This is my go-to vegetarian stew, and I make it almost every week during the colder months. It’s the kind of recipe that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma — smoky paprika, fresh rosemary, and earthy mushrooms all simmering together into something truly satisfying.
What makes this stew so good is the technique: you blend a third of it at the end, which creates a naturally thick, creamy broth without adding any cream, flour, or butter. The gold potatoes break down just enough to give body, while the portobello mushrooms add a meaty, savoury depth that makes this stew feel substantial.
It’s also one of the most budget-friendly meals I make. Every ingredient is affordable and easy to find, and the whole pot costs just a few dollars to put together. Whether you’re fully plant-based or just looking for a meatless dinner that actually satisfies, this vegetarian stew delivers. It’s warm, it’s hearty, and it reheats beautifully all week long.
Vegetarian Stew
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots diced
- 3 sticks celery diced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ½ pound portobello mushrooms sliced
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 ½ pound gold potatoes cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups peas (thaw first if using frozen)
- 3 sprigs rosemary fresh ; leaves stripped and finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ tablespoon marjoram
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of water (or olive oil for richer flavour). Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Add the diced potatoes, water, vegetable broth, tomato paste, dried parsley, smoked paprika, oregano and marjoram. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the fresh rosemary, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are tender, add peas and stir to combine. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.
- Carefully transfer about one-third of the stew to a blender. Remove the centre cap from the blender lid and cover with a clean kitchen towel to allow steam to escape. Blend until smooth, then pour back into the pot and stir well to combine.
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread if desired.
Nutrition
What Makes This Vegetarian Stew Special
Most vegetable stews suffer from the same problem — a thin, watery broth that feels more like flavoured water than a proper stew. This recipe solves that completely with one clever technique: blending a third of the cooked stew and stirring it back into the pot. The gold potatoes and softened vegetables create a naturally thick, creamy base without any flour, cornstarch, or cream.
The flavour profile here is built on layers. Portobello mushrooms bring a deep, meaty savoriness. Smoked paprika adds warmth and a subtle smokiness. Fresh rosemary and marjoram give it an earthy, aromatic quality that dried herbs alone can’t match. And the tomato paste — a generous one-third cup of it — creates a rich, concentrated backbone that ties everything together.
This is also a naturally vegan stew that doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. There’s no oil in the sauté, no butter, no cream. It relies entirely on the vegetables and aromatics to create something deeply satisfying.
Tips for Best Results
- Cut your potatoes evenly. Keeping them at a consistent 3/4 inch (2cm) size ensures they cook at the same rate. Uneven pieces mean some will be mushy while others are still hard.
- Don’t rush the mushroom step. Cooking the portobellos for the full 8-10 minutes allows them to release their moisture and develop a concentrated, meaty flavour. If you pull them early, they’ll taste rubbery and bland.
- Dissolve the tomato paste fully. When you add it to the pot, stir it into the liquid thoroughly. Clumps of undissolved paste will create bitter pockets in your stew.
- Blend carefully. Hot liquids expand in a blender. Remove the centre cap, cover with a towel, and start on low speed. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot — just be careful not to blend too much or you’ll lose all the chunky texture.
- Let it rest. If you have the time, let the finished stew sit covered for 15-20 minutes before serving. This allows the flavours to marry and the broth to thicken slightly as it cools.
Substitutions and Variations
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes work as a direct swap. Sweet potatoes add a lovely sweetness but will change the flavour profile significantly. Red potatoes hold their shape better if you prefer chunkier pieces.
- Mushrooms: Cremini or baby bella mushrooms are the closest substitute for portobellos. Shiitake mushrooms will add a more intense umami flavour. Avoid white button mushrooms — they’re too mild for this stew.
- Peas: Green beans cut into 1-inch pieces, edamame, or butter beans all work well in place of peas.
- Broth: For deeper flavour, replace the water with additional vegetable broth. A splash of soy sauce or tamari (1-2 teaspoons) will boost the umami significantly.
- Heat: Add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes with the spices if you want some warmth.
- Make it heartier: Stir in a can of drained chickpeas or white beans during the last 10 minutes of cooking for added protein and substance.
Storage and Reheating
This stew stores exceptionally well and actually tastes better the next day as the flavours continue to develop overnight.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The stew will thicken considerably as it cools — this is normal and desirable.
- Freezer: Freeze in portion-sized containers for up to 3 months. The potato-thickened broth freezes and reheats beautifully without separating.
- Reheating: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth to thin the stew back to your preferred consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Microwave reheating works fine for individual portions — heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
What to Serve With This
This vegetarian stew is a complete meal on its own, but a few sides elevate it into something special:
- Crusty sourdough bread — the best companion for soaking up every last drop of that thick broth.
- Warm cornbread — the slight sweetness pairs beautifully with the smoky paprika in the stew.
- Simple green salad with a lemon vinaigrette to add brightness and contrast to the rich, earthy stew.
- Garlic toast — rub toasted bread with a raw garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil.
- Steamed rice or quinoa — turns a bowl of stew into an even more filling dinner, especially great for meal prep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use oil instead of water for sautéing?
Absolutely. Using 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil instead of water for the initial sauté will add richness and help the vegetables caramelise slightly, which deepens the overall flavour. The water method keeps it completely oil-free for those following a whole-food plant-based diet.
Why does the recipe mention oregano in the instructions but not in the ingredients?
This appears to be an error in the original recipe. Marjoram and oregano are closely related herbs with similar flavour profiles. You can either add 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano alongside the marjoram, or simply omit it and use marjoram alone — both approaches work well.
Can I skip the blending step?
You can, but the stew will be noticeably thinner and more soup-like. The blending step is what transforms this from a vegetable soup into a true stew with a thick, creamy broth. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a potato masher to crush some of the potatoes directly in the pot — it achieves a similar effect.
How do I make this stew in a slow cooker?
Add all ingredients except the peas to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Add the peas in the last 30 minutes so they don’t turn mushy. Transfer one-third to a blender and blend before stirring it back in. The slow cooker method produces an even deeper flavour as the ingredients have more time to meld together.
Is this stew suitable for meal prep?
This is one of the best meal-prep recipes you can make. It improves in flavour overnight, stores for 5 days in the fridge, and reheats perfectly. Portion it into individual containers as soon as it cools for grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.
What can I use instead of portobello mushrooms?
Cremini mushrooms are your closest substitute — they’re actually young portobellos and have a very similar flavour. Baby bella mushrooms also work well. If you’re not a mushroom fan at all, substitute with 1 cup of diced aubergine (eggplant), which will add a similar meaty texture and earthy depth to the stew.
The History of Vegetable Stews
Vegetable stews are among the oldest dishes in human cooking, dating back thousands of years to when the first clay pots made long, slow simmering possible. Nearly every culture has its own version — French ratatouille, Indian dal, Moroccan tagine, and Irish colcannon all share the same fundamental idea of transforming humble vegetables into something greater than the sum of their parts.
This particular style of hearty, potato-based vegetable stew draws from the American and Northern European tradition of one-pot cooking, where root vegetables, aromatics, and herbs were simmered together into a thick, warming meal that could feed a family affordably. The technique of blending a portion of the stew to thicken it is a modern refinement of the age-old practice of mashing potatoes directly into the broth — a trick that farm cooks have used for generations to stretch a simple pot of vegetables into a filling, satisfying dinner.
If you try this vegetarian stew, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you — leave a star rating and a comment below to let me know!
