Soup and stew season is one of my favourite times of year! There’s something so comforting about a warm bowl of hearty, nourishing food when the weather outside is cold. As someone who loves rich, deep flavours, I knew I had to create a recipe loaded with umami and packed with goodness.
This dish is perfect when you’re craving something wholesome, super-savoury, and plant-powered.
Introducing my Ultimate High-Protein Beefy Stew — perfect served with a side of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes!
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Why You’ll Love This Stew
Ingredients & Info
Here’s a list of the ingredients used along with my top-tips! ✨
The Base
- 1 large white onion – diced
- 2 carrots – halved and sliced into half moons
- 2 sticks celery – finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic – finely diced or minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 250ml red wine – I used a merlot – you could also substitute with alcohol free wine, or omit if desired
- 2 heaping tbsp plain flour – to make this gluten free use cornflour
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil – or any neutral-flavoured oil
The Beefy Texture
- 250g portobello mushrooms – you can also use chestnut mushrooms
- 1 cup TVP mince – I use an Organic TVP
The Flavour Bombs
- 1 tbsp dried mushroom powder – you can make mushroom powder yourself – just blend dried gourmet mushrooms such as porcinis or shitakes in a high-speed blender (I used shitake.) Alternatively, you can buy some here
- 1 tsp marmite – or yeast extract. To make this gluten free just omit it, you can try adding another tbsp of soy sauce instead.
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar of modena – I don’t recommend using cheap balsamic vinegar as they’re very sour; choose one that’s sweet and syrupy.
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 litre vegetable stock
Gluten Free Notes
- Instead of plain flour use cornflour
- Omit the marmite, you can try adding another tbsp of soy sauce instead
How to Make This Stew
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe details.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat a stockpot over a medium heat, add 2 tsp of olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper until they start to soften and colour. Next add the carrot, celery and continue cooking until everything is lightly-golden.
- Sweat down the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and rosemary to the pan. Sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid and shrink down in size. Then stir in the tomato puree and red wine, make sure to scrape down all the sides of the pan to soak up any stuck, flavoursome brown bits. Allow the alcohol to cook off and the wine to reduce down until almost disappeared (around 3-5 minutes).
- Thickening the stew. Stir in the flour and mushroom powder very well, allow it to gently cook for about 1 minute, then slowly add the stock a little bit at a time, stirring frequently as you go.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients, bring the stew to a gentle simmer then reduce the heat down to low. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow it to slowly simmer for at least 30 minutes – but anything up to an hour is fine. We want the TVP to fully hydrate for the best, beefy texture and flavour. Stir every so often. Once finished, remove the bay leaves and serve with some creamy mashed potatoes! FYI – This stew tastes even better the next day!
Recipe FAQs
Ultimate ‘Beefy’ Plant-Based Stew
Protein per serve: 12 grams.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 carrots halved and sliced
- 2 celery sliced
- 3 garlic finely chopped
- 250 g portobello mushrooms diced
- 1 cup TVP mince
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 250 ml red wine I used a merlot
- 2 heaping tbsp plain flour or cornflour (GF)
- 1 tbsp dried mushroom powder see notes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 tsp marmite If GF see notes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar of modena
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a stockpot over a medium heat. Add 2 tsp of olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper until starting to soften. Add the carrot and celery and continue cooking until starting to brown.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Sauté until the mushrooms shrink down in size. Then stir in the tomato puree and red wine, making sure to scrape any stuck, flavoursome brown bits from the pan. Allow the alcohol to cook off and the wine to reduce down (around 3-5 minutes).
- Stir in the flour and mushroom powder, cook for about 1 minute then slowly add the stock a little bit at a time, stirring frequently as you go.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, bring the stew to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow it to gently simmer for at least 30 minutes – up to an hour, stirring regularly. Remove the bay leaves and serve with mashed potatoes.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free it’s fine to substitute with gluten-free flour or cornflour. Also leave out the marmite/yeast, you can try adding another tbsp of soy sauce instead.
- You can make mushroom powder yourself – just blend dried gourmet mushrooms such as porcinis or shitakes in a high-speed blender (I used shitake.)
- I use this Organic TVP.
- This stew tastes even better the next day!
