Vegetable and Butter Bean Stew with Dumplings

This yummy comforting winter stew is cheap and easy to make, and it is quick to put together too, ready in around 40 mins. For a lower fat version, you can leave out the dumplings, but they are a lovely treat in the dark winter months.

To make this lovely stew, chop all the veg to roughly the same size (fine dice the onion and garlic), make up the stock in advance, then drain and rinse the butter beans. This recipe uses tinned beans for convenience and speed. You could use any other kind of white beans, though chunky butter beans add a lovely texture.

Heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic, add the veg and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the flour and tomato puree, then add the stock and herbs. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins, and you are done!

If you are adding dumplings, make them up while the stew is simmering. After 10 mins, add the dumplings, popping them just on the surface of the stew, so they are half submerged. Then put the lid on and simmer for 20 mins. Don’t take the lid off to peak! You need to keep the steam inside the pan to cook the dumplings through. A couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time, you can lift the lid and quickly turn the dumplings over to coat the other side, then replace the lid until the time is up. Make sure you use a wide, non-stick saucepan, so you have plenty of room for the dumplings, as they will expand as they cook.

You can use any type of winter veg in this stew, so you could add turnips of swede for variation. You could make this gluten-free by leaving out the dumplings and using 1 tbsp corn flour instead of wheat flour to thicken the stew. Instead of adding the flour to the veg at the start, mix the corn flour with a little cold water to form a paste, then stir into the stew once you have added the stock.

It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and freezes well, without the dumplings.

Vegetable and Butter Bean Stew with Dumplings

Recipe by B

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Main MealsCuisine: English

Servings

4

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calorieskcal

Total time

40

minutes

A tasty winter vegetable stew with beans and dumplings.

Ingredients

• Vegetable Stew

• 1 medium brown onion finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic finely diced

• 3 medium carrots large diced

• 2-3 medium potatoes large diced

• 2 sticks celery slice

• 2 leeks sliced

• 6 chestnut mushrooms quartered

• 100g frozen peas

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 1 litre vegan vegetable stock

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 400g tin butter beans drained and rinsed

• Dumplings

• 100g self raising flour

• 50g vegetable suet

• 2 tsp dried parsley

• pinch salt

• 90ml water

Directions

• Vegetable Stew
• First prepare the vegetables. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Wash, trim and slide the celery. Peel the carrots and chopped them and the potatoes into roughly similar sized chunks. Quarter the mushrooms.
• Make up a litre of hot vegan vegetable stock. Drain and rinse the butter beans.
• Heat the oil in a large, wide, non-stick saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes until they start to go translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring to prevent the garlic from burning.
• Add the vegetables and the beans and stir to mix everything together. Add the flour and the tomato puree and stir to coat. Careful that they don't stick to the bottom. Add the stock and stir well to mix everything together. Add the herbs and then bring to the boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer cover the stew. Simmer gentle with the lid on for 10 mins. Stir once or twice to prevent it from sticking.
• While the stew is cooking make the dumplings.
• Dumplings
• Mix the flour, vegetable suet and parsley together in a small bowl. Gradually add water, a little at a time, until you have a firm dough.
• Coat your hands with a little flour, then roll the mixture into balls. You should get around 10-12 dumplings. Set aside.
• Once the stew has been cooking for 10 mins, remove the lid and sit the dumplings half in the stew, leaving a space around them for them to expand. Add little more water if it looks a bit dry. Replace the lid and leave the lid on undisturbed for 20 mins.

  • 

• 2-3 mins before the cooking time is up, lift the lid and quick turn the dumplings over to coat the other side in the stew. Replace the lid and finish the cooking time.
• Serve steaming hot in bowls with some crusty bread. Enjoy!