Vegan Tempeh Stew (Bourguignon Style)

Overhead view on a bowl filled with a vegan tempeh beef stew with a spoon inside and chunks of carrots.

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Tempeh Stew (Bourguignon Style)

This extra flavorful vegan tempeh stew features tender vegetables and hearty cubes of tempeh slowly cooked in a savory gravy brown sauce. It makes for an amazing vegan comfort food dish that's perfect as a crowd-pleaser or to serve as a Christmas or Thanksgiving main dish.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegan

Servings: people

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Equipment

Large oven-safe dish

Ingredients

2 x 227 g tempeh cut in 1 inch cubes
2 yellow onions chopped in large pieces
3 large carrots peeled and chopped in large pieces
4 cloves of garlic crushed
½ cup red wine
3 tbsp flour all-purpose or whole wheat
2 tbsp refined coconut oil solid
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp liquid smoke
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt or to taste
8 oz mushrooms sliced in half, to add halfway through cooking

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven at 350º. In a small bowl, combine the flour with the coconut oil. Use the back of a spoon to press on the coconut oil to help incorporate it into the flour. It should create a thick paste (kneaded butter). Set aside.
Warm up a large oven-safe pot and then add the onions, carrots and tempeh. Stir and cook on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until browned. Use a small coconut oil if desired to prevent the veggies from sticking to the bottom.
Then, add the garlic and stir while cooking for about 30-60 seconds. Add the red wine and keep cooking until almost all cooked down (for a few minutes).
Add the flour-coconut oil mixture and stir well to combine. Then, add the rest of the ingredients except for the mushrooms. Stir and cover, then transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Then, add the mushrooms and put back in the oven to cook for 30 more minutes (without the cover this time).
Take out of the oven and adjust flavor and thickness (see notes). Enjoy over mashed potatoes, rice, cooked pasta or with a side of bread.

Video

Notes

How to make the gravy thicker: Once done baking for an hour in the oven, transfer the pot back on the stove and bring to a simmer. You can let the broth cooking for a few extra minutes to let some extra water evaporate. Then, in a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch + 2 tablespoons of cold water (cornstarch slurry) and whisk well to break all the clumps. Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry over the actively simmering stew while stirring constantly. The stew should thicken very quickly. You can start with half the amount of the slurry and add more as needed. You could make it quite thick depending on how you want to serve it by repeating the slurry again. Once it is thickened to your liking, remove from the heat and serve!
For a gluten-free recipe: Swap the soy sauce for a gluten-free tamari and check to make sure your vegan Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free. Also, use a gluten-free wheat flour (like this 1:1 from King Arthur) when preparing the kneaded butter or simply omit the kneaded butter and thicken your gravy using a cornstarch slurry.
This recipe is very versatile: Swap the dried herbs for fresh herbs and use some rosemary, Italian mix or even parsley if you love these flavor. Feel free to also swap the carrots for other root vegetables (turnip, parsnip) or try adding some large chunks of celery, leeks or some frozen green peas too for a pop in color (add halfway through cooking).
Storage: Keep any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat on the stove or use the microwave adding a splash of water to loosen up the consistency as needed. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition