Best-Ever Beefless Stew

Think stew CAN'T taste good without beef? Well, think again! This stew is amazingly delicious AND nutritious. A bowl of this flavorful stew with a slice of crusty bread make the perfect dinner for a chilly evening. Plus, it makes for great leftovers. One note: if you love making stews and soups we highly recommend picking up an immersion blender like this one. It allows you to puree a soup right in the pot, or thicken a stew without having to pour the hot stew into a plastic blender and then washing the whole blender. Adapted from Straightupfood.com

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes (total time = 1 hr)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 large white or yellow onions (diced)

• 1 bag carrots (~ 8 - 12 medium carrots) peeled and sliced into 3/4" pieces

• 1 pkg celery hearts (~8 ribs) chopped into 3/4" pieces

• 5 portobello mushrooms (chopped into 3/4" pieces)

• 6 cloves garlic

• 3 lbs. yellow potatoes (cut into 3/4" chunks)

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 12 oz. tomato paste (2 small cans)

• 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. paprika

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 tsp. ground black pepper

• 1.5 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

• 20 oz. frozen peas

• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook onions, carrots, and celery with a sprinkle of kosher salt, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Add vegetable stock, 1 -2 tablespoons at a time if vegetables start sticking. Add mushrooms, garlic, Italian seasoning and paprika for 5 more minutes, stirring and adding stock as needed.

2. Add potatoes, tomato paste and the rest of the vegetable stock. You want most of the vegetables to be covered by liquid, so add 1-2 cups of water if more liquid is needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in rosemary, salt, and pepper and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas and cook for 5 more minutes until carrots and potatoes are tender.

3. Using a Pyrex liquid measuring cup, remove 3 cups of the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, then return this puree to the pot and stir in thoroughly along with the parsley.

4. Serve with bread and enjoy!