This beyond stew is vegan, gluten free and only takes 30 minutes but tastes like it has been simmering on the stove for hours. This stew is full of flavour and very comforting on a cold day.
A note on some of the ingredients
Vegan butter: I use vegan Becel in the tub for this recipe. The vegan butter helps to add flavour to the stew and the extra virgin olive oil keeps it from burning. If you don’t have vegan butter on hand increase the amount of olive oil to 2 tablespoons.
Gluten free all purpose flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour blend (the blue bag) for this recipe. The flour helps to thicken the stew. Cornstarch could be substituted by mixing 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal amount cold water and adding it to the stew when the water is added.
Vegetables: Root vegetables are best in a stew as they can stand up to the longer cook time. We enjoy carrots, parsnips and potatoes in this recipe and the potatoes give off extra starch which also helps to thicken the stew. Feel free to substitute rutabaga, celery root or sweet potatoes.
Bouillon cubes: In this recipe I like to use McCormick All Vegetable Beef flavoured bouillon cubes but feel free to use any vegan, gluten free bouillon in this recipe. You can also substitute vegetable broth for the bouillon.
Beyond burgers: I chop three Beyond Beef burgers into 1 inch pieces for this recipe as it provides chunks of “meat”. Any vegan, gluten free burger can be used. When chopping the burgers I leave them frozen and let them sit for a minute or two on the cutting board as this makes it a little easier to chop. If you don’t have Beyond burgers or want to cut down the sodium a good substitution for some or all of the burgers would be portobello mushrooms. If using portobello mushrooms in the stew, add 1 teaspoon of salt while sautéing the onions and adjust the seasoning when the stew is finished.
Bouquet garni: A bouquet garni bundles fresh herbs, ties them with kitchen twine, and rests in the pot while the Beyond stew simmers. The herbs I use in this recipe are one sprig of fresh rosemary, two to three sprigs of fresh thyme and one dried bay leaf. Substitute dried herbs for the fresh by using 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
How the Beyond stew is made:
I find it easiest to chop and assemble all of my vegetables first.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat. Add in the butter and the oil. The butter adds flavour and the oil helps prevent the butter from burning. When the butter has begun to melt add in the onions. Sauté the onions until they begin to become translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add in the chopped parsnips, carrots and potatoes and stir, coating everything in the onions and oil. Add in the chopped garlic, pepper and flour. Stir well to coat everything in the flour. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, cooking the flour. The vegetables may begin to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, this is ok as it will help to add flavour.

Add in the water and bouillon cubes and scrape the bottom of the pot. Add in the tomato paste and turn up the heat a little to bring everything to a simmer. Tie the fresh herbs to one end of a good length of kitchen twine and put them in the stew. Keep one end of the twine outside the pot to make retrieving the herbs easier when the stew is done. Chop up the burgers or mushrooms if using and add them to the stew, giving everything a good stir. Put a lid on the pot and bring the stew to a simmer. Let the beyond stew simmer over medium low heat for approximately 20 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add in the frozen peas and turn off the heat. Remove the bouquet garni and taste for seasoning. Serve the beyond stew immediately.
Enjoy!


