Enjoy this healthy Vegan Irish stew for St. Patty’s day, or any time of year. Dried mushrooms are rehydrated then blended into the broth for an extra layer of flavor and color. You can take it even one step further and simmer onions skins in the broth to develop a darker shade; just be sure to remove the skins before continuing with the recipe.
Vegan Irish Stew includes an optional omnivore variation so everyone can enjoy this recipe, even in a mixed diet household.
Method Overview
- Rehydrate dried mushrooms; blend into broth
- Sauté some of the veggies
- Assemble stew and simmer
- Separately sauté shiitake mushrooms; add to stew when serving
We have leeks from last season growing in our greenhouse! They came in handy for this recipe 🙂
Vegan Irish Stew
Equipment
- soup pot
- large non stick skillet
- immersion blender, or other blender of your choice
Ingredients
- 4 dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large leeks, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (see tips for cleaning leeks below recipe card)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped small
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 6 to 8 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 medium potatoes, cut into eigths
- 2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 medium yellow cabbage, knife shredded
For the sautéed mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, remove stems and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
To garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in the warm water until rehydrated; this will take about 30 minutes.
- Put the rehydrated mushrooms and soaking water into the soup pot; add the broth. Blend well using an immersion blender.No immersion blender? No problem. Blend the rehydrated mushrooms, soaking water, and some of the broth in another blender of your choice. Put into the soup pot with the remaining broth.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a bit of the leek slices. When they begin to sizzle add the rest of the leeks, onions, and celery. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté until the veggies are softened and a bit golden.
- Add the sautéed veggies plus the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the soup pot. Bring to a low boil and cook, partially covered, until the carrots and potatoes are almost tender; stir often. Add the cabbage and continue simmering until the carrots and potatoes finish cooking.
To sauté the shiitakes
- While the stew is simmering, heat the oil in the previously used large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a bit of the shiitake slices. When they begin to sizzle add the rest of the shiitake, sprinkle with 1/4-teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden.
To serve
- Ladle hot stew into each bowl; stir in some cooked shiitakes (they will keep their meat-like texture if added to the stew right before serving).Garnish with chopped parsley and fresh ground black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
How do you clean leeks?
Trim off the roots, cut off the tough upper portion of the stalks, and peel off the dark-green outer leaves (save for vegetable broth if desired). Slice the remaining tender white and light-green stalks into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Drop the slices into a bowl of water; massage the leeks to release any dirt hiding between the leek layers. Let the dirt settle to the bottom of the bowl and then lift the leek slices from the water.
Optional Omnivore Variation
Sear cubed lamb, beef, or other meat of your choice – then cook in a pressure cooker until tender. Alternatively, simmer the seared cubes in a bit of broth until tender. Add to the omnivore’s bowl(s) when serving.
If you enjoy this Vegan Irish Stew, you may also like my Vegan Potato Kale Soup recipe.
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