🍽️ Mains

Rich Hearty Vegetable Stew

A deeply satisfying, rich and hearty vegetable stew — tender baby potatoes, meaty mushrooms, sweet carrots, and aromatic slow-cooked vegetables simmered in a luxuriously thick, glossy red wine and herb gravy. Warm, comforting, and full of deep savoury umami flavour — every spoonful is perfectly balanced, hearty enough for a main meal, and completely dairy-free, meat-free, and plant-based.

Shared by katty

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Time

65 min

Serves

Difficulty

easy

🛒 Ingredients

#Vegetables;
400 g baby potatoes — halved or quartered if large
300 g mixed mushrooms (button / cremini / portobello) — thickly sliced
2 medium carrots — cut into chunky batons.. 2 celery stalks — sliced diagonally
1 large yellow onion — cut into wedges.. 3–4 garlic cloves — thinly sliced or minced
#Rich Gravy & Broth;
150 ml dry red wine (or extra vegetable broth for non-alcoholic)
700 ml rich vegetable broth.. 2 tbsp tomato paste.. 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.. 1½ tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend) + 3 tbsp water — slurry
2 tbsp olive oil or plant-based butter
#Herbs & Seasoning;
2 fresh rosemary sprigs.. 2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf.. Salt and black pepper — to taste
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley — chopped, for garnish

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1
Sauté the base: Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion wedges and cook 5–6 minutes until soft and starting to caramelise. Add garlic, carrots, and celery; sauté 4–5 minutes more until fragrant.
2
Brown the mushrooms: Push vegetables to the side. Add mushrooms in batches and cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until deeply golden — this builds rich flavour. Stir and cook 1 minute more, then combine with other vegetables.
3
Build the sauce: Stir in tomato paste, soy sauce, and sugar. Pour in red wine, scraping the pot to lift all the savoury browned bits. Simmer 3–4 minutes to reduce slightly and mellow the acidity.
4
Simmer to perfection: Add potatoes, vegetable broth, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25–30 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender but not falling apart.
5
Thicken the gravy: Stir in the flour-water slurry a little at a time while stirring constantly. Simmer uncovered 5–8 minutes more until the stew thickens into a rich, glossy consistency that coats the vegetables nicely.
6
Finish & serve: Remove herb sprigs and bay leaf. Season generously with salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with plenty of fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy hot with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or over fluffy rice!