There’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of stew to warm you up when it’s cold outside, and this week’s freezing temperatures are the perfect excuse to get cooking.

One of the best things about stew is how easy it is to make – simply toss a load of ingredients together in a pot, leave it to bubble away until everything’s soft and delicious and then pile a big helping into your favourite bowl. 

Making a stew is also a great way to squeeze more plants into your diet, which is ideal if you’re trying to hit that magical ‘30 plants a week’ number for gut health.

Ready to get cooking? These three tasty, plant-based stew recipes are guaranteed to keep you warm even as the temperatures drop outside.  

Serves: 2

Tasty and great for your gut health, kimchi is the star of the show in this recipe from Kelly Choi, founder of the Japanese and Korean food brand Kelly Loves. Enjoy on its own or serve with rice and other side dishes for a full-on feast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of kimchi (≈ 318g)
• 2 tsp of gochugaru
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 2 green onions
• 170g of tofu
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 shiitake mushrooms

Method

1. Cut the kimchi into bite-sized pieces.

2. Slice the tofu (about 0.5 inches thick) and roughly chop the green onions into small chunks.

3. Heat a medium saucepan and pour in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the kimchi, 2 teaspoons of Gochugaru and garlic.

4. Cook over a medium heat until the kimchi is softened this can take around 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Add 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Continue cooking for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and boil, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

6. Add the tofu, mushrooms and green onions and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Then let boil until the tofu is cooked through. This should take around 5 minutes. Serve while the mixture is still boiling and enjoy.

Serves: 2

This plant-packed recipe from Gousto brings together rich and fresh flavours to produce a final product which is as satisfying as it is warming. The fibre and antioxidant-rich aubergines provide an extra dose of plant power, making it the perfect option for a healthy and nutritious mid-week dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 390g chickpeas
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 100g Greek-style yoghurt
• 40g harissa paste
• 5.5g vegetable stock mix
• 16g tomato paste
• 1 aubergine
• 5g mint
• 125g cherry tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion
• 15g flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7.

2. Trim the green stalks off the aubergine and cut in half lengthways then slice into half moons Deseed the red pepper (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and cut into thick strips. Add the chopped aubergine and red pepper to a tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and give it a good mix up. Put the tray in the oven for 25-30 min or until everything is cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the red onion. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and boil a kettle.

4. Heat a wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped red onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Once the onion has softened, add the ground coriander and ground cumin to the pan with the tomato paste and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Meanwhile, dissolve 1/2 vegetable stock cube in 300ml boiled water.

5.  Once fragrant, add the chopped cherry tomatoes, vegetable stock and harissa paste and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.

6. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Once the sauce has thickened, add the drained chickpeas and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until combined.

7. Add the roasted aubergine and peppers to the chickpea stew and give everything a good mix up (making sure to reserve the tray) – this is your Moroccan vegetable stew.

8. Add the flaked almonds to the reserved tray and return the tray to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, strip the mint leaves from their stems and chop them roughly.

9. Top the Moroccan vegetable stew with a dollop of Greek-style fat-free yoghurt, the flaked almonds and chopped mint.

Serves: 2

Kidney beans are an excellent source of plant-based protein, so their presence in this dish from Green Chef guarantees the final result will be both filling and tasty. The accompanying bell pepper, red chilli and butternut squash add a punch of vitamin C that’s perfect for warding off any seasonal sniffles. 

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 34g fresh ginger
• 1 bell pepper
• 40g salted peanuts
• 1 red chilli
• 5g Zanzibar style curry powder (a blend of coriander, cumin, fennel, yellow mustard, cinnammon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper and brown sugar) 
• 300g diced butternut squash
• 200ml coconut milk
• 200g tomato passata
• 5g vegetable stock paste
• 380g red kidney beans 
• 1 bunch coriander

Method

1. Halve, peel and dice the onion into small pieces. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Peel and grate the ginger. Halve the pepper and discard the core and seeds. Chop into 2cm sized chunks. Roughly chop the peanuts. Slice the red chilli widthways.

2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 mins. Add the garlic, ginger, Zanzibar spice mix and half the red chilli and fry, stirring occasionally, until coated and softened, for another 1-2 mins.

3 Add the pepper, diced butternut squash, coconut milk, tomato passata, vegetable stock and water (see ingredients for amount). Give everything a good stir to mix together. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 mins.

4. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the red kidney beans. Roughly chop the coriander (stalks and all).

5. Remove the lid from the pan, and add the red kidney beans. Cook uncovered for 5-10 mins, until the butternut squash is soft and cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper, if you wish.

6. Spoon large portions of the bean stew into your bowls. Garnish with coriander, peanuts and remaining red chilli to garnish.

Images: Kelly Loves/Gousto/Green Chef