A simple and healthy stick-to-your-bones bowl of delicious comfort stew comprised of pasta, vegetables, and potatoes in a creamy sauce – made simple in the Instant Pot – perfect for a chilly night.
This inviting bowl of Instant Pot Potato Vegetable Stew is perfect on a cold winter’s night. It’s easy and simple to make, using pantry staples. Plus, I love that it can be made rather quickly by using an electric pressure cooker to create a hearty one-pot stew. And even better yet, this stew is nutritious, filling, and tastes incredible.
Starting with a mirepoix, the onions, carrots, and celery are sautéed in the Instant Pot, or electric pressure cooker, using the sauté function. Sliced potatoes, rigatoni, Umami Vegetable Broth, and herbs are then added. I like using bay leaves, along with fresh sprigs of thyme. Then you simply let the Instant Pot do its thing.
While the stew is cooking, it’s time to prepare the cashew cream. Using a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix), combine the soaked cashews, unsweetened plant milk, white wine, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika until nice and smooth. This may not seem like a robust list of ingredients, but sometimes simple is best. Also, I use cooking wine, but any white wine should work just fine in this stew.
After the pressure is allowed to release for ten minutes, go ahead and turn the sealing knob to release the remaining pressure. Please exercise caution. It normally takes about a minute for the pressure to fully release when I make it. If your spout starts sputtering, you can either cover it with a kitchen towel or simply turn the sealing knob back to sealing and then to release again. It may take a few tries, but there’s a lot of liquid in the pot and it’s all under pressure.
Once the pressure is released, the pasta, vegetables, and potatoes should be just the right tenderness. Now it’s time to stir in the cashew cream, peas, and greens. I typically use frozen peas and whatever greens I have. Sometimes they’re fresh and other times they’re frozen. If you do use fresh, just add a handful or two. If you use frozen greens, you’ll want to add about a cup. You can always add more if you choose.
This soaked cashew mixture creates a very creamy base for the vegetables, potatoes, and pasta. I find it fascinating how a little white wine and fresh thyme really make all the difference in this stew. The results are superb and extremely soul-satisfying.
Now that everything is added, I like using the sauté function to cook the mixture for a few minutes, until the peas are cooked and the greens wilt. At this point, the stew should be nice and creamy. Adjust the seasonings to your taste preference. Add in more crushed red pepper if you like things a little spicy or add in a little salt and black pepper.
This Instant Pot Potato Vegetable Stew is now ready to serve! Or it can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. It makes the best leftovers with a side of toast, cornbread, or fresh dinner rolls. Just know that you might need to add a tad more broth or milk to thin out the stew as the pasta tends to thicken things up overnight.
I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot Potato Vegetable Stew as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
And don’t forget to subscribe for new plant-based and vegan recipes today!!
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 onion, chopped (1½ cups)
- 3 stalks of celery, sliced (1 cup)
- 3-4 carrots, sliced (1½ cups)
- 2 cups rigatoni* (or large pasta)
- 5 yellow potatoes, sliced
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cups (32 ounces) Umami Vegetable Broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup plant milk
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cups fresh mixed greens (or 1 cup frozen greens)
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Pour hot water over raw nuts, set aside.
- Using sauté function in an Instant Pot, sauté the vegetables for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in vegetable broth, rigatoni, potatoes, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sprigs of thyme.
- Attach and lock lid with sealing knob to sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release for 10 minutes, then turn the sealing knob to release any residual pressure.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the soaked cashews. In a high-speed blender, blend the soaked cashews, almond milk, white wine, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the Instant Pot lid, press Cancel, and remove the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.
- Stir in the cashew blend, greens, and peas.
- Using the sauté function, continue cooking the mixture for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
* I like using large pasta; but you can use whatever pasta you have on hand. If you use small pasta like elbow macaroni, use 1 cup. If using a medium size pasta like penne, use 1½ cups. The broth to pasta ratio needs to be considered. The pasta needs to cook well and absorb the broth without turning to mush.
Any multi-function pressure cooker will work great for this. If you do not have a pressure cooker, sauté vegetables for 3-5 minutes, add in remaining ingredients and cook until potatoes and pasta are fully cooked, about 20 minutes more.
Instant Pot Potato Vegetable Stew
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 stalks of celery sliced
- 3-4 carrots sliced
- 2 cups rigatoni*
- 5 yellow potatoes scrubbed and sliced
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cups Umami Vegetable Broth (32 ounces)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup plant milk
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3-4 cups fresh mixed greens (or 1 cup frozen greens)
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Pour hot water over raw nuts, set aside.
- Using sauté function in an Instant Pot, sauté the vegetables for 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant, another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in vegetable broth, rigatoni, potatoes, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sprigs of thyme.
- Attach and lock lid with sealing knob to sealing.
- Set to 5 minutes on High Pressure. Allow pressure to release for 10 minutes, then turn knob to release any residual pressure. (Use a kitchen towel if it sputters.)
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the soaked cashews. In a high-speed blender, blend the soaked cashews, almond milk, white wine, nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the Instant Pot's lid, press Cancel, and remove the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.
- Stir in the cashew blend, greens, and peas.
- Using the sauté function, continue cooking the mixture for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to cook the peas and wilt the greens. Press cancel.
- Serve and enjoy.