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Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew - 5.2 Diet Recipe

A simple Irish stew full of flavourful winter vegetables and lentils in a rich gravy made in a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew



Comforting stew



You can't beat a comforting bowl of stew in the winter months when your body is craving comfort food and this Irish stew ticks all the boxes.

A traditional Irish stew is made with lamb or beef, potatoes and lots of winter vegetables. In place of the meat I have used lentils for the protein and added texture.

It's  rich and comforting with a tasty gravy. Serve it with mashed potatoes or just crusty bread for the perfect weekend dinner.

Apologies for the photos, they are a bit dark and grainy. We don't have much daylight in Scotland at the moment, so it is always a fight against the clock and the dark, however I think they will give you a good idea of what to expect.



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Making Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew

Adding beer to stew


I made the gravy in this stew by adding beer, vegetable stock cubes, spices an tomato puree to the vegetables and lentils in this stew.

You could add either a lager or beer to a stew like this.

You may remember I added a light beer to my vegan sausage birra, which was also made in the slow cooker.

Both work and add a lot of extra flavour to a casserole.

Beer as an ingredient


Beer is also handy to have in the kitchen (apart from slurping) for beer batter, which I used in my beer battered mushrooms and chip shop battered tofu or for making quick no-knead bread like my cheddar and dill beer bread (you could also use vegan cheddar).


Leftover beer


I have a tasty tip for you.

If you have leftover beer after making this stew, add some raspberry syrup to the beer for a quick and tasty cocktail. It's a drink that's popular in Poland and I love it.

Look in the Polish aisle of your supermarket for the syrup.

The syrup tastes so good with beer or lager. It was my friend Margot over at Coffee and Vanilla who tipped me off about it. You can read more about the Polish Style Beer with Raspberry on her blog.





Irish stew in the slow cooker

Slow cooker dump recipes


This is a slow cooker dump recipe. A recipe where you just 'dump' the ingredients into the slow cooker, turn it on and walk away.

You don't need to pre-cook or saute anything, just throw it all in, hit the switch and go.

My slow cooker has all sorts of settings like saute, roast and steam, but I still like recipes like this one that are super-easy with little effort apart from some chopping.

On Christmas day I made my carrot and coriander soup as a starter in my slow cooker, but as I wanted to cook it quicker, I used the saute setting and cooked the soup that way, just like the cooker top without a lid, just stirring it occasionally. It freed up space on my cooker, which was handy.

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digital panel on slow cooker

Slow living


I'm still working on this.

I feel my life is too stretched and hectic, which leaves me stressed and tired.

I need to be more organised and slow down. Enjoy some slow living with quality time off. Slow cooking is a part of this. Being more organised, but spending less time in the kitchen after work.

As I said it's a work in progress.

12 Slow living tips


  1. Be more organised and expend less energy. 
  2. Try and be less distracted by social media. 
  3. Spend more time with family and less time working (work smart and to schedule).
  4. Build in quiet time to read or have a bubble bath.
  5. Plan meals ahead and set them to cook saving time later. 
  6. Do a little housework each day so day's off are less like a full day of work (housework) and more about free time.
  7. Have a spring clean, the mind feels more relaxed when your surroundings are less cluttered.
  8. Be frugal, use up what is in the fridge or cupboard and buy what you need and not to excess, this extends to other purchases too.
  9. Remembering you can't change other people, they are on their own life journey. Don't let other people influence how you feel or act.
  10. Spend time with and appreciate family and friends.
  11. Drink lots of water.
  12. Try wind down and get to bed earlier for better quality sleep.
It takes work but it makes sense and will make life easier and happier once I master it.

Do you try to follow many of these points?



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Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew. A simple Irish stew full of flavourful winter vegetables and lentils in a rich gravy made in a slow cooker. Low calorie and fat free, this recipe is perfect for the 5:2 diet. #52diet #irishstew #veganstew #slowcookerstew #crockpotstew #fatfreestew #lowcaloriestew #fatfree #lowcalorie #veganrecipe


Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew

Nutrition and calories


Nutrition and calories in Vegan Irish Stew - 226 calories per portion and fat-free

Fat free stew


This stew is fat free and low in calories. 

The onions and garlic are not sauteed in oil before they are added to the slow cooker, so that removes fat from the recipe. There are very low traces of it, perhaps in the stock cubes.

Low calorie stew


This stew is only 226 calories when divided into 6 generous portions or 170 calories when divided into 8 standard portions. 

Of course you will need to add extra calories if you serve this with mashed potatoes or crusty bread, but it is still a really low calorie and nutritious meal. 

Perfect for low calorie diets like the 5:2 diet.




5:2 Diet


The 5:2 diet, which is also called the fast diet is an intermittent diet where you eat normally for 5 days a week and reduced calories for 2 days a week. 

The original 5:2 diet allowed 600 calories for men and 500 calories for women on a fast day. 

The updated fast diet allows 800 calories for men and women, you just tweak the timescale of each fast day.

This type of diet is said to (by scientists) give the body a chance to repair and protect against diseases and illness. 

