Irish Vegetable Stew with Guinness

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, which is why I am sharing with you my favorite recipe for Irish Vegetable Stew! This hearty stew is full of fresh vegetables and savory herbs, and the Guinness gives it a rich and robust flavor. Enjoy!

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 leek, chopped
• 230 g of white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1/4 of a head of green cabbage, chopped
• 1 bottle of Guinness (15 fl oz) or any dark stout
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp of paprika
• 1 Tbsp of soy sauce
• dash of salt & pepper
• 3 Tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, sauté the chopped leeks and mushrooms in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
2. Then add the garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cook on medium-high for an additional 5 mins. Now add the cabbage and mix it into the vegetables.
3. Next add the Guinness, vegetable broth, rosemary, parsley, paprika, soy sauce, and desired amount of salt & pepper. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes to let the cabbage wilt.
4. Add the tomato paste into the stew and thoroughly stir it around into the broth. 
5. Pop the bay leafs into the stew. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 1 hour. You may remove the lid to stir the stew every 15 minutes.

Benefits of this recipe:

-Mushrooms are a great source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and high in B vitamins.

-Carrots are very high in Vitamin A, which protects eye health and vision. They are high in antioxidants, can help lower cholesterol, help protect against cancer, improve immunity, boosts skin health, and helps improve brain function.

-Potatoes help to reduce inflammation in the body, lower blood pressure, stimulates brain function, prevents formation of kidney stones, relieves high blood pressure, prevents heart diseases, and facilitates digestion.

-Cabbage boosts the immune system, fights inflammation and arthritis, reduces osteoporosis risk, and promotes a healthy gut.

The information on the benefits of the ingredients was researched from http://www.draxe.com