Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Stew

Today I’m bringing you an Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Stew.

As many of you know my daughter is vegetarian and this week she managed to persuade my hubby to eat more vegetarian food. So I thought I’d adapt a Beef Stew with Worcestershire Sauce recipe that my hubby once concocted in the slow cooker. So this is really a Beefless Stew! But first I had a few dilemmas to solve!

What’s a good replacement for beef in a vegan recipe?

Well that was a no brainer, it had to be Chestnut mushrooms. They hold their shape and texture really well unlike white mushrooms and give that satisfying chew too.

What’s a good vegan replacement for Worcestershire Sauce?

I decided that Balsamic Vinegar and Soy Sauce would give a great depth of flavour and compliment one other perfectly with the sweet and salty notes. I wasn’t wrong and together with the Tabasco Sauce for a hint of chilli, mixed herbs and vegetable stock the flavours just jelled beautifully.

What do you serve Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Stew with?

The stew is best served in a bowl along with lots of crusty bread to dip into the cooking juices or should that be broth? Or you could serve Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Stew as a side dish if like me you are catering for different diet preferences.

How many people does Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Stew serve?

You’ll get 5 – 6 servings. As there are just 3 of us here at the moment we had this stew over 2 days and I added a can of butter beans on the second day to bulk it out. My daughter wasn’t a fan of that though and picked them all out!

Can you use other root vegetables in Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Stew?

Yes of course, the world is your oyster, another time I’d try butternut squash or any other root vegetables I happen to have!

I do hope you try my Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Stew. Not only is it tangy and delicious but it’s also fat free. So if you’re on the Weight Watchers or Slimming World diet or just trying to cut down on your meat intake, then this is the recipe for you!

For more slow cooker (Crock-pot) vegan recipe inspiration you should check out the following recipes:

• Easy Slow Cooker Dhal
• Vegan Lentil Chilli 
• Aubergine & Onion Masala
• Aubergine, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Massaman Curry
• Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
• Simple Slow Cooked Beetroot

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Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Stew

A hearty vegan root vegetable stew enhanced by Chestnut mushrooms and peas with a tangy, tasty broth best mopped up with crusty bread. Would also make a great side dish too!

Course dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine British

Keyword fat-free, Slimming World, Weigh Watchers

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Camilla Hawkins

Ingredients

• 3 onions
• 3 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• 1 parsnip
• 3 celery sticks
• 250 g Chestnut mushrooms
• 1 ½ tbsp plain flour (for vegan option see notes)
• 500 ml vegetable stock made with 1.5 stock cubes
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
• 120 g frozen peas
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Roughly chop all the vegetables (except frozen peas) and place in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the flour, herbs and pepper.
3. Tip into slow cooker.
4. To the stock add and mix in the Balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, tabasco sauce and tomato puree.
5. Pour over the vegetables.
6. Set the slow cooker for 3.5 hrs on high or 5.5 hrs on low.
7. Stir in the frozen peas and cook until the vegetables are tender (about another ½ hour).
8. Serve in bowls with crusty bread for mopping up the juices!

Recipe Notes

To make this stew vegan you could omit the plain flour and mix 1 tbsp of cornflour (cornstarch) into 15 ml of water and stir into the stew 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Add more if needed.