This high-fiber vegetarian stew with potatoes kale, and chickpeas is warm and satisfying, while also being a flavorful plant-based dinner filled with nutritious veggies and protein-rich chickpeas.

We love a vegetarian stew! It’s a comforting and filling way to get a ton of nutrients in. Stew is just right for a chilly winter day, but it’s just as satisfying on a busy weeknight. The leftovers make for a delicious lunch as well! If you’ve been craving stew, keep reading or find more of our favorites in this roundup post of 7 Hearty Vegetarian Stews.
Our Vegetable Stew Ingredients
We included as many good-for-you ingredients in this stew as we could! These savory ingredients all combine to make the tastiest pot of goodness you can imagine.
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Chickpeas
- Kale
- Seasonings: basil, thyme, salt, and pepper
How to Make Vegetarian Stew
Making veggie stew from scratch is so simple! The most involved part of making is chopping the vegetables, and if you’re making this on a busy weeknight, you can prep and cut your veggies ahead of time. Start by cooking the onions, then add in mushrooms and seasonings before finishing with potatoes and chickpeas. Let it all simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, then add kale for the last couple of minutes! Easy as can be. Store any leftover chickpea stew in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to Thicken a Stew ( including a gluten-free option)
We developed this recipe with a thick, hearty texture in mind! This potato stew has less liquid and more veggies for a perfect texture every time even without adding any flour.
However, if you do want to thicken your stew further, you could:
- Cook 1-2 tablespoons of flour with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes to form a roux, add some of the liquid from the stew and mix until dissolved, then add to the vegetable stew.
- If you want to keep your stew gluten-free in a small bowl dissolve 1 tablespoon of corn starch, arrowroot flour, or potato starch in some of the stew liquid. Whisk well until smooth.
- You could also use an immersion blender and puree some of the potatoes to give your vegetarian a thicker consistency. A stew shouldn’t be pureed, so be sure to only puree a small amount of potatoes and leave lots of texture in there.
Vegetarian Stew with Kale
We added 4 cups of kale to this stew recipe. Having greens in the dish really boosts the nutrition in each serving and the kale cooks down so much you barely notice it! For more information on cooking kale read our How to Cook Kale post, not a fan of kale use spinach or Swiss Chard instead.
More Stew & Chili Recipes
- Three Bean & Sweet Potato Chili
- Moroccan Vegetable Stew
- 30-Minute Black Bean Chili
- Ratatouille (the Ultimate French Vegetarian Stew!)
- Fennel & Chickpea Stew
- Lentil & Sweet Potato Vegan Chili
- Cranberry Beans Stew with Olive Oil and Garlic
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Hearty Vegetarian Stew
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups (4 servings) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This high-fiber vegetarian stew with potatoes kale, and chickpeas is warm and satisfying, while also being a flavorful plant-based dinner filled with nutritious veggies and protein-rich chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped small
- 8oz mushrooms, chopped small
- 1 cup loosely packed basil, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1- 6oz can tomato paste
- 6 cups vegetable or no-chicken broth
- 2 tsp dry thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- 3 medium potatoes, diced medium
- 1-15oz can chickpeas, with water
- 4 cups chopped kale, Swiss Chard or Spinach
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a lid. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent
- Add the mushrooms and basil and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir well and cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, thyme, salt and pepper, and bring to boil
- Add the potatoes and chickpeas (with the water). Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes
- Add the kale and cook uncovered 10 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 305
- Sugar: 12.3
- Sodium: 1752
- Fat: 9.7
- Saturated Fat: 1.3
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 48.1
- Fiber: 10.4
- Protein: 11.5
- Cholesterol: 0
DID YOU LIKE OUR VEGETARIAN STEW?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Lee
Reminds me of my childhood, hearty, warm and comforting on a cold winter day
Miriam
Fantastic ~!
Vicky and Ruth
YAY! Glad you like it!