Autumn marks the start of so many cozy festivities! Pumpkin carving, apple picking, sweater-wearing, and best of all, indulging in warm, hearty stews! Stews are perfect for the chilly weather and are great for meal prepping as the leftovers often taste even better than the first go-around. Similarly, stews are a great way to chuck everything from your fridge into a huge pot and avoid food waste. Plus, all the best vegetables are stew-friendly – to name a few, potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, eggplant, and kale! But those don’t even scratch the surface… Here are 12 hearty stews to keep you full and warm this cozy season!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help you get healthy! 

1. Irish ‘Lamb’ Stew

Source: Irish ‘Lamb’ Stew

You’ll love Vaishali Honawar’s Irish ‘Lamb’ Stew made without lamb (honestly, wouldn’t you rather just cuddle one?). This recipe calls for TVP chunks or soy nuggets to add deep and rich flavor. Browning the TVP first makes the nuggets chewier, giving them a very meat-like texture that’s often hard to replicate in vegan substitutes. The TVP also gives the stew a big protein boost, making it pretty much a meal in itself with all the veggies in there like potatoes and carrots and mushrooms. You can serve it with some crusty bread or some rice or, in true Irish style, with a side of potatoes and cabbage.

2. Veggie Stew with Dumplings

Source: Veggie Stew with Dumplings

This Veggie Stew with Dumplings by Fraiche Food, Jillian Harris & Tori Wesszer will keep you warm throughout the chilly season! This stew is not only delicious, but the addition of the vegan butter at the end softens the flavor. The dumplings will expand, so do not be tempted to make them bigger than the suggested size.

3. Butterbean & Barley Root Vegetable Stew 

Source: Butterbean & Barley Root Vegetable Stew

Rich, hearty, and filling, this Butterbean & Barley Root Vegetable Stew by Jenny Marie is the recipe perfect for cold autumn or winter days. It’s very nearly the weather for hearty stews and comforting bowls of soup, wouldn’t you say, friends? Make this one of stews you try! It’s made with seasonal ingredients and is full of delicious flavors! Plus, it’s really easy to make! You could sub the carrot, parsnip, and swede for other vegetables of your choice, if you so desire. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash – all would work well here. Serve it with some warm bread and you’ve got yourself a delicious, autumnal meal. This Root Vegetable Stew is fantastic!

Winter Cookbook: Heartwarming Plant-Based Recipes for the Cooler Months

As the seasons change and the weather gets chillier, there is truly nothing better than spending time in the kitchen with loved ones while cooking up cozy, soul-warming, home-cooked plant-based meals. This vegan winter cookbook includes 75 stunning vegan recipes with amazing photos! With this cookbook, you’ll find countless comforting recipes to inspire you and help you make the most of winter’s abundant variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables! This cookbook features warm and comforting plant-based recipes like Pasta with Creamy Chestnut Pesto and Mushroom Bisque With Cashew Cream, festive sweets like Glazed Cinnamon Bun Cookies and Caramel Topped Gingersnap Brownies, and Roasted Winter Vegetable Bowls with Couscous, Romesco Sauce, and Tahini Drizzle, this cookbook offers everything you need to create a stunning winter spread!

4. Colombian Black Bean Stew

Source: Colombian Black Bean Stew

Kimberly Espinel‘s Colombian black bean stew is not only super easy to make and utterly delicious, but also extremely healthy. Full of plant-based protein and fiber, it’s proof that plant-based food do not need to be complicated. Also, the main ingredients (black beans, onions, and garlic) are all inexpensive. This Colombian black bean stew is a delicious, budget-friendly, and hearty meal, especially when served with a side of grains and sliced avocado.

5. Spicy Gumbo 

Source: Spicy Gumbo

This delicious spicy vegan gumbo by Steven Seighman is perfect for those cold winter nights, or when you just need some really tasty comfort food.

6. Moqueca (Brazilian Stew)

Source: Moqueca (Brazilian Stew)

Thick, luscious, comforting, and almost too good to share, this vegan Moqueca recipe by Compassionate Cuisine, Linda Soper-Kolton and Sara Boan was inspired by a Brazilian seafood stew. This compassionate version uses fried plantains, tofu, hearts of palm, and diced potatoes to create a gorgeous and uniquely flavorful dish.

7. Hearty Purple Potato Stew

Source: Hearty Purple Potato Stew

You’ll love this Hearty Purple Potato Stew by Wendy Irene. Embracing the cooler seasons in all their glory means making large batches of soup for health and energy all week long. Sliced avocado is the perfect accompaniment to add to the top of the soup right before serving. The flavors mesh beautifully and it adds a nice creamy touch of healthy fat to keep you happy and satisfied. The rich, dark reddish-purple color of the soup is not only beautiful, but it’s also swimming in antioxidants.

8. Tomato Okra Stew

Source: Tomato Okra Stew

This heart-warming Greek Tomato Okra Stew by Andri Neocleous is made up of velvety okra in a rich tomato sauce. It goes great with some bulgur wheat or roast potatoes, a big dollop of thick vegan Greek yogurt along with a thick slice of crusty white bread to mop up all the sauce!

9. Jamaican Jerk Chickpea Stew

Source: Jamaican Jerk Chickpea Stew

This Jamaican Jerk Chickpea Stew by Desiree Rodriguez will not only keep you warm but the flavor the Jamaican Jerk seasoning gives it will make you want seconds and maybe even thirds.

10. Caponata: Eggplant Stew With Hummus

Source: Caponata: Eggplant Stew With Hummus

This traditionally Sicilian Eggplant Stew With Hummus by Plant Tribe can be enjoyed in many ways. Try out the dish as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish. It’s super easy to make, has a robust flavor, and is on a huge dollop of HUMMUS. What could be better?

11. Hearty Mung Bean and Lentil Stew

Source: Hearty Mung Bean and Lentil Stew

This Hearty Mung Bean and Lentil Stew by Robin Runner is perfect for meal prepping. This comforting stew is packed with fiber, protein, and flavor!

12. One-Pot Portobello Stew

Source: One-Pot Portobello Stew

The very best in comfort food — Nikki and Zuzana‘s One-Pot Portobello Stew. Hearty, delicious, and simple, just the way it should be. And it comes with many health benefits.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
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