South Indian Vegetable Stew (Sambar)
JAMES OSELAND
Recipes

Vegetarian Stews and Soups

Soups and stews don't need meat to be hearty and flavorful. With recipes from filling Tuscan bean to sweet and savory winter squash and apple, these 23 vegetarian stews and soups will satisfy both vegetarians and meat lovers.

In Southern Germany, entire menus are dedicated to this springtime spear. This soup highlights the delicate nature of the white flesh and is a great way to start any meal. See the recipe for White Asparagus Soup »

Leek and Potato Soup

An iconic soup is adapted from Julia Child’s classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I. See the recipe for Leek and Potato Soup »

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This is one of Tuscany's most famous bean dishes. Freshly made, this is a hearty but brothy soup; reheated the next day, it becomes a deeply flavorful, almost porridgy stew. See the recipe

The recipe for this dish—with small lentils (variously called red lentils, pink lentils, Egyptian lentils, and, in South Asia, masoor dal) that turn yellow when cooked—comes from Ethiopean home cook Alemtshaye Yigezu. See the recipe for Ethiopian Lentil Stew »

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Tuscan Bean Soup
Tuscan Bean Soup

Author Nancy Harmon Jenkins uses olive oil three ways in this version of the venerable Italian soup: for sautéing garlic, rubbing on the toasts that accompany the dish, and finishing the soup. Get the recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup »

Vegetable Salad Soup

This whimsical soup sets traditional salad ingredients afloat in a cinnamon broth.

Umbrian Vegetable Soup
Zuppa di Verdure all'Agliata (Umbrian Vegetable Soup)

Unlike a classic slow-cooked minestrone, the vegetables are cooked quickly to preserve their bright flavor. See the recipe for Zuppa di Verdure all’Agliata (Umbrian Vegetable Soup) »

Suketu Mehta

“One night last summer, I made a chile-spiked chili for my family: my parents, my sons, my partner, and her parents.” Read Suketu Mehta’s essay, “Fire in the Belly Recipe: Vegetarian Chili

Lentil Soup with Caraway and Minted Yogurt
Lentil Soup with Caraway and Minted Yogurt

In this Indian-inspired dish lentils are flavored with caraway and coriander to make a quick, fragrant soup. Get the recipe for Lentil Soup with Caraway and Minted Yogurt »

Vegetable Run-Up

This version of rundown, typically made with mackerel, was renamed by chef Yvonne Peters-Hope of Ashanti Oasis Vegetarian Restaurant, who gave us the recipe for this meat-free take on the savory breakfast stew.

Winter Squash and Apple Soup
Winter Squash and Apple Soup

A garnish of fried mushrooms and a drizzle of spiced mint butter adds elegance to a simple pureed vegetable soup.

Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup (Karfiolleves)
Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup (Karfiolleves)

This recipe for paprika-spiced cauliflower soup comes from chef Andrea Németh at the restaurant Bagolyvár in Budapest. To form the tiny dumplings, called galuska, she simply drops bits of dough into the simmering broth. Get the recipe for Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup (Karfiolleves) »

Stewed Beans
Stewed Beans

Lompoc, California, home cook Juliana Fabio includes kidney beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas in this tomato-based side dish, a riff on the Santa Maria—style beans traditionally served alongside tri-tip steak on California’s Central Coast.

Milagu Rasam
Milagu Rasam

“Pepper is for colds and coughs, and turmeric heals wounds,” says cookbook author Viji Varadarajan. In his native South India, milagu rasam, a broth made with those key ingredients, also includes a dose of tamarind, which is believed to help heal sore throats