Serves 6 to 8
Time: 1 hour
I’m dedicating this month to comfort food recipes to help get you (and me) through the winter. Try as I might to traipse around in a hoodie all year round, I have to come to terms with the reality: winter is here. And that means lots of time warming up indoors. Maybe someday I’ll have a fireplace, but for now the heat of the stove gets me through.
So let’s kick things off with a comfort classic! You can think of it as a play on vegan chicken and dumplings or just take it for what it is — a soul-satisfying, thick and hearty stew with chunky potatoes and carrot, creamy white beans, all laced through and through with dilly yumminess. The dumplings soak up all that goodness on the outside, while staying deliciously doughy in the center.
The funnest part is spooning in the squashy squishy dumpling dough only to reveal beautifully firm and plump dumplings when you lift the lid minutes later. Makes you feel like a kitchen god. Or maybe that’s the cabin fever setting in.
Recipe Notes:
~If your baby carrots are the plump kind, then slice them in half on a diagonal. If they’re thin, don’t bother. And if you’d like to use adult-sized carrots, peel and slice them in 1/4 inch diagonal pieces.
~I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven for this. You don’t need to use cast iron, but the wider the pot the better, because you need lots of surface area to make the roux and cook the biscuits later. If you don’t have a wide pot, then using a large, deep pan will work, too.
For the stew:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 medium sized sweet onion (like Vidalia or Walla Walla), quartered and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth, at room temperature
2 stalks celery, tops removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds potato, in 3/4 inch chunks (peel if they’re russets)
1 cup baby carrots (see note)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
Fresh black pepper
1 15 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
For the dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoons dried rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
2 tablespoons olive oil
First we’re going to make a roux, but it has a little less fat than a traditional roux, which means it doesn’t get as goopy. If you’d like a more traditional roux, just add extra oil.
Preheat a large, heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat.
Add the oil and sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spatula to toss the flour in the oil, and stir pretty consistently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the flour is clumpy and toasty.
Add the onion and salt, and toss to coat the onions completely in the flour mixture. As the onions release moisture, they will coat more and more. Cook this way for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds or so.
Stream in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Add the celery, potatoes, carrot, dill, thyme, paprika and black pepper, then turn the heat up and cover to bring to a boil. Keep a close eye and stir often, so that it doesn’t clump or boil over.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is nicely thickened and the potatoes and carrots are tender.
In the meantime, prepare the dumplings.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the rosemary. Make a well in the center and add the milk and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix together until a wet dough forms.
When the stew is ready, mix in the beans and plop dough right on top of the stew in spoonfuls. You should get about 14 dumplings. Cover the pot tightly and cook for about 14 more minutes. The dumplings should be nice and firm. Use your ladle to dunk them into the stew to coat.
Ladle stew into bowls, topped with dumplings. And serve!
You had me at that photo! This looks absolutely delicious! I love dumplings.
YUM
I don’t know what I’m more excited about…. the fact that I’ve been CRAVING a dumpling soup lately, or that I actually have everything in my kitchen except the dill RIGHT NOW!! Thanks for this scrumptious looking recipe!
Did I miss where the white beans come in…? Don’t see it in the recipe instructions?
Whoops, I will update it. Thank you for catching that!
And I should add…you mix in the beans right before adding the dumplings.
I am all-encompassingly making this tonight. Just one question, when do you suggest we throw the beans in, with the rest of the veg and spices? The instructions don’t seem to say…
I updated it, it’s before adding the dumplings.
When should the celery be added?
With the potatoes. I updated. I must have been tired when I wrote this.
Ah this looks so good! Do you think this would work with gluten-free flour in the dumplings and maybe some cornstarch instead of flour in the stew itself? YUM!!!
Okay, this is creepy, I just made stew with white beans and dumplings LAST NIGHT.
For the dumplings, I always use the biscuit recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance!
I cannot wait to make this for diner tonight! I don’t see when to add the celery…with the onions? Thanks!
Hellooooooo, Wednesday Night Dinner! (Making one of your curry recipes tonight or else it would be sooner!)
Sounds hearty and filling. Ohhh rosemary!
Hearty, seasonal soup to stick to the bones. I would challenge anyone to say that this isn’t comfort by the spoonful. And re: gluten free options, the texture will be different, for both the dumplings and the broth itself, but it will still be all the things that make this soup sink-into-your-seat delicious.
How much rosemary would you use if you were using fresh? I have all ingredients on hand except the onion, so I’m making it this week – thanks!
You can make your own dried from fresh…it tastes sooo good. Put it on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until dry. I don’t do it any other way these days. Fresh might taste a little too medicinal since it isn’t cooking for very long.
Definately going to make. Been wanting chicken and dumplings for weeks but since the doctor ordered a vegan lifestyle, I couldn’t figure out how to make it. This recipe is a real keeper. Thanks.
I love your doctor!
I am definitely making this tonight — sounds like perfect comfort food for recovering from a cold! How much dried dill would you use in place of the fresh dill? Thanks for the recipe!
I had everything to make this except the carrots. I had to go to the grocery store for vinegar & hey had baby carrots on sale, so I bought some and made the stew. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Thank you for the recipe. And thank you for saving me from that “what am I going to eat tonight” dilemma.
yum yum yum! just finished eating this..made it gluten free by using a blend of 60% quinoa/buckwheat flour & 40% potato starch. i didn’t have fresh dill, so I used dried. Also added fresh parsley & turnips. So good! Thanks Isa-you rock!
oh & i subbed coconut milk for almond. & used oat flour for the roux..