When the body is fasting the cell generation slows down production and repairs cells instead. You can read more about it on my 5:2 diet page where I have links to articles and recipes.



Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew

Nutrients in Vegan Irish Stew


Vitamin C


This stew is high in vitamin C, which helps protect cells, maintains healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage. It also helps wounds to heal.

Vitamin A


This stew is high in vitamin A which is important for good vision, immune system and reproduction. It also helps the lungs, heart, kidneys and other organs work properly.


Dietary Fibre


This stew is high in dietary fibre which keeps the digestive system healthy and slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the blood stream, which keeps our blood sugar from surging.

Potassium


There is also a good source of potassium in this stew which helps to regulate blood pressure, reduces water retention and protects the kidneys.

This stew is also a source of calcium and iron.


Irish stew, slow cooker recipe, slow cooker stew, crockpot recipe, crockpot stew, vegan stew, vegan slow cooker recipe, vegetarian slow cooker recipe, vegetable stew, lentil stew, vegetable casserole, 5:2 diet recipe, low calorie stew, fat free stew, diet stew
dinner
Irish, British, vegan, fat-free
Yield: 6-8
Crockpot Vegan Irish Stew

Slow Cooker Vegan Irish Stew

A simple Irish stew full of flavourful winter vegetables and lentils in a rich gravy made in a slow cooker.
prep time: 10 minscook time: 6 hourtotal time: 6 hours and 10 mins

ingredients


  • 4 medium potatoes, cut into large pieces
  • 3 medium red onions, cut in half and into wedges
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
  • 5 medium carrots, cut into thick slices
  • 400g can of green lentils (265g when drained)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 3 vegetable stock cubes (to crumble in)
  • 2 heaped tbsp tomato puree
  • 500ml/2 cups beer
  • a good grinding of salt and pepper

instructions


  1. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker pot.
  2. Season well with salt and pepper.
  3. Stir well and set to high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
  4. Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
  5. Enjoy!

NOTES:

This can also be cooked in a pot or casserole dish on the cooker top or in the oven. The cooking time is 30-40 minutes. You may need to add a little more liquid, hot water or stock can be added.
calories
226
fat (grams)
0.8
sat. fat (grams)
0.1
carbs (grams)
42
protein (grams)
7
sugar (grams)
7
Created using The Recipes Generator




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For more vegetarian and vegan slow cooker recipes, check out my page Easy Vegetarian and Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes.

28 comments

  1. This Stew is full of goodness and health. Looks simple and delicious too. Sure for my Dinner very soon.

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  2. Yum! I love all those winter vegetables and warming spices. This looks like the perfect slow cooker meal for this time of year.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks and yes it is perfect for this time of year.

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  3. Slow cooker dump recipes are a life saver during busy week days. This recipe is perfect for such hectic days. I love that it so healthy as well.

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    Replies
    1. Yes they are perfect for busy days and it's super healthy.

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  4. Looks so delicious and comforting! I can't wait to make this recipe soon!

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  5. This stew looks like a perfect slow cooker comfort recipe for winter. Can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks and it is really good. I do hope you try it.

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  6. A perfect meal for this rather dull and dreary weather we're currently experiencing. Filling, comforting and colourful - lovely.

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  7. I don't typically have stock cubes on hand, I prefer to use actual stock. Is there a way to substitute regular stock for the cubes? Also, what size slow cooker did you use? I find that mine is often bigger than the ones used in recipes, so I need to modify quantities. Thanks, looking forward to making this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nadine, my crockpot is a 5.6 litre, well the one I used in this recipe. If you are using stock you will have to replace some of the beer with it. You want to keep the amount og liquid as close to the original recipe as possible. Maybe half beer & half stock for flavour?

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  8. Hi. I don't usually buy beer so was just wondering what type you used for your recipe. Really keen to try this! Thanks Jo

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    Replies
    1. Sorry I missed this. You can use beer or lager, both work. Just whatever you have.

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  9. I’ve cooked this twice in 2 weeks. The 1st time I used good ole Guinness & the 2nd time I used pear & passion fruit cider. Both were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for your inspiration, it’s much appreciated ��

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    Replies
    1. Well I have to admit I would have said 'don't' to the sweet cider, but glad it worked. So glad you are enjoying the recipe.

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  10. I love so many of your recipes. And, this looks wonderful and I can't wait to make it! Do you know if this could this be frozen?

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  11. Hi, I love the look of this recipe and would love to try but it would be feeding my child too - is there a substitution for the beer? Many thanks! :)

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    Replies
    1. Most of the alcohol will be burned away on cooking but if you are worried you could use an alcohol free beer.

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  12. Can you use dried green lentils instead?

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  13. I can't consume beer because of preservatives (it triggers my asthma) and the fact that where I live it's not vegan or even vegetarian. Is there a substitute that you can think of because I really want to make this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. just add extra stock and some marmite for the Savoury flavour.

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  14. Can dried lentils be used?

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    Replies
    1. I wouldn't like to say without trying it first. Sorry.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x