Seasonal Vegetable Stews ♥ 10 Killer Recipes, 10 Tips & Techniques

Seasonal Vegetable Stews from A Veggie Venture, 10 killer recipes plus 10 tips & techniques to create your own killer vegetable stew.
graphic button small size size 10 Ten favorite vegetable stew recipes for all seasons, summer, fall, winter and year-round. These are "killer stew recipes" – tried & true, healthy, great-tasting, easy to incorporate the vegetables you love and leave out the ones you don't. Some recipes work best with a cornucopia of fresh summer vegetables from your CSA, garden or farmers market; others work beautifully with year-round supermarket vegetables.

Clean eaters, take note! All the recipes are for vegetarian stews. Most are vegan stews or easily made vegan. Every one works as a side dish or a vegetarian/vegan main dish perfect for Meatless Monday meals. Some take a little time to prep the vegetables, others are quick-quick. Two use a slow cooker!

Healthy eaters, these recipes are for you! A satisfying cup usually adds up to about 100 calories (more if the stew calls for beans). For Weight Watchers, this is usually two or three PointsPlus.

Plus ten tips and techniques for perfecting your own killer vegetable stews, creating a mélange of healthy vegetables. Ever wonder what really matters to produce a great vegetable stew? Now you'll know! So grab a sharp knife, vegetable lovers, let's get stewed! graphic button small size size 10

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Skip Straight to the Vegetable Stew Recipes for
Summer graphic button small size size 10 Fall graphic button small size size 10 Winter graphic button small size size 10 Year-Round

TEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES for COOKING KILLER VEGETABLE STEWS

graphic button small size size 10 Fresh vegetables matter! If there's ever a time to bypass frozen and canned vegetables, it's for vegetable stews.
graphic button small size size 10 Diversity matters! Aim for five to eight vegetables with different colors and textures, cut in contrasting shapes and sizes.

graphic button small size size 10 Size matters! Cut the vegetables into quite-large pieces in different shapes. No veggie mush, you want to be able to identify each vegetable in every bite! Know that bigger pieces take more time to cook, smaller pieces less time.
graphic button small size size 10 Specifics matter! Three vegetables make their way into many vegetables stews with specific purpose. Eggplant for bulk. Tomatoes for moisture. Corn for a touch of sweetness. Some vegetables to avoid, unless the stew will be consumed on the first day? Broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
graphic button small size size 10 Order matters! First draw out the flavors of the onion, peppers and garlic that likely start off the stew, then add the vegetables in careful order, knowing that some vegetables take longer to cook and should be fully cooked to be enjoyed (eggplant, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash, for example). Let these finish cooking before adding vegetables that take less time (summer squash, green beans, for example). Then finally, right at the end, add the most tender vegetables and let them cook for just a minute or two until tender but still crisp (ripe tomatoes, okra and corn, for example).
graphic button small size size 10 Layers matter! When you add vegetables in careful order, you are building layers of flavor. It's impossible to build layers in a slow cooker, that's why nearly all my vegetable stew recipes are cooked on the stovetop, prep'n'add, prep'n'add, prep'n'add. Two vegetable stew recipes finish well in a slow cooker but start the cooking on the stove to build those first layers of flavor: Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew and Squash & Carrot Stew.
graphic button small size size 10 Seasoning matters! For starters, lightly season the vegetables with salt and pepper several times. I've learned from my chef mentors to apply a little salt and pepper with the addition of each new vegetable.
graphic button small size size 10 Flavor matters! Vegetable stews can be quite mild. Look for recipes that call for (1) some sort of seasoning besides salt and pepper and/or (2) a finishing ingredient such as good vinegar, lemon juice, even honey or some times fresh herbs or something creamy.
graphic button small size size 10 Time matters! Allow time for a stew's flavors to meld. That means making the stew in the morning or a day or two before serving.
graphic button small size size 10 Temperature "doesn't" matter! Fooled ya, didn't I?! :-) Vegetable stews are good hot but often are also really good at room temperature, when the individual flavors of the vegetables can emerge. Some are also very good cold!

What's your favorite vegetable stew?

Do have a special way to make a killer vegetable stew? Do you follow a recipe or make it up as you go? Share your experience and ideas in a comment, I'd love to hear how you cook! Have I missed something? I welcome questions too! ~Alanna


graphic button small size size 10 VEGETABLE STEW RECIPES FOR SUMMER graphic button small size size 10

Summer Vegetable Stew

SUMMER VEGETABLE STEW

from A Veggie Venture

This Spanish stew was A Veggie Venture's very first vegetable stew recipe, made in May long before good summer vegetables were available. Frozen vegetables turned out what I called a "pretty good" stew, faint praise for sure. It wasn't until later, when I made the stew again that I realized – duh! – that a Summer Vegetable Stew should be made in summer! What a difference!

