Lower blood pressure and cholesterol; are just a couple of the health benefits of dropping meat.

Becoming a vegetarian doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor. After cutting animal products out of your diet, you'll find that there are all sorts of exciting plant-based meals to explore. One of our favorite dinner recipes has to be vegetarian soups!

Spicy, savory, sweet; whatever your taste buds desire, there's a soup for you. A vegetarian stew is a beautiful way to warm your heart while also loading up on all sorts of nutrients. To help you make the best stews, we've compiled this short but complete guide.

Read on to learn some of the best stew recipes that are vegetarian.

Loaded Lentil Vegetable Stew

Take a peek in your pantry and fridge. Are there unused dried beans and vegetables? Great!

You can make loaded lentil vegetarian stew. This stew recipe lets you turn unused food into a flavorful dinner that warms your heart. Here are all of the ingredients you need:

• 2 cups onion chopped
• 2 cups mushroom chopped
• 1.5 cups legumes or dry lentils
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 5 teaspoons grated ginger
• Spice blend to taste
• 3 cups vegetables
• 1 diced tomato
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Sea salt to taste

You can use Cajun, Thai, Mexican, or Italian seasoning for the spice blend. Using a Dutch oven, cook the onions, mushrooms, lentils, legumes, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 10 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons of water, as needed, to prevent sticking.

Add 6 cups of water and season with your spice blend. Bring to boil and reduce heat.

Simmer for 1 hour. Add the vegetables and tomatoes and cook for an additional 15 minutes. You'll be infusing your beans and lentils with the best flavors possible. When you serve this stew with the side of tasty crackers, you can bet you're guests will be satisfied.

Stew Recipe Ideas for More Flavor

Pro-tip; when creating a lentil or bean stew, spice up the flavor by adding a large bay leaf. You can also add a teaspoon of fennel seeds or a 1-in cinnamon stick. Here are some great tips for storing bay leaves to stay fresh.

For the bay leaf, you'll want to add it while you're cooking the legumes. However, remove the bay leaf before serving. You also want to remove the cinnamon stick before serving so that it doesn't overwhelm the stew's flavor.

Vegetarian Stew for Wintertime

Did you want an easy vegetarian stew? The kind that you can make in a matter of minutes? Then you should try your hand at making vegan corn chowder.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 onion
• 7 minced garlic cloves
• 7 cups vegetable stock
• 7 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 large baking potato
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 teaspoon parsley and thyme
• ½ cup almond flour
• Sea salt to taste

Corn chowder is a crowd-pleaser, so it works well if you're having dinner guests. The Casa Verde Vegetarian chowder is the perfect winter stew, thanks to its warm and inviting sweet taste.

Place the garlic, onion, 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, and a large stew pot. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potato, the rest of the vegetable stock, and the corn. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Take half of the mixture and place it in a blender. Blend on a low setting until it's nice and smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and add 1 cup of vegetable stock if necessary.

The goal here is to get perfect consistency. You want your corn chowder to be creamy but not too thick.

Add the parsley, bell pepper, and thyme. Let simmer for 10 more minutes. Place the water and almond flour in the blender.

Blend until smooth, and add the mixture to your chowder. Pepper and salt to taste.

The soup will store in your fridge for up to 5 days. You can also put it in the freezer for 1 month of storage.

Savory Beefless Stew

Sometimes, you need a lovingly home-cooked meal to improve the day. That's why we suggest making a savory beefless stew.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 2 large onions
• 3 medium carrots
• 3 celery ribs
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 2 lb white potatoes cooked and cut into chunks
• 7 minced garlic cloves
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoon paprika
• 3 teaspoons rosemary chopped
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
• ¼ cup parsley chopped

Even though this is a beefless stew, the portobello mushrooms add a meaty texture. You can use this guide to pick the perfect portobellos.

As the veggies soak up your spice-filled broth, they'll infuse with rich flavors. Rosemary and parsley work together to create a stew that puts you in the perfect mood.

Using a large soup pot, cook the celery, onions, and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes. Stir frequently, and add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to prevent sticking.

Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 7 more minutes. Continue adding water if needed. Now it's time to stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, paprika, and potatoes.

Add 5 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat and stir in the rosemary—Cook for 15 more minutes. Stir in the peas and cook for 7 more minutes. Now you can transfer 2 cups of your mixture to a blender.

Blend until smooth and return the soup to the pot. After stirring in the parsley, your soup will be ready to serve.

Red Bean Stew With Butternut Squash

How would you like to eat a sweet and smokey butternut squash red bean stew? This hearty soup is the perfect recipe for a cold night.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 10 minced garlic cloves
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1.5 teaspoon ground caraway
• 1 ⅓ cubed butternut squash
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon paprika smoked
• 1 teaspoon paprika sweet
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons oat flour
• 2 cans of kidney beans (3 cups)
• 3 tablespoons red vinegar
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Using different bell pepper colors, you'll be able to create a festive look. If you want a slight extra creaminess, add a generous dollop of vegan sour cream on top.

