No-Meat Guinness Stew

 

 

I’m on a little bit of a quest to prove that you don’t need to put meat into everything to make it taste better.

Here’s my proof.

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and I have already been feeling a little festive with the Guinness.  (see here.)  So, I knew it was only a matter of time before I tried to make a hearty, filling, healthy, and (gasp!) meatless stew that even a carnivore could love.  After scrolling through several bookmarked and saved recipes, I landed upon one I particularly liked.  I increased the vegetable quotient and served it with some fresh-from-the-oven soda bread (recipe to follow in a couple of days.)

With all stews, it was delicious on the first day but even more so after an overnight chill in the fridge.  I ate this for several nights as leftovers since I made a large portion of this (feel free to cut it in half).  The Guinness?  It was definitely in the background, but it wasn’t overwhelming.  The end result?  A fantastic vegetarian alternative to a great winter meal.  I’m celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early this year.

No-Meat Guinness Stew

Servings: about 6 large portions

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

6 small celery stalks, chopped into bite-sized pieces

16 ounces (1 lb) button mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed, and sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

One 11.2-ounce bottle of Guinness Stout***Some people say that Guinness is not vegetarian based on its processing.  If you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, please use another brand of beer.

4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 lb (about 3-4 large) Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon vegetable base (I used Better Than Boullion.)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

4 cups water

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.  Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.

2. Add the onion, celery, and about 1/4 of the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the flour to the mixture and stir to coat and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Carefully pour the bottle of Guinness over the mixture, and stir to scrape up any browned bits.

5. Add the remaining vegetables and ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

 

Source:  Adapted from The Kitchn.

 

February 27, 2012 - 5:57 am

Blog is the New Black - This looks like a great non-beef stew! 😉 So hearty!

February 27, 2012 - 10:31 am

Meghan - Don’t want to be a fusser, but Guinness is not vegetarian. It includes an ingredient that comes from fish. So if you’re veg and you eat fish, no worries!

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/03/is-my-beer-vegan-guinness-isnt.html

February 27, 2012 - 10:53 am

srlacy - Thanks, Meghan! The original source where I got this recipe (see the link) has a nice explanation of this.

February 27, 2012 - 11:23 am

Suzi - Sounds delicious, hearty and healthy. Yeah, veggies.

February 27, 2012 - 1:31 pm

Jacklyn - This looks delicious!! Can’t wait to try it! 🙂

Meghan, I’m not sure if this is accurate, but according to this website Guinness Stout found in North America isn’t made with the Isinglass (the fishy thing):

http://www.barnivore.com/beer/26/Guinness#

If anyone knows anything about whether this site is reliable or not, please let me know!!

February 27, 2012 - 1:56 pm

Inés - Looks delicious! Thanks!
Hope you’re having a great start to the week

Big hugs!
Inés

SimplyClassyMe.blogspot.com

February 29, 2012 - 5:01 am

The Curvy Carrot » Brown Butter Soda Bread - […] promised, here is a great (and super simple!) rosemary brown butter soda bread to go with the No-Meat Guinness Stew I posted the other day.  I actually got the recipe from the original site that I got the recipe […]

February 29, 2012 - 12:51 pm

Lou - oh, i’ve been looking for a vegetarian guiness-stew recipe in what feels like forever… thank you, thank you, thank you!
this looks absolutely wonderful!

February 29, 2012 - 4:41 pm

Sheila - American Guinness is not made with Isinglass and therefore is vegetarian! I myself will be adding meat to this though 😉 lol ..and serving it with my Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s frosting!! Yum Yum!

March 1, 2012 - 7:13 pm

Julia - I’m always on a quest to make traditionally meat heavy meals vegetarian. Looks like you hit the nail on the head, it looks soooooo good!

March 13, 2012 - 2:19 am

OishiiTreats - I cannot wait to make this stew! I’m seriously excited, I’ve been searching for months for the right non meat stew and I have finally found it 🙂

March 18, 2012 - 6:41 pm

Hilary - On the stovetop right now! I can’t wait to dig into it later. The few spoonfuls I tried were delicious! Thanks so much for posting this fabulous recipe!

March 19, 2012 - 8:57 pm

Michelle - Wow! This stew and soda bread was incredible! Good eats, will keep this bookmarked.

February 1, 2013 - 3:20 pm

lori - I want to make this with my stovetop pressure cooker tonite. Any ideas on how long to cook?

February 1, 2013 - 3:22 pm

srlacy - Hi Lori-

I’m not sure. I’m not used to using a pressure cooker (although I want one so badly!) Let me know if you end up trying it and it works-it will be helpful for other readers to know.

February 1, 2013 - 3:26 pm

lori - Also, should I reduce the water a little?

February 12, 2013 - 9:30 pm

Fragrant Dog - RE Guinness not being vegetarian – there’s now a petition to get Guinness to stop using isinglass!

https://www.change.org/petitions/make-guinness-vegetarian-vegan-friendly

I know it’s unlikely Guinness are going to change their manufacturing methods, but it’s worth a shot!

May 8, 2013 - 10:33 am

No-Meat Guinness Stew - […] source:  thecurvycarrot.com […]

January 27, 2014 - 10:03 am

The Big Soup and Stew Roundup (with meaty and meatless options for #MeatlessMonday) | Spicie Foodie - […] by Oh My Veggies Cheddar Cheese Soup with Haricots Verts, Mushrooms, & Cronions by Tasty Trix No-Meat Guinness Stew by The Curvy Carrot Moroccan-Style Vegetable + Chickpea Stew by The First Mess Vegetarian […]

March 10, 2014 - 8:21 pm

Vegetable and Barley Irish Stew - […] from Curvy Carrot’s No-Meat Guinness Stew, which was adapted from The Kitchn’s Vegetarian Guinness […]

June 8, 2014 - 5:05 pm

Jessika - For those looking to make this vegan, New Belgium’s “1554” would be a great substitute!

August 22, 2014 - 3:48 pm

pink007 - I discovered your website via Pinterest while searching for a vegetarian minestrone soup recipe and made yours, now I am making this tonight! I cannot wait to try it. I am a pescetarian so I was thrilled to find someone who eats exactly like me. I have stopped searching on Pinterest and started perusing your website for all new recipes!

October 2, 2014 - 3:12 pm

pink007 - I am making this for the second time because it is so amazing!

March 15, 2015 - 8:46 am

Lynett R - Made this delicious stew and took to an Irish dinner party last evening. Wonderful flavors. I added some leek, parsnip and doubled the mushrooms as I was a pound short on the potatoes,. I only had a sweet Bavarian mustard on hand but otherwise followed the recipe. The Rosemary brown butter bread is a MUST to make with this as it is fabulous and truly completes the dish. Than you for two new recipes I will make again!

March 16, 2015 - 6:41 pm

Debra Njai - What is the calorie count for this no-meat guinness stew?

March 18, 2015 - 10:40 pm

Emily - I made this stew in lieu of the traditional corned beef and cabbage. Great texture, didn’t miss the meat at all. Next time, I’ll substitute the Guiness Extra Stout for a nice mellow burgundy wine. We aren’t beer drinkers so it was a little too bitter for us.