Hearty, healthy stew with root veggies

Whether in spring, fall, or winter, when the days and evenings get chilly in Vermont, a hearty root stew  with veggies really hits the spot. This recipe is healthy, feeds a crowd, and freezes well.

My favorite part of this recipe is the combination of paprika and thyme, which creates a flavor that compliments the root veggies. Our family loves it!

Recipe variation from the FIXATE Volume 2 Cookbook

I adapted this root veggie stew recipe from the FIXATE Volume 2 cookbook by Autumn Calabrese and Bobby Calabrese. There are two features of this cookbook that I love:

1. Every recipe is health conscious and nutrient-dense.
2. Gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian recipes have icons in the top right hand corner of every recipe page. I wish every cookbook would have this feature! Often, reading through a cookbook requires me to scour through every page to find the recipes that apply to me. This one makes meal selection easy.

Here are a few of the recipe adjustments I made:

• Swapping out some of the vegetable selections to match my family’s preferences
• Omitting wine
• Adding vegetarian meatless crumbles to add protein to the meal 

Ingredients for root veggie stew

To make this recipe, here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Celery
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Turnip
• Garlic
• Tomato paste
• Vegetable broth (preferably organic, low sodium)
• Gluten free vegetarian beef substitute (I used Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground. Also, Beyond Beef also makes an excellent plant-based ground)
• Olive oil
• Ground paprika
• Dried thyme
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper

How to make root veggie stew

Prepping all the veggies is the most time consuming part of the recipe, so find some good tunes to put on and enjoy the process! The turnip, parsnips, and celery in this recipe all provide a healthy serving of veggies for your meal, as do the pearl onions.

Cook the celery, garlic, and then tomato paste in a large pot over medium-high heat. Next, add the broth and all ingredients except for the vegetarian soy crumbles, bring a boil, and heat until vegetables are tender. This takes about 15 minutes.

Toward the end of cooking time, add a vegetarian beef substitute. In my house, we commonly use Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground. All their products are vegan, and these soy crumbles are gluten free. They’re a simple and fast way to add protein to this meal.

After adding the soy crumbles, cook for 5 – 6 minutes until heated through (or according to package directions).

More root veggie stew recipe tips

Here are a few tips for meal variations for this stew:

• Although I love adding the meatless crumbles for extra protein, it’s an optional step. Omitting them reduces the number of serving portions to 4.
• Sliced avocado would make a great topping for this stew.
• This meal would also pair well with a gluten free dinner roll or slice of bread.

Let me know if you try any substitutions of your own in this recipe. I’d love to hear your ideas!

Other recipes using meatless ground beef

If you enjoy this hearty stew, you might like to try some other recipes using vegetarian “beef” crumbles. Here are a couple delicious ones to try:

• “Beefless” Thai lettuce wraps
• Walt Disney inspired chili

Root Vegetable Stew

5 from 3 votes

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Prep 30 mins

Cook 50 mins

Total 1 hr 20 mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• ¾ cup Chopped celery 2 stalks
• 3 cloves Garlic chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato paste
• 4 cups Vegetable broth
• 1 cup Frozen pearl onions
• 1 cup Carrots sliced or diced
• 1 cup Parsnips peeled and chopped (2 medium)
• 1 cup Turnip peeled and chopped (1 large)
• 1 ½ tsp.  Ground paprika
• 1 tsp. Dried thyme
• ½ tsp. Sea salt
• ½ tsp. Ground black pepper
• 10 oz Gluten free vegetarian beef substitute such as Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground Meatless Protein Packed Beef Substitute

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add celery and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add tomato paste and mix into the celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
• Add broth, onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Heat, partially covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Add vegetarian beef substitute, such as Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground.
• Cook for 5 – 6 minutes until heated through.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Adding the soy crumbles is an optional step. Omitting them reduces the number of serving portions to 4.
Sliced avocado would make a great topping for this stew. It would also pair well with a gluten free dinner roll or slice of bread.
Adapted from FIXATE 2 Cookbook by Autumn Calabrese and Bobby Calabrese.

Katrina Crandall is an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.