Main Vegetables: Bell peppers, Eggplant, Summer Squash, Green Beans, Summer Tomatoes, Corn.

Best for: Fresh summer vegetables, mild flavors, multitude of vegetables, knife skills, make-ahead.
Southern Farm Stand Stew with Okra, Tomatoes & Sweet Corn

SOUTHERN FARM STAND STEW
with OKRA, TOMATOES & SWEET CORN

from A Veggie Venture

Quintessential Summer. That's what Southern Farm Stand Stew with Okra, Tomatoes & Sweet Corn brings to mind. It's a classic combination of southern vegetables (a southern trinity, perhaps?) but is seasoned with something that "sounds" so wrong – chili powder – but somehow deepens the flavors of the vegetables.

Main Vegetables: Bell peppers, Okra, Summer Tomatoes, Corn.

Best For: Vegans, fresh summer vegetables, make-ahead.
Summer Vegetable Curry

SUMMER VEGETABLE CURRY

from A Veggie Venture

This Indian vegetable stew is brightened and deepened with ginger, curry and cumin. I especially like Summer Vegetable Curry served cold. Note the dollop of yogurt-honey-cumin sauce, I'm crazy for a touch of something creamy to contrast with the earthy cooked vegetables.

Main Vegetables: Eggplant, Summer Squash, Green Beans, Okra, Summer Tomatoes, Corn.

Best For: Vegans, Indian-food lovers, fresh summer vegetables, make-ahead.
Ratatouille, such a favorite late-summer dish, a real French classic.

RATATOUILLE

from Kitchen Parade

Thanks to the Disney movie Ratatouille and one determined and ever-so-cute rat named Remy, we all learned how to pronounce rat-uh-TOO-ee. But if you haven't made the real thing yet, oh! you're in for a real treat. A French ratatouille is more "casserole" or "side dish" than stew but really, isn't that line a blurry one, really? Besides, Ratatouille is just too special to fuss about definitional details.

Main Vegetables: Eggplant, Summer Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Mushrooms, Bell Pepper.

Best For: Vegetarians, make-ahead, fresh summer vegetables.

graphic button small size size 10 VEGETABLE STEW RECIPES FOR FALL graphic button small size size 10

Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin, a tomatillo-hominy stew baked right in a small pumpkin.

FALL STEW BAKED in a WHOLE PUMPKIN

from Kitchen Parade

And then the days become shorter and cooler and we go crazy (well some of us!) for all things pumpkin. There's something quite rustic but elegant about a tomatillo and hominy cooked right in a small pumpkin. And yeah, you're right, a Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin fits for Thanksgiving, too!

Main Vegetables: Bell pepper, Tomatillo, Hominy, Pumpkin.

Best For: Vegans, elegant fall presentation, winter supermarket vegetables.
Squash & Carrot Stew, a low-calorie spice-rich vegetable stew with butternut squash and carrots. Two versions, one for the stovetop, another for a slow cooker.

SQUASH & CARROT STEW

from Kitchen Parade

“Feast with friends. Fast in solitude.” But "fasting" with healthy, spare food like a vegetable stew never tasted so good until the lovely spice-rich Squash & Carrot Stew. This recipe can be made either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Love your slow cooker?

Main Vegetables: Butternut squash, Carrots, Tomato.

Best for: Spice lovers, slow cooker fans, winter supermarket vegetables.

graphic button small size size 10 VEGETABLE STEW RECIPES FOR WINTER graphic button small size size 10

Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew, warm with spices, your choice of vegetables. Vegan, paleo, very Weight Watchers friendly.

SLOW COOKER CURRIED VEGETABLE STEW

from Kitchen Parade

Another stew for the slow cooker! It's full of wintry spices and mixes butternut squash with other vegetables plus black beans for a burst of protein. For Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew, you'll definitely want to brush up on how to cut a butternut squash, How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash and Keep All Ten Fingers.

Main Vegetables: Butternut squash, Tomatoes, Your choice of vegetables.

