Hearty and delicious, this one pot vegetable stew topped with crisp, vegan and gluten free herb dumplings is the perfect winter comfort food!

And right now this vegetable stew is absolutely needed.  Because we’re definitely approaching winter here in the UK.  Brrrrr. And all hail the one pot meal.  The holy grail of cooking.

Please don’t be put off by the (teensy bit) long ingredients list.  We’ve got a tonne of veg, some seasoning, herbs and spice, a bit of plonk for flavour and the fabulous thing that is Hodmedod’s Emmer Whole grain.  These tiny little grains soak up all the liquid to become plump and juicy pops of flavour in your mouth.

An ancestor of durum wheat, emmer was among the first cereals cultivated in the Fertile Crescent (a region in the Middle East).  It has a deliciously nutty flavour and can be eaten as a whole grain (farro), ground into flour, or sprouted.

Emmer whole wheat does contain a small amount of gluten so if you want to make the whole dish totally gluten free swap the emmer whole wheat for buckwheat or quinoa.

How to make this one pot casserole

First and most importantly is for this to be a one pot stew you’ll need to have a pot that can go from the stove top to the oven.  I have a cast iron pan that weighs an absolute tonne but is perfect for this.

We start by softening the leek and garlic then adding the emmer and the liquid – white wine and vegetable stock in this case.  You don’t have to use wine, you can substitute the same volume for vegetable stock if you’d prefer. We then give the grain a little time to absorb some of the liquid before adding the vegetables and simmering till they’re cooked.

This stew is more than amenable to variation.  Don’t like or don’t have some of the vegetables I’ve used?  Substitute them for ones you do have or do like.

Once you’ve got all your vegetables in, leave it to gently simmer, stirring occasionally.  This gives you time to make the dumplings.  Which are also super easy.  In fact, this was the first time I’d ever made these type of dumplings and they were a complete doddle.

They’re a bit like a scone dough to make but cook to crispy topped, fluffy middled things of wonder when you add them to the stew.  And it’s as simple as rolling them into balls and then gently placing on top of the stew once the vegetables are cooked.  Most of the cooking of this vegetable casserole is done on the stove but the dumplings need to be baked in the oven.

I’ve used Hodmedods Fava Bean Flour to make these vegan dumplings.  Personally I think this flour is amazing.  It has a mild enough flavour to be used for anything from Ginger Cake and Lemon Meringue Pies to these savoury little dumplings.

I’ve also stared buying my nutritional yeast in bulk!  Simply because I use it for flipping everything – pesto, mashed potatoes, vegan cheese sauce, vegan scrambled eggs, etc etc etc.

This vegetable stew is currently on repeat as I can leave it to bubble and bake while pottering doing other things.  It also does us a couple of meals worth and is so tasty, hearty and downright filling that it’s perfect for these colder, darker evenings.

If you’re looking for more hearty and healthy recipes try our Vegetarian Lasagne (which is actually vegan), this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie or even this Tomato Pearl Barley Risotto.

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