To get started, you'll need to take your carrots, onions, bell peppers, garlic, bay leaf, and ground caraway and combine them in a large pot. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then, add the butternut squash, tomatoes, paprika, and crushed red pepper.

Add in an additional 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

When the squash is fork-tender, remove from heat. Whisk together 1/4 cup of water and the oat flour in a small bowl. Stir your mixture into the stew. Stir in the beans and red vinegar.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes more. Once the soup has a nice thick consistency, you can season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Get ready to enjoy a vegetarian soup like never before!

The Ultimate Chickpea Curry Stew

Would you like to enjoy an Indian-inspired vegetarian soup? Then you should try making the ultimate chickpea curry stew.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 onion
• 1 gold potato
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 3 cups kale chopped
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1.5 cups cooked brown rice

You'll be able to enjoy the best textures and flavors with a curry chickpea stew. As long as you take the time to dice the potatoes up front, everything should cook evenly. You also want to have your brown rice cooked and ready to go.

Take your onion, potato, curry powder, and garlic powder, and put them in a large saucepan. Add in a sprinkle of cayenne and 1/4 cup of water. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally. Add almond milk, chickpeas, kale, and tomatoes. Cook for 10 more minutes. Once the stew is nice and thick, you can add lemon juice, cilantro, and salt.

Serve your chickpea curry stew over a bed of brown rice. Make sure you make enough to share. This stew is sure to be a big hit!

Don't have time? The Casa Verde Coconut Chowder is full of flavor and ready in just 60 seconds.

Mushroom and Squash Vegetarian Soup

Another hearty fan favorite! We bring you the sage lentil stew with mushrooms and squash. Featuring tasty black lentils and delicate pieces of squash, you'll love the flavor combinations this stew delivers.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 delicata squash
• 1 cup orange sweet pepper
• 3 cups cremini mushrooms
• 3 teaspoons dried sage
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt (optional)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1.5 cups beluga lentils
• ⅓ cup unsweetened apple juice

Prepare your lentils ahead of time by rinsing them twice and draining them fully. Then you can cut the squash in half. After cutting the squash lengthwise, remove all of the seeds.

Don't peel the squash. Instead, slice it into one-quarter-inch chunks. Using a large skillet, cook the onion and squash over medium heat.

Cook for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to prevent sticking.

Now it's time to add the mushrooms, chopped orange sweet pepper, sage, garlic, and paprika. Cook for 2 more minutes while stirring the entire time. Now you can season the stew with sea salt if you like.

Stir all of the vegetable stock and lentils. Bring the entire pot to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 25 minutes. Slowly stir in the apple juice and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

When the soup is thick, and the lentils are nice and tender, you can remove them from heat. If the soup starts to dry, slowly add 1 tablespoon of water as needed. We find this stew works best when served with a refreshing salad.

While this recipe is very tasty, the Casa Verde Lentil Mole is packed with flavor and ready in just 60 seconds!

Persian Split Pea and Eggplant Stew

We bring another culturally inspired stew to you, the Persian split pea and eggplant stew. This vegetarian Persian stew is great for a date night since saffron can serve as an aphrodisiac. Using the explosive flavors of saffron and yellow split peas, you can bet that you'll fall in love with this dish.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1 onion
• 13 minced garlic cloves
• 1 lemon rind
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 3 teaspoon cumin ground
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• ½ teaspoon cardamon ground
• 1 teaspoon turmeric ground
• Black pepper and sea salt to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 generous saffron pinches
• ⅓ dried teaspoon rosebuds
• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Mint chopped to taste

Combine 4 cups of water and the split peas in a large stew pot—boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.

When the peas are tender enough to mash easily, you can remove them from heat. In a large saute pan, cook the onion, lemon rind, garlic, and ½ a cup of water—Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, pepper, and cumin. Also, add in the saffron, cinnamon, and rosebuds. Pour in an additional 2 cups of water and stir everything together.

Carefully lay the eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the split peas and the cooking liquid to the pan—season with pepper, salt, and lemon juice to taste.

Cook for 5 more minutes. Serve over a bed of steamed brown rice. Garnish each bowl with fresh mint.

Have an Incredible Meal

What vegetarian stew are you most excited to try making? If you don't have the time to make one of these stews, but you still want to enjoy a heartwarming meal, we can help.

Casa Verde is on a mission to bring 100% natural, plant-based Latin meals to people like you. After all, a good meal can change your life!

All of our plant-based dishes are ready to eat and full of flavor. Suppose you can't decide what soup to get, no worries. The multi-flavored value 8 pack includes everything. Take a look at our classic ready-to-eat recipes!