Best For: Vegans, spice lovers, slow cooker fans, multitude of vegetables, winter supermarket vegetables or fresh summer vegetables.
Mediterranean Eggplant, quick, easy & tasty vegetarian supper, just eggplant, zucchini and tomato (fresh or canned) with a little feta stirred in.

MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT

from Kitchen Parade

A simpler stew than the other recipes, this makes up in just 45 minutes and the slicing and dicing is minimal. That's the reason why Mediterranean Eggplant has become a year-round staple in my kitchen.

Main Vegetables: Eggplant, Summer Squash, Tomatoes.

Best For: A quick, healthy vegetarian one-skillet supper. Either winter supermarket vegetables or fresh summer vegetables.
Vegan Chickpea Gumbo, packed with spicey, smoky flavor.

VEGAN CHICKPEA GUMBO

from A Veggie Venture

The recipe for Vegan Chickpea Gumbo started off life as chicken gumbo but was adapted by my friend Susan of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. She shared this recipe on A Veggie Venture when her blog was just a few weeks old! It's got a lot of spice and smokey flavor. Glory good!

Main Ingredients: Bell pepper, Tomatoes, Okra, Chickpeas

Best For: Vegans, Mardi-Gras celebrations, spicy-food lovers, make-ahead, winter supermarket vegetables or fresh summer vegetables.

graphic button small size size 10 VEGETABLE STEW RECIPES FOR YEAR-ROUND graphic button small size size 10

Tourlou Toulou (Greek Baked Vegetables), a rainbow of vegan vegetables slow-cooked in oven, great for parties, serve hot or at room temperature.

TOURLOU TOURLOU (GREEK BAKED VEGETABLES)

from Kitchen Parade

What a great party dish! Tourlou Tourlou is slow-cooked in the oven and uses a rainbow of vegetables. People go crazy for Tourlou Tourlou (Greek Baked Vegetables)!

Main Vegetables: Your choice but my favorites are suggested!

Best For: Vegans, multitude of vegetables, good knife skills, winter supermarket vegetables, summer fresh vegetables.

More Year-Round Vegetable Stew Recipes
(don't require summer-fresh vegetables)
Squash & Carrot Stew
Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew
Mediterranean Eggplant
Vegan Chickpea Gumbo
Seasonal Vegetable Stews from A Veggie Venture, 10 killer recipes plus 10 tips & techniques to create your own killer vegetable stew.

SO THAT'S IT!


A basketful of vegetable stew recipes, y'think they'll keep ya busy?! If you like this collection of vegetable stew recipes, tips and techniques, you might also like these:

How to Roast Vegetables: 15 Tips & A Master Recipe
from A Veggie Venture

How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup
from Kitchen Parade




© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2014
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Really valuable resource! We're going to be doing plenty of veggie stews this fall, so this will be my constant reference. Thanks!

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  2. Hubby made the Summer Vegetable Stew for dinner on Sunday. It was wonderful, and the leftovers were even better last night. I suspect we'll be revisiting these menus again.

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  3. John ~ Thanks! I guess I’m kinda addicted to vegetable stews, sharing the addiction!

    Kathy G ~ Lovely! Thanks for letting me know, that was my very first Vegetable Stew!

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  4. Hi Alanna, not sure if my first comment went through or not so if this is a duplicate please feel free to delete one of them. I had asked if any of these vegetable stews freeze well? I made the Summer Vegetable Stew and I would really like to make some to have on hand for later in the fall when I can't get the nice fresh veggies anymore.
    Thanks, Michele

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  5. Michele B ~ A freeezer, what’s that?! Is that that deep dark never-to-be-entered hole in my kitchen? :- ) Seriously, I so admire people that are good about freezing food to serve later.

    Here’s my sense -- and since it sounds like you’re maybe more experienced with freezing, I’d love your reaction.

    I think that vegetable chunks “suffer” more when frozen, it changes their texture. So my choice would be to “not” freeze these stews but would instead freeze something like Healthy Carrot Soup, something that’s already blended together. And if I did freeze them, I would recommend using them up quite quickly, like within no more than a month or two, rather than think of them as put away in “long-term storage”.

    Thoughts??? What’s your sense?

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  6. Alanna, I agree about blended soups holding up better than stews but I do so wish I could enjoy this delicious recipe all year. I will most likely try the winter recipes you included instead. I often refer to the "So Easy To Preserve" book by the University of Georgia's cooperative extension. Since it is a tomato base I almost wonder if it could be canned instead like a salsa? I will have to look it up. Update: soups containing vegetables are considered low acid products and they would need to be processed in a pressure canner.

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna