Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew (Vegan)

Name: Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cups chopped onions; 2 cloves garlic ((minced)); 1 cup sliced celery; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice; 4 cups peeled & cubed sweet potatoes; 6 cups water ((or vegetable stock)); 2 cubes vegetable bouillon ((if not using stock)); 4 bay leaves; 2 cups frozen corn kernels; 1 cup chopped red bell peppers ((or green pepper)); 2 cups stemmed and halved green beans; 4 cups stemmed and chopped kale; 2 zucchini ((sliced in rounds and then quartered)); 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 3 scallions ((sliced, white and tender green parts only)); 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese ((optional; of course, cheese is not vegan))

Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew is a classic vegan recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant. This delicious soup re-creates the flavor of a good fish stew without including fish. (Hint: It's the Old Bay Seasoning.)

Brightly colored stew made with green beans, corn, carrots, red peppers, zucchini, and more.

Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew is a vegan and gluten-free meal from one of the Moosewood Collective's cookbooks. Like all the Moosewood soup recipes, this one is terrific. It's a bit spicy and full of good-for-you vegetables. I love to serve it with a hunk of crusty French bread or a little cornbread!

Why You’ll Love Moosewood’s Tilghman Island Stew

Tastes like seafood - The Old Bay's seasoning makes it reminiscent of crab cakes without including any seafood. It’s such a treat!
Loaded with veggies - Like the best Moosewood recipes, this vegan soup is packed with vegetables and combines them in unexpected ways. This one is a whole meal in a bowl!
Serves a crowd - This recipe makes a big batch with enough soup for 8 servings! It’s great for a party or to enjoy leftovers for days.

Ingredients

Olive oil
Onions - Choose a yellow or white onion for their slightly sweet flavor and neutral color.
Garlic - Use finely minced fresh garlic for the best flavor.
Celery - Cut your celery stalks into evenly sized pieces.
Dried thyme
Old Bay seasoning - This is the secret to this recipe. It really adds that rich seafood flavor!
Black pepper
Tomatoes - Use regular canned diced tomatoes, including the juice.
Sweet potatoes - You can use either regular sweet potatoes or garnet yams.
Vegetable stock - Use veggie stock or water & vegetable bouillon.
Bay leaves
Red bell peppers - Desteem, deseed, and dice, either red or green bell peppers for color and flavor.
Green beans - Cut your green beans in half. You can also use frozen green beans if needed.
Kale - Clean and chop fresh kale. Any variety will work great.
Zucchini - Slice your squash into rounds, then cut those into quarters.
Light soy sauce is common in vegan Moosewood recipes because it adds a rich, umami flavor without any meat!
Lemon juice - A little acid adds a nice, bright flavor that will remind you of eating fresh seafood!
Scallions - These are mainly for a pop of color.
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese - Grated cheese is entirely optional as it is not vegan. It adds a nice salty, savory flavor that complements the tomato broth really well.

Variations

Slow Cooker Tilghman Island Stew - Although you can make it entirely on top of the stove, you can also put it in the crockpot slow cooker. To do that, you would sauté the onions, garlic, spices, and celery, dump everything into the slow cooker, and cook it on low for about two hours. However, I would hold the green beans, kale, and zucchini until the last half hour to keep them bright and crisp.
Add seafood - You could easily use seafood broth and cooked shrimp for an authentic seafood flavor. That’s entirely optional!
Add potatoes - You can either add to or replace the sweet potatoes with white potatoes. They won’t be quite as sweet, but they’ll be satisfying, too.

How to Make Moosewood’s Tilghman Island Stew

Heat the oil over medium heat in a soup pot or Dutch oven.
Add the onions and sauté until they are translucent.
Add the garlic, celery, thyme, Old Bay seasoning, and pepper.
Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a little of the water to prevent sticking, if necessary.
Add the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetable stock (or water and bouillon), bay leaves, and heat to boiling.
Add the corn and red peppers, and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Add the green beans, kale, and zucchini and cook for about 8-10 minutes until the beans are crisp and tender and the kale is wilted but still bright green.
Stir in the soy sauce and lemon juice.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese (optional) and chopped scallions.

Expert Tips

Add lemon at the end - Lemon loses its flavor if you cook it very long.
Use frozen veggies - If you try to make this soup during the winter, you might have difficulty finding fresh green beans or bell peppers at the store. Feel free to use frozen vegetables instead. Just adjust the cooking time so they don’t become overcooked.
Season well - Taste the soup several times throughout the cooking process and adjust the seasoning as you go.

Recipe FAQs

How can you make a vegan seafood stew taste like fish?

If you’re craving a briny, seafood-like flavor, getting just the right flavor can be tricky without adding any fish. There are two great options to help in a pinch. First, try Old Bay seasoning! Many associate it with seafood since it’s such a common seasoning. Another option is to add seaweed to your broth. Dulse is a great option used for this purpose around the world.

What is in Moosewood’s Tilghman Stew?

This classic vegan stew from the Moosewood restaurant is a feast of vegetables. It includes celery, onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, zucchini, kale, and green beans that are perfectly seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, soy sauce, and lemon juice. It tastes like a fish stew without a single animal product!

What do you serve with vegan seafood stew?

Any good bowl of stew needs something to sop up all that broth! You can serve your stew over a bowl of rice or quinoa, with a side of pasta, or with a hunk of homemade bread. This gluten-free, dairy-free white bread is a great option, or you might enjoy this gluten-free French bread.