Vegan Beef Stew

5 from 47 votes

This bowl of belly-warming vegan beef stew is savory with herbs and pepper and it has meaty TVP chunks, potatoes, carrots and celery adding tons of texture.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups TVP chunks (soya chunks. You can also use soy curls)
¼ cup flour (use regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons mixed herbs (divided. I use rosemary and sage.)
1 large onion (finely diced)
2 medium carrots (finely chopped, or use about 2 cups of baby carrots)
3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
1 pound small potatoes (or regular-sized yellow or gold potatoes. Cut small potatoes in half, and cut larger potatoes in medium-sized chunks.)
½ cup red wine (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4-5 cups vegetable stock (or mushroom stock. Add more if needed to thin out stew. Can use water instead.)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegan butter (optional, but nice)
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped, for garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place soy chunks in very hot, salted water. Soak for 15-20 minutes until the chunks have absorbed a good deal of the water.
Drain out the water and press lightly on the soy chunks to remove excess water.
In the same bowl, toss the TVP chunks in flour, half the herbs, salt and ground black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and add the soy chunks to it without crowding them. Do this in batches if necessary. Preserve any excess flour in the bowl for adding later.
Brown the soy chunks on all sides. Remove to a plate.
To the same pot add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Saute until the onions get soft, 3-4 minutes.
Add wine to the pot, stir and let it cook out until there's barely any moisture in the pot.
Stir in the tomato paste.
Add the remaining herbs and mix them in.
Add the soy chunks back to the pot with any remaining flour.
Add 4 cups vegetable stock or mushroom stock to the pot along with the potatoes. Add the soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and let the potatoes cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the butter and turn off the heat. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Notes

Roasting the soy chunks before adding them to the stew improves the texture, making this stew meatier. Browning also adds more flavor to the chunks, which are bland on their own.
You can use seitan, with great results, or even tofu instead of the TVP chunks. Brown the seitan and tofu exactly as you would the TVP chunks for more flavor.
You can also leave out the TVP and use wild, mushrooms like shiitake or oyster.
Reconstitute dried mushrooms with hot water before using, then coat them with herbs and flour and brown them just like you would the TVP chunks.
A hunk of crusty bread is delicious with this stew. You can also serve it over a bed of rice or quinoa, Or spoon it up by itself for a memorable and comforting meal.
Storage instructions
Refrigerate: Store in the fridge for up to three days. The stew tastes even better the next day.
Freeze: Freeze the stew in an airtight container or freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Reheat: Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.

Nutrition