Hearty Vegetable Stew with Fluffy Dumplings

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Quick Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 celery stalks, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 medium parsnip, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 8 oz (225 g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 lb (454 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp cold water
• Dumplings: 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 3 tbsp (42 g) cold unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 2 tbsp chopped chives

Do This

• 1. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and mushrooms in olive oil (8–10 minutes); add garlic and tomato paste (1 minute).
• 2. Add broth, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, soy sauce, and balsamic; simmer until potatoes are tender (15–18 minutes).
• 3. Stir in peas, green beans, and corn; simmer 3 minutes.
• 4. Thicken with cornstarch slurry; return to a gentle simmer.
• 5. Mix dumpling dough (do not overmix); drop 12 dumplings onto simmering stew.
• 6. Cover tightly and steam dumplings on low (15 minutes); do not lift lid.
• 7. Check dumplings (about 200°F/93°C inside), remove bay leaf, taste, and serve hot.

---

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• True comfort food, no meat needed: a rich, savory broth packed with vegetables and topped with fluffy dumplings.
• One-pot friendly: the stew base cooks in a single Dutch oven or heavy pot.
• Flexible and forgiving: swap vegetables based on what you have, and it still turns out cozy and satisfying.
• Weeknight-to-weekend worthy: simple steps, but the results feel special and hearty.

Grocery List

• Produce: yellow onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, cremini mushrooms, garlic, Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh parsley, fresh chives
• Dairy: unsalted butter, milk
• Pantry: olive oil, tomato paste, low-sodium vegetable broth, dried thyme, dried rosemary, bay leaf, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cornstarch, frozen peas, frozen green beans, frozen corn, black pepper (optional)

Full Ingredients

Vegetable Stew

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 celery stalks, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 medium parsnip, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 8 oz (225 g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided (plus more to taste)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 lb (454 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (optional, plus more to taste)

Thickener

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cold water

Soft Herb Dumplings

• 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 3 tbsp (42 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
• 1/8 tsp black pepper (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Build the flavor base

Set a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the diced onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and sliced mushrooms plus 1 tsp of the kosher salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the mushrooms release their moisture, about 8–10 minutes. You’re looking for a lightly browned, hearty base (a little browning adds a lot of depth to a meatless stew).

Step 2: Add garlic and tomato paste

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.

Add the 2 tbsp tomato paste and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Letting the tomato paste toast briefly deepens the stew’s color and gives the broth a richer, more savory backbone.

Step 3: Simmer the stew until the potatoes are tender

Pour in 6 cups vegetable broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the potatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer (aim for small bubbles, not a hard boil).

Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15–18 minutes.

Step 4: Add the quick-cooking vegetables

Stir in the frozen peas, frozen green beans, and frozen corn. Simmer for 3 minutes to heat through.

Taste the broth and add the remaining 1/2 tsp kosher salt and black pepper if you’d like. Remember the dumplings are seasoned too, so keep the stew pleasantly savory rather than aggressively salty.

Step 5: Thicken the stew slightly

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp cold water until completely smooth.

While stirring the simmering stew, slowly drizzle in the slurry. Let the stew cook for 2 minutes to thicken. The stew should look gently glossy and coat a spoon, but still be brothy enough to spoon around dumplings.

Step 6: Make the dumpling dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, and (if using) 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir in the parsley and chives.

Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips (or cut it in with a pastry cutter) until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-size butter bits.

Pour in the milk and stir just until no dry flour remains. The dough should look soft, thick, and slightly sticky. Do not overmix, or the dumplings can turn dense.

Step 7: Steam the dumplings right on top of the stew

Make sure the stew is at a gentle simmer before adding dumplings (too hard of a boil can break them up). Using a spoon or a 2-tbsp cookie scoop, drop 12 evenly sized dollops of dough onto the surface of the stew, spacing them out so they have room to puff.

Reduce heat to low so the stew stays at a quiet simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid (steam is what cooks the dumplings and keeps them fluffy).

After 15 minutes, check a dumpling by cutting it open; it should be tender and cooked through. For the most accurate check, the center should read about 200°F (93°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

Step 8: Finish, adjust, and serve

Turn off the heat. Carefully remove the bay leaf. Taste the stew again and adjust with more salt, pepper, or a tiny splash of broth if it thickened more than you like.

Ladle the vegetable stew into bowls and top each serving with 2 dumplings, making sure to get plenty of vegetables and rich broth in every bowl. Serve hot.

Pro Tips

• Keep the simmer gentle before adding dumplings: a rolling boil can cause dumplings to break apart or cook unevenly.
• Do not peek while dumplings steam: lifting the lid releases steam and can lead to gummy, undercooked centers.
• For extra savory depth: swap 1 cup of broth for 1 cup of mushroom broth, or add 1 tsp additional soy sauce (taste before salting).
• Cut potatoes evenly: 1-inch pieces finish in the same window as the broth develops flavor.
• Prefer a thicker stew? Add an extra slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water) at the end, simmering 1–2 minutes.

Variations

• Bean-boosted stew: add 1 can (15 oz/425 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, when you add the frozen vegetables.
• Greens for freshness: stir in 3 cups chopped kale or baby spinach after steaming the dumplings; cover 2 minutes to wilt.
• Cheddar dumplings: add 1/2 cup (55 g) shredded sharp cheddar to the dumpling dry ingredients and reduce salt in dumplings to 1/2 tsp.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Refrigerate: Cool leftovers quickly, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Dumplings will soften as they sit (still tasty, just less fluffy).

Reheat: Warm gently in a covered pot over medium-low heat until steaming hot, about 8–12 minutes, adding a splash of broth or water as needed to loosen. Avoid a hard boil, which can break dumplings.

Make-ahead strategy (best texture): Make and refrigerate the stew base (without dumplings) up to 2 days ahead. Reheat to a gentle simmer, then make fresh dumpling dough and steam dumplings right before serving.

Freeze: For best results, freeze the stew base without dumplings for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, and add freshly made dumplings.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate, based on 6 servings: 360 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g fat, 62 g carbohydrates, 10 g fiber, 980 mg sodium.