This wholesome potato stew is loaded with tender gold potatoes, veggies, and chickpeas in a rich tomato broth. To keep it vegetarian and vegan, we're using mushrooms and soy sauce for umami and depth. Garlic and dried herbs add even more flavor while carrots and onion add a touch of vegetable sweetness. Vegetable and potato stew is a comforting, 1-pot meal to enjoy any day of the week!
Fall is just around the corner, and I've had stews, soups, and all things cozy and comforting on my mind. Last year I shared this creamy mushroom stew, and you guys have really loved that one!
Since it was the only stew recipe on the blog, I figured a more traditional-style stew was in order (but still plant-based, of course)!
Potatoes are the star of this chunky and hearty stew. Instead of a creamy base, the potatoes and veggies are simmered in fire-roasted tomatoes and broth until thickened and reduced.
Mushrooms and garlic add a savory depth of flavor, and carrots and onion give it just enough vegetable sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Chickpeas add protein and fiber and make it even more filling. Although, there are no hard rules here. Cannellini beans, pintos, or lentils would also be great!
This simple, 1-pot stew is very versatile. Try different herbs, or add smoky flavors, spiciness, and your favorite proteins. For our next batch, I'm planning to add a beefy element - something like homemade vegan ground beef, meatballs, or Trader Joe's vegan bulgogi. Delish!
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Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes - I often use thin-skinned yellow or Yukon gold potatoes for stews and soups, but other varieties work, too. If using russets, you'll probably want to peel the potatoes since the skin can be tough.
- Mushrooms - baby bellas are usually easy to find, but any type of fresh mushroom you have on hand is great. For varieties with woody stems, such as shiitakes, be sure to remove the stems.
- Other vegetables - round out the potato stew with classics like onion, garlic, carrots. Celery is also a delicious addition.
- Crushed tomatoes - look for fire-roasted if you can find them since they add so much flavor. Crushed tomatoes lend nice texture to the stew, but diced will work in a pinch. You can also incorporate a small amount of tomato paste if you have it.
- Vegetable broth - use your favorite store-bought or homemade vegetable broth.
- Soy sauce or tamari - look for certified gluten-free tamari, if needed.
- Herbs - to keep the recipe more pantry-friendly, I opted for a dried Italian herb blend. Thyme or rosemary are also delicious with potatoes and in vegetable stew.
See recipe card below for quantities and full recipe.
How To Make Potato Stew
Begin by sauteing the onion and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms are almost dry.
Add the garlic, herbs, and carrots to the pot. Stirring frequently, cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add the potatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer the stew for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Stir in the chickpeas and cook for another minute or two, then remove from heat.
Now it's time to taste! For more saltiness and umami you can add more soy sauce or a little bit of miso.
To incorporate miso into the potato stew, combine 2 teaspoons white or red miso with ¼ cup broth. Whisk until the miso is dissolved, then add it to the pot.
Tip: Keep in mind that the smaller you cut the potatoes the more quickly they'll cook. I like them large and chunky for stew. This allows enough time for the stew to thicken and reduce without overcooking the potatoes.
Variations
- Add leafy greens - stir in several handfuls of chopped kale or chard during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Switch up the beans or add other proteins - stir tofu chorizo, cooked lentils, chopped seitan, or your favorite plant-based meats. This helps bulk up the recipe and is especially nice for those of us with big appetites.
- Add more umami - dissolve red or white miso in a bit of broth and add it to the pot before serving. You can also increase the amount of mushrooms and/or soy sauce.
What to Serve With Potato Stew
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with a fresh side salad or kale salad plus hearty slices of toasted bread.
The flavors of vegetable stew are also perfect with cornbread. Try my savory vegan cornbread, oil-free cornbread, or these loaded jalapeno cornbread muffins!
RELATED: If you love hearty soups and stews, be sure to check out my Vegan Soups category, and don't miss these favorites: 45-minute lentil chili, creamy potato corn soup, and Instant Pot sweet potato chili.
Recipe FAQs
Technically any variety of potato can be used for stews and soups, so it comes down to personal preference and what's available. Yellow or gold potatoes, red potatoes, and fingerling potatoes are good choices for their thinner skins and lower starch content. In some cases you may prefer russet potatoes for their more robust potato flavor and higher starch content, which can help thicken the stew.
The main difference between a soup and a stew is the consistency. Soups tend to have a thin, broth-y consistency, while stews are thicker and have chunky pieces of meat or veggies.
Tips for Flavorful Vegan Stew
- Saute with some fat. Sauteing the onions, mushrooms, and garlic creates a flavorful base. Using oil gives the flavor of the veggies and herbs a medium to spread throughout the stew. If you avoid oil, mix 2 teaspoons of tahini or a neutral-tasting nut butter with a splash of broth, and add this to the pot just before adding the garlic and herbs.
- Make it the day before. Like most soups, stews, and chilis, an overnight rest allows the flavors to develop. Serve your vegan stew the next day after the flavors have had a chance to mingle.
Recipe
Hearty Potato Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil - see Notes for oil-free
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 10 ounces mushrooms, cut into thick/chunky slices
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian herb blend - or a combination of thyme, rosemary, oregano
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins or half moons
- 1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes, cut into large bite-size pieces - or other variety
- 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes - preferably fire-roasted
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tamari (for GF) or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - or more to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained - or white beans
Instructions
- Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, if using (see notes for oil-free). Once hot, add the onion and mushrooms, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the moisture from the mushrooms is mostly evaporated.
- Add the garlic, dried herbs, and carrots. Stirring frequently cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, potatoes, broth, bay leaf, soy sauce, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Checking on it periodically, simmer the stew for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Stir in the chickpeas and cook uncovered for a few minutes, or until the stew has reduced slightly.
- Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Taste for seasoning, and keep in mind that the flavors will develop and improve as the stew rests and cools.
Notes
- Oil-free - dry saute the onion and mushrooms. Mix 2 teaspoons of tahini or a neutral-tasting nut butter with a splash of broth, and add this to the pot just before adding the garlic and herbs.
- Add leafy greens - stir in several handfuls of chopped kale or Swiss chard during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Switch up the beans or add other proteins - stir in tofu chorizo, cooked lentils, chopped seitan, or your favorite plant-based meats. This helps bulk up the recipe and is especially helpful if you or someone you're feeding has a big appetite!
- Add more umami - you can increase the amount of mushrooms and/or soy sauce. Or if you have miso on hand, dissolve 2 teaspoon white miso in a bit of broth and add it to the pot before serving.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Judy says
My husband and I both loved this. I didn't have fire roasted crushed tomatoes on hand so added some cayenne pepper with regular crushed tomatoes. Next batch I am going to use 2 cans of cannellini beans instead of garbanzos for a thicker consistency. I added spinach after talking it off the heat instead of kale or Swiss chard. Pretty and, more importantly, delicious!
Kim Burke says
This is just what I needed today. Something warm, delicious, and super quick and easy to make. I seemed to have a stockpile of potatoes as well as a lot of canned chickpeas that I was given (free), and I found this recipe because my meals will normally start with what I need to use. I'm sensative to mushrooms, so I don't buy them. I used a little zucchini instead because I had it. I used the fire-roasted diced tomatoes and only added a 1/2 tsp. EXTRA of Italian spice because we love herbs and spices. I'm new to your site and already eyeballing some of your other amazing recipes. Thank you!
Paul says
Recipe calls for broth but in nowhere in the instructions does it say to add the broth
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Paul. The broth is mentioned in step 3.
Anne Wondra says
Made this today for supper. Delicious; a keeper to make again. Thank you!
Chris says
Delicious! Made with no oil method (Villa Jerada tahini) and cannellini beans, yellow potatoes. Crushed tomatoes were fire roasted type but my store only had larger cans so have a bit left over.
Marcy says
This is excellent. By the nature of the recipe it's easy to make adjustments, i.e., I had russet potatoes so used them; added another carrot because I like them, less onion because that's my taste. I don't think you need to add the salt before tasting, I don't think it needed it. I did add some spinach. The only thing I really did differently is some thickener with 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Note: Use about 1/2 cup of the broth at the end with the cornstarch, and a frother does an excellent job of combining them!
Kay says
Delicious! My daughter and I wanted to try a new recipe for our Sunday soup and Lori your recipes never disappoint.
My daughter doesn’t like mushrooms so I just added a few, we both LOVED the stew. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you for another great recipe!
Lori W. says
Oh my goodness! This Potato Stew is so delicious. Easy to put together and easy cleanup (one pot!). Really good the first night, I think even better the second night. Good crusty bread to soak up the broth is essential ❤️
Mary says
This looks like everything I dream of in a stew! Do you think this would be harmed in any way by making in the InstantPot? Do you think the timing from your Instant Pot Vegetable Soup would work for this? THANK YOU!!
Lori says
Hi Mary, the Instant Pot is a great idea, and yes, depending on how large you cut the potatoes, 9 or 10 minutes on high should work perfectly. You can wait and add the cooked chickpeas at the end so they don't get mushy. Oh, one other thought - after you add everything to the IP if it looks like it might not be enough liquid to avoid a burn warning, I would go ahead and add a cup of water. Better safe than sorry, right? I hope you enjoy it!
Sally Robbins says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I love mushrooms so added more. This is a rich, hearty stew that even my meat-and-potatoes husband liked. One question, though, Lori - the recipe calls for "5 cloves garlic, divided". I saw nowhere in the instructions where it called for it to be divided.
Lori says
Whoops, you’re right! Thank you. That’s from my mushroom stew recipe, which I used as a template to write this post (in the backend, it just copies everything over and I missed it when editing).
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the stew!