This is currently on my stove top right now. I just finished making the dumplings… Should the dumpling mixture be runny?? It’s currently the consistency of pancake batter.
It shouldn’t be as runny as pancake batter…more like a muffin dough?
Oh damn, I am sorry! It should have been 1 1/2 cups flour. Ugh, no more writing recipes at 3 am.
Just in the nick of time!! Thanks Isa! P.S. This smells amazing. I subbed smoked paprika for sweet soooo…. we’ll see how that goes. 😀
I made this tonight and enjoyed it so much. I love it at least as much as the Leek and Bean Cassoulet from Veganomicon, but maybe even more, since you don’t have to turn the oven on and there is no shortening or margarine involved.
By the way, I actually made the dumplings with just the one cup of flour that was posted earlier today, and I was a little worried about the results because it felt like I was just pouring liquid dough in the pot, but it turned out perfect to me… but admittedly, I had never eaten/made dumplings with stew before, so I had no particular expectations as to the results.
I’ll be making this again and again in the future.
Oh my gosh, this sounds amazing. I love dill, and have been crazy a stew. Will be making this when I’m home this weekend!
*Craving a stew… Apparently I am more sleep deprived than I thought.
Could the oil in the dumplings be substituted with applesauce? I’m trying to make the stew a little leaner. As such, could I perhaps cook like I would the Veggie Pot Pie Stew in AFR? By that, I mean, make a slurry? Sorry, this looks so good and I’m trying to do my usual waist exploded like every other year.
Yes a slurry would work and so would applesauce!
This looks AMAZING! My rosemary plant is growing out of control, so I’ve been in search of good rosemary recipes. I can’t wait to make this!
Made the dumplings with fresh rosemary and it was perfectly tasty to me, not too medicinal. Thanks for the easy fall deliciousness!
Crazy!! In the grocery this morning I was pondering how I could translate chicken and dumplings into a worthy vegetarian rendition. And here, you’ve done it all for me. Thanks so much!! 🙂
Thank you so much, Isa!
SO making this!
I will make this over the weekend. My son will love the dumplings and broth, that is just the way he is. Thank you for another great recipe.
Hey, this is a lot like my favorite childhood recipe, “ribley soup.” Unfortunately, the traditional dumplings are made with eggs. Thanks for this recipe, and a taste of my childhood!
Wow this made my mouth water reading it and looking at the photo! Even though we are having strangely mild weather here in New Jersey I will have to make this warming comfort dish regardless!
Okay, made this last night, and it was indeed outstanding. Thank you so much!
These look insanely delicious!
Your blog has this maddening habit of presenting me with delicious food mere minutes after I decide what I’m going to make for dinner. I don’t know why I ever bother planning without checking here first, because I always end up changing my mind.
Just finished cooking this and will dig in once the kiddies are in bed. It smells scrumptious
Update: OMG this kicks chicken pot pie’s a$$. Delish!!!
This stew is AMAZING. Thank you, so much.
I concur. Amazing! I’ve never made stew like that before with roux. It was thick & creamy & delicious. And as my 2 and half year old said after licking the spoon, “Dill-icious!”
I made this late night, gluten-free! So delicious! I used equivalent amount of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour. For the dumplings I added 3/4 tsp xanthan gum and an extra tbsp of hemp milk. I also used garbanzo beans (I am allergic to navy beans). Very good! And reheated really well today. The dumplings kept their chewy consistency even in the microwave.
I also made a gluten-free version, with Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo/fava bean flour. DELICIOUS. I added a scant teaspoon of xanthan gum to the dumpling mixture and it came out great. I’d absolutely serve it to my non-GF friends. When I make this again, I’d probably add peas or green beans. I also like the idea mentioned above of using coconut milk. Yum.
I made this with sweet potatoes and whole wheat pastry flour and it was delicious! yum-o
made this tonight as per the recipe and it was really wonderful. Comforting and filling – just what my long back aching day demanded!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Thank you thank you to Isa for another fantastic recipe. Here’s my question: My husband and I thought that it might be fun to add some Field Roast sausage in the stew. When should we put it in? Towards the end or the beginning?
Made this tonight with dried herbs and forgot to put beans in before adding the dough. Instead, I added some shredded gardein chik’n to the bottom of the bowl and spooned the completed stew over the gardein. Also tossed in some leftovers peas. Delicious! Comfort food at its cosiest.
Thank you thank you for this recipe , I love all things similar to chicken and dumplings from my childhood before I was veg*n.
I tried this yesterday and it came out just wonderful, reminds me a lot of a chicken stew my mom used to make when I was a kid, only without the chicken, which in turn makes it so much better! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
I made this last night – SO good!!! My boyfriend loved it and he didn’t say one word about missing meat. And that makes me happy! Thanks so much!
OK, I’ve never had a stew with dumplings before, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. However, it was SO GOOD! This is comfort in a bowl, definitely. I’m ususally now a big fan of beans in a stew but this was amazing. Simple tastes but really enough. I love dill and potatoes.
I made this the other night for dinner. Me and my hubby were very happy and I cannot wait to make it again! I actually substituted leftover Isa’s Seitan Roast for the beans and it was just like vegan chicken and dumplings. Thank you so much!