Vegan Cowboy Stew! Soups and stews are all season dishes for us. What’s not to love about those one pot wonders packed with lots of nourishing veggies and hearty goodness.

If you’re a stew lover and enjoy amazing Tex-Mex flavors, then get ready for a real treat!  You’ll enjoy this delicious, healthy, and oil-free recipe for Vegan Cowboy Stew.  Veggies, beans, and potatoes bath in a savory Southwestern gravy that is simmered to perfection. It’s an excellent, satisfying meal that is sure to please the entire family.  Instant Pot and Stove Top instructions make it so versatile.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

What couldn’t be better than a stew that is a cross between cowboy beans and a veggie stew?  This Vegan Cowboy Stew is so hearty and yummy that we devoured it.

We love a great Tex-Mex dish!  This stew has us flipping out for more.  Making it in the Instant Pot made it so easy.

It’s really flavorful and perfect with crunchy tortillas mixed in. Mom loves to crush up crispy tortillas and stir them in her stew.

You gotta give this one a try!  We really enjoyed it. Even Yasmeen ate it all up.  LOL

Tips for Success:

• Instant Pot: If using an Instant Pot, make sure you really stir the mixture well after everything has been combined.  Because the spices, flour, and tomato paste are sautéed, it is important to use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the IP liner to ensure that none of the spices, flour, or tomato paste got stuck to the bottom while sautéing.  This extra step will prevent the “burn” protection feature from kicking on.
• Liquids: If using an Instant Pot, when you remove the lid after the Quick Release, the soup will look very watery.  That is OK, stir the stew really well, then add in the cooked lentils and stir again.
• Flavors to Marry: Make sure you allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.  The flavors continue to develop once the stew slightly cools.
• Potatoes: When cooking potatoes on the stove top, the acidity from the tomatoes tend to prevent the potatoes from becoming tender.  If planning to use the stove top, we suggest boiling the potatoes separately to ensure that the potatoes become perfectly tender.  If you have leftover boiled potatoes in the fridge, this recipe is a great way to use up those leftover boiled potatoes.
• Spices: Feel free to ramp up any spices.  The spices tend to mellow out the flavor over time.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.  Reheating can be done on the stovetop, or in the microwave.

This dish can be frozen.

Pantry Products Used:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
• Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
• Chili Powder: We used Penzeys Regular Chili Powder.  It has great flavor, with a tiny kick that is not overwhelming.  Feel free to use your favorite chili powder.
• Flour: We used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour blend.  You can use the flour of your choice.

Kitchen Products Used:

• Instant Pot or Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch Oven or similarly large stock pot

We certainly hope you give this deliciousness a try.

If you try this hearty stew, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Vegan Cowboy Stew

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 13 Minutes
• Cook Time: 12 Minutes (IP)
• Total Time: 25 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 6 Servings 1x
• Category: Stew
• Method: Instant Pot/Stovetop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

If you’re a stew lover and enjoy amazing Tex-Mex flavors, then get ready for a real treat!  You’ll enjoy this delicious, healthy, and oil-free recipe for Vegan Cowboy Stew.

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Ingredients

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Sauté Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 1 jalapeno pepper, fine dice
• 2 medium carrots, penny slice
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon GF flour (or flour of choice) *

Base Ingredients:

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 2 cup water
• 1 – [14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons organic maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] corn, drained
• 2 cups russet potatoes, peeled, ½ inch cubes
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder (+/-) *
• ½ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
• ¼ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• Pinch to 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)

Other Ingredients:

• 1 – [ 14 oz. can ] brown lentils, drained and rinsed

Optional Ingredients:

• Avocado slices
• Tortilla chips
• Freshly chopped cilantro

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Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (high) mode, then add the onions, carrots, and jalapeno peppers into the Instant Pot, sauté for 7 to 8 minutes, then add the minced garlic, tomato paste, and flour and the Spice/Herb Mix and stir to allow the spices to release their fragrance, about 1 minute.
3. Then add all the Base Ingredients, stir well to combine.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the IP liner to ensure that the sautéed items did not stick to the bottom. Press Cancel, then set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 3 minutes.  When finished, press Cancel and allow to sit for 2 minutes, then do a Quick Release.  Unplug the Instant Pot.
4. Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid, then stir in the canned lentils, stir well to combine. Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasonings at this time; stir to combine, allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.   Serve with your favorite toppings, avocado slices, tortilla chips and/or freshly chopped cilantro.

Stove Top Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. Place the potatoes into a small stock pot and cook until tender, drain, then add in Step 5.  [Or use leftover boiled potatoes.]
3. In a ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similarly large stock pot, add the minced onions, carrots, and jalapeno peppers, sauté for 7 to 9 minutes until the veggies become tender, then add the tomato paste, flour, and the Spice/Herb Mix and stir to allow the spices to release their fragrance, about 1 minute.
4. Then add all the Base Ingredients, stir well to combine. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure that none of the sautéd ingredients stuck to the bottom of the pot; heat to boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the beans don’t stick.
5. After 30 minutes, stir in the canned lentils and boiled potatoes, simmer for 3 minutes. Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasonings at this time; stir to combine, allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.Serve with your favorite toppings, avocado slices, tortilla chips and/or freshly chopped cilantro.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  6

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