Recipe: Delicious Vegetarian Sausage and Bean Creamy Stew

There’s nothing better than a hot bowl of hearty, comforting stew on a cold winter’s day. I especially like that stews and casseroles can be prepared ahead of time, avoiding a late afternoon panic about what to make for dinner. Today, I’ve assembled the stew during the afternoon, keeping myself warm in front of the range whilst preparing the next batch of sourdough bread to bake tomorrow.

This stew can easily be adapted to suit different dietary requirements. We are vegetarian and dairy-free, so I use veggie sausages and dairy-free alternatives, along with a selection of the vegetables we had in stock. But you can sub in whatever you have to hand.

I try to avoid using “fake meats” most of the time, but the combination of the sausages, creamy sauce, comforting veggies and hearty sourdough dumplings just hit the spot of this frosty December day.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium brown onion
• 1-2 large cloves garlic
• 8 sausages of your choice – I use the Richmond meat free ones
• 3 medium carrots
• 4 large closed cup mushrooms
• 4 medium white potatoes
• 500g beans of your choice – I used a mixture of frozen french beans, runner beans, kidney beans, cannelini beans and edamame beans
• 2 stock cubes
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 250ml single cream – I use Alpro cream alternative
• 175ml white wine
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup mature sourdough starter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 200^oC / 180^oC fan.

2) Place a large ovenproof pot on the stove top over medium heat and add 1 tbsp vegetable oil.

3) Roughly chop the onion and garlic, and add to the pot. Lightly fry for 5-10 minutes until the onions are translucent and soft.

4) Meanwhile, chop your sausages into 2-3cm chunks. Add these to the pot once the onions are cooked and lightly fry until the skin is beginning to turn golden brown.

5) Whilst the sausages are cooking, roughly chop the carrots, mushrooms and potatoes (I left the skins on the potatoes). Then add these, along with the beans to the pot, with a splash of hot water.

6) Place the lid on the pot and allow to cook for 15-20 mins, until the potatoes and carrots are starting to soften.

7) Remove the lid. The vegetables will have released some liquid as they cooked. Add the stock cubes and nutritional yeast (if using) and stir well to dissolve. Place the plain flour in a ramekin and add to this 3-4 tbsp of the stock from the pot. Stir together in the ramekin until fully combined into a thick paste, then add back to the pot and stir well.

8) Add the cream, wine, herbs and seasoning. Mix well.

9) Place the lid back on the pot and transfer it to the oven for 3 hours, checking on it halfway through to ensure there is still enough liquid. Add a little more wine and cream if it’s looking dry.

10) 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, make your sourdough dumplings. Place the self-raising flour, sourdough starter, egg, olive oil, sea salt and herbs in a bowl and combine to make a sticky dough.

11) Remove the pot from the oven and place on a heat-proof mat. The stew should be piping hot and bubbling.

12) Spoon the dumpling mix on top of the stew.

13) Replace the lid and return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes, until the dumplings are golden brown on top.

14) Serve in warm bowls and enjoy!

And the best part – even after hubby had a second helping, there are still enough leftovers for tomorrow night’s dinner!

Leave a comment to let me know what you think!