Tempeh Vegan Protein Stew

Tempeh, lentils, potatoes, and carrots in a tomato broth stew served with brown rice.

4.98 from 36 votes

If you think you don’t like tempeh, this Vegan Tempeh Protein Stew will change your mind. As a trained vegan chef, I can confidently say this is tempeh at its best.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 485kcal

Author: Nisha Melvani

Ingredients

8 ounces tempeh
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 ribs celery sliced (about ¼ cup)
2 medium carrots sliced into ½-inch coins (about 1 cup)
Dash of salt
4 garlic cloves minced
3 cups vegetable broth
3 Yukon Gold potatoes peeled, chopped into ¾-inch pieces (optional–see notes)
½ cup dried lentils green or brown
7 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes canned, with juice (or fire-roasted canned tomatoes)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (Annie's, The Wizard's)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Optional for better-tasting tempeh: Simmer the block of tempeh for 3 minutes to remove the bitter flavor. Rinse with cold water until it is cool enough to handle.
Tempeh: Use your hands to break up the tempeh into large crumbles. Heat 1 tablespoon oil or broth in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the tempeh for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Add 1 tablespoon tamari and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the tempeh to a plate.
Aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable broth in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add a dash of salt. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Cook: Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, lentils, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and diced tomatoes. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the tempeh crumbles, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon tamari. Season with salt and black pepper.

Notes

To substitute the tempeh, use ½ cup more lentils or (8 ounces) pressed extra-firm tofu (unsimmered).
To substitute the potatoes, use 1 small head of cauliflower florets instead. Cook the stew until they are just tender.
Simmering the tempeh beforehand is optional but highly recommended. It removes any bitterness.
Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Tempeh Lentil Stew with Potatoes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

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