We are kicking off our fall recipes a few days ahead of fall with this absolutely incredible vegan stew and polenta. This will be the perfect dish for cold nights, and the leftovers are just as delicious. Filled with soy curls, carrots, potatoes, onion, and spinach this is going to be your new favorite meal, I promise!
Once the weather cools down and those nights start to get chilly my cravings instantly change from crisp fresh veggies to warm and cozy stews and soups. I wasn’t sure what I wanted my first fall recipe to be but I am so happy I went with this one. This vegan stew is packed with flavor and it pairs so perfectly with the polenta.
What are soy curls?
Believe it or not these actually one of my favorite soy products. I don’t use them often because honestly, as much as I love them I tend to forget about them BUT they are amazing. I use them in the cookbook in the Chick’n and Dumplings recipe. So what are soy curls? They are just dehydrated soy chunks! I know not the most appealing description but I love them because they just stay in the pantry and have a meaty texture. They are perfect for things like this stew, but also stir fries, tacos, fajitas and are good as a beef or chicken substitute. To my knowledge I have only found them online but you may be able to find them in stores, otherwise just order them online!
What is polenta?
Now let’s talk about the other component for this dish, the creamy polenta. I absolutely love polenta. It is easy to make and so comforting. It is also great because for a grain it is relatively lower in calories and carbs, if that is something you care about. Polenta is an Italian dish that is made of cornmeal. There are different kinds of polenta due to different sizes of the cornmeal so the smaller the grain the quicker it will cook. I like this one from Colavita. Just be aware there is polenta that is sold in a tube like this, which is delicious but NOT what you want for this recipe. You need the grain so just keep that in mind.
Can I add things to the vegan stew?
Of course you can! The stew is versatile and easy to make so you can really add anything you want. I think some delicious additions would be chickpeas, cannellini beans, cauliflower, seitan (if you didn’t want to use soy curls), lentils, broccoli, sweet potato – it’s a stew just throw in any old veggies you got!
Why didn’t you use red wine?
In a typical beef stew recipe you will normally find red wine is used. I had thought about adding it in, and it would be totally fine if you did. However, I felt adding the red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar achieve a somewhat similar effect due to their similarities to red wine. I personally didn’t want to open a bottle of red wine to just use a little bit so if you want to you totally can but I personally find it tasted just delicious.
FAQs
- How long does this stew and polenta last? I would say up to 2 days in the fridge. It only makes 2 servings so you won’t have many leftovers.
- Is this gluten free? Yes, it is! As long as you make it the way it is then it’s completely gluten free and vegan.
- What can I use instead of soy curls? You can use seitan, tempeh, tofu, mockmeats, beans or lentils.
- What can I use instead of polenta? You can use mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta. This recipe is so versatile so feel free to really make it your own!
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Comforting Vegan Stew with Creamy Polenta
Ingredients
Vegan Stew
- 1 ½ cups soy curls (60g)
- 2 cups (480ml) water, divided
- 12 baby potatoes halved (about 15.4 ounces/150g)
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped (about 1.5 ounces/35g)
- ⅓ sweet onion roughly chopped (about 2 ounces/56g)
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ½ tablespoon (7ml) olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ tablespoon (7ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon better than bouillon
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups (85g) spinach
Polenta
- ½ cups (70g) polenta, fine cornmeal
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 cup (240ml) non dairy milk
- ⅛ cup (14g) vegan parmesan
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the soy curls and 1 cup (240ml) of water to a bowl. The soy curls should be covered by water, if you need more just add it. Set to the side and rehydrate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare all the veggies,
- Once the soy curls are rehydrated drain excess water.
- In a medium sized pot add the oil, onion, garlic, and soy curls along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes over low heat until fragrant.
- Then add in the potatoes, carrots, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, better than bouillon, tomato paste, bay leaves, and the remaining 1 cup of water. Mix together and cover leaving the lid slightly tiled to vent.
- Simmer the stew over low heat for 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Prior to adding the spinach remove the bay leaves. In the last 3 minutes of cooking add the spinach so it wilts.
- Meanwhile, when the stew has been cooking for 25 minutes cook the polenta. In a small pot add all the polenta ingredients. Simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes and stir frequently. It will thicken quickly and should be creamy and thick.
- Once the polenta and stew are done taste and make any seasoning changes.
