I added lots of fresh dill to the dumplings and I thought they were delicious. This is a keeper- very comforting and you can double the recipe and eat it all week.

Sue

LOVED this recipe! I can’t get over how amazing the gravy in this stew turned out. And the herbed biscuits??!!! MMMMmmmmMMMM! My family couldn’t get enough of this stew!

Lauren

Do the people making up these recipes even cook them? Lol 3 cups of broth would not even be close to enough for all the vegetables + dumplings in this recipe. Also, the dumpling batter was dry and crumbly and required much more plant milk than what the recipe called for. With the necessary adjustments this was a delicious stew. Just please make these before publishing them.

Cathy Downs-Phoenix

Just made this stew on a cool, rainy Sunday. It was spectacular. I actually didn't have white WW flour, and used WW with no issue. The dumplings took longer to cook atop the stew, and were perfect. I used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, and didn't have fresh thyme so had to use dried. I think the red wine is key, as is allowing for a bit of a browning of the veggies (higher temp than called for) just before and while adding the red wine. I also used my small food processor for the milk and cashew blending-big mistake! I recommend the usual high speed blender for mixing soaked cashews with liquid, thus mimicking a rich thickness for the dumplings. Both my husband and I were surprised how delicious the dumplings were, and the stew veggies and broth were divine! I would suggest adding about 1/2 - 1 cup water once everything is cooked to the final stew once it's cooled so your leftovers have more broth. Like all stews, this is chock full of goodness so it soaks up the liquid as it cools. Well done, as usual, Nancy!

Megan

This wasn't very good. The stew itself was edible if not particularly interesting. The dumplings, however, were not edible. They were so heavy and dense. I was skeptical between the whole wheat flour and lack of fat but followed the recipe. Overall this was a miss.

About the Author

Headshot of Nancy Macklin

About the Author

Nancy Macklin, RDN

Nancy Macklin has a bachelor of science in dietetics from Iowa State University and a Master of Science in health services administration from the University of Saint Francis. Macklin worked as a hospital-based clinical dietitian, providing counseling for diabetes, heart disease, and weight loss and as a food service director in health care dining sites. She now serves as a test kitchen dietitian, developing 500+ recipes per year. She is a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics and International Association of Culinary Professionals. Find her on LinkedIn.
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