Frugal Food – Root Vegetable Slow Cooker Stew

Eating enough veg can be difficult – especially if you have fussy eaters! As the first recipe in our Frugal Food series, we’re creating a warming and hearty root vegetable stew, packed to the brim with delicious veg – served however you fancy. 

For this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make it using a slow cooker, but you can do a faster version on the hob too (see below). It just depends how soft you prefer your vegetables in a stew.

You can also use whatever root vegetables you prefer, but we’ve recommended some of our favourites below.

Serves 4    –     Prep time 20 mins    –     Slow cooker 3 – 4 hours / Hob 20 – 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil (if using hob)
• 1 large onion, large chunks if using slow cooker, finely diced if using hob
• 500g of mixed root vegetables (you can use more if cooking for more hungry mouths) including:
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Celeriac
  • Sweet potato
  • Parsnips
  • Swede
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 400g tin of beans of your choice. We would suggest something robust, such as:
  • Cannellini
  • Haricot
  • Butter bean
• 1 tbsp cornflour for thickening
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method – slow cooker

1. Prepare all your vegetables by peeling and chopping roughly. Try to make sure everything is chopped into equal pieces, so it cooks thoroughly. Keep all your peels to make your own vegetable broth or stock (recipe coming soon!)
2. Turn your slow cooker on to the high heat setting
3. Add your vegetables
4. Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in around 500ml of boiling water. You may need a little more water depending on how large your slow cooker is. Pour over the veg
5. Drain and add your beans to the pot
6. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and give it a stir
7. Check on your stew after around 2 hours. Mix together one part cornflour and two parts water and stir into your stew. This will help thicken the sauce
8. After 3 – 4 hours, check on your stew again. If required, add more cornflour mixture
9. Serve however you like, but we recommend a crusty loaf, homemade dumplings, or even mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Method – hob

1. Prepare the vegetables (except the onion) by peeling and chopping roughly. Try to make sure everything is chopped into equal pieces, so it cooks thoroughly
2. Finely dice the onion. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan and put on a low to medium heat. Fry the onion for 10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Reduce the temperature if this starts to happen
3. Add your vegetables to the same pan and stir for a few minutes
4. Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in around 500ml of boiling water. You may need a little more water depending on how large your pan is. Pour over the veg and onion mix
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, allowing the stew to simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
6. Mix together one part cornflour and two parts water and stir into your stew. This will help thicken the sauce. At this point, add your beans as well
7. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and give it a stir. Simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your stew
8. Serve and enjoy!