- Serve warm immediately and sprinkle with black pepper.
Video
Notes
- For this recipe I used Better than Bouillon. If you don’t have that you can use 1 cup of vegetable broth in place of the 1 cup of water in step 4.
- If you would prefer to use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce that will work fine.
- You can use 1 regular sized potato cut into small pieces instead of the baby potatoes if you prefer.
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If you enjoyed this recipe please be sure to leave a comment or review, it is so helpful for the blog. Thank you!
Holy crap, this recipe exceeded expectations! So easy to make, so delicious, and it made the whole house smell wonderful. I will definitely be enjoying this frequently over the fall and winter
Hi Nicole! Awww yay I am so so happy you enjoyed it so much thank you for making it and leaving a comment xo
This was delicious! I was a little skeptical of the recipe since it only had one rating. But glad I went with it. Also the amount of bay leaves needed aren’t listed in the ingredients list but I threw in 2 since I doubled it. I also used all my veggie broth at the start because it doesn’t list at what point to add the other cup. Not complaining just some changes you could make! All came out perfect though. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Hi Tasha, glad you decided to give it at try and enjoy! Thank you for bringing it to my attention about the bay leaves will fix that! So for the veggie broth (I used water not veggie broth) I did say: In step 1. Add the soy curls and 1 cup (240ml) of water to a bowl and then in Step 4 Then add in the potatoes, carrots, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, better than bouillon, tomato paste, bay leaves, and 1 cup of water. So I did clarify but I will rewrite it to be more direct since it was confusing. Overall I am so happy you enjoyed it and thank you for trying and taking the time to leave a review and comment!
OH! The other cup was for soaking the soy curls. Sorry! Mine was a little more soupy but still came out delicious. Will try it with less veggie broth next time.
yes!! no worries at all, I am glad you still enjoyed overall!! <3
Delicious. If you are unsure about the soy curls like I was, don’t fret! They are fantastic in this recipe. I’ve made it three times in the past couple months.
Aww yay I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it Michael!! thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review, means a lot!
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it’s wonderful! I’ve tried with both Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes; I definitely prefer the Yukon as they don’t “melt” into the rest of the stew like the Russets do (not a lot, but it significantly impacted the mouthfeel of the stew, making it feel “heavier”). The subtle flavor and creaminess of the polenta complement the stew well, but it could easily be served on its own. The flavor is balanced, robust, and unique from other plant-based stews I have made, making it stand apart in a great way. Overall this recipe is very easy and very delicious! Highly recommend! 😋
Hi Emily!!! yay I am so glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. I agree I love Yukon Gold potatoes so much more. Thank you so much for the kind words and the review means a lot!! 🙂
I tried this out and really enjoyed it. Thank you! A few things I felt confused about…When I put my curls in water the water did not cover them. So I added more. Is 1 C really enough? Is it ok to add more to get them covered? Can they soak up too much water if you add more? Also, When I added the next cup of water to the pot it was not enough to cover anything, so most of the ingredients were more out of water than in. I used an 8 inch across round pot. Am I doing something wrong? I ended up adding more water then, too, and it maybe diluted the flavor a bit but was still sooo good. Thank you!
Hi Clare, so glad you tried it and enjoyed it! On the soy curls its not a big deal they are just rehydrating so its less about the volume of water vs the time they sit in the water that would make them soak up more or excess water. In terms of the stew and the water in the pot, it really isn’t supposed to be that much. I just went back and watched my YouTube video on this (not sure if you did while making it or not) but my ingredients weren’t covered in water they were just sort of sitting in the liquid! If you haven’t watched it go check it out may help to give a better visual but with things like soup and stews you don’t even need to worry too much about precise cooking just more to cooking to your preference hope this helps!
This is so good! I’ve made it multiple since I first tried it. I might be a psychopath but I also add a decent amount of red wine just bc I love that flavor in stews. If you’re hesitant bc the low reviews, don’t be. Also if you are unsure bc you have never tried soy curls before like me, don’t be. So excited for fall and winter to start making this again!
hi Michael, so happy to hear you enjoy the recipe so much. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment/review! 🙂
I made this and it was absolutely delicious. I didn’t have soy twists but I used brown mushrooms instead and I don’t regret that at all. Will definitely make this a regular meal. Thanks for the recipe. 😋
Hi Kate thank you so much for trying it and I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for leaving a comment!!