Vegan Slow Cooker Seitan and Green Pea Stew

As cooler months approach, I get more and more excited to breakout my slow cooker for vegan stew. Not only is it easy to use, but after a few hours of simmering, you have a dish saturated in deliciousness. And this vegan slow cooker seitan and green pea stew recipe is a phenomenal example of how things can go really right!

And that’s the thing, this vegan stew has no mushrooms. So many times, they’re my go-to to bring flavor, but this stew does not suffer from their omission. Caramelized onions, seitan slow cooked in a deliciously seasoned tomato sauce, and green peas work perfectly together.

I’ve made this a few times. This slow cooker vegan seitan and peas stew recipe freezes very well, which makes it a great candidate for meal prepping. The simple ingredients make this a terrific budget conscious meal, especially if you make your own seitan. Overall, it will keep you coming back for more.

For a variation, add some diced potatoes, or serve this hearty vegan seitan stew with green peas over a bed of dreamy mashed potatoes or eggless wide ribbon noodles.

Vegan Slow Cooker Seitan Stew with Green Peas

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp vegan butter

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

15 ounce can of tomato sauce

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 ½ tsp red miso

1 pound of seitan, cut into chunks (store bought or homemade)

2 cups frozen peas

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. First, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the vegan seitan and green pea stew. Add onion and olive oil to a deep, heavy pot or dutch oven. Sauté over high heat until the onion starts to sizzle, and then, immediately turn down to low heat and add a pinch of salt. Occasionally stirring the onions around, sauté for about 15-20 minutes or until the onions are caramelized.

2. Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic, vegan butter, smoked paprika, oregano, turmeric, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, onion powder and garlic powder. Sauté over low heat for another 2 minutes—constantly stirring around.

3. Next, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and red miso to the pot, and stir until the miso dissolves into the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer over low for 5 minutes.

4. Add the seitan to the slow cooker. Pour the tomato-onion mixture into the slow cooker. Mix everything together. Secure the lid, and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

5. At the end of cooking, remove the lid, and stir in the frozen peas. Cover again with the lid, and wait 10 minutes for the peas to cook through. Remove the lid and taste the vegan seitan and green pea stew. Adjust seasonings, if needed (salt? black pepper?). This stew tastes amazing on its own, or over a bed of mashed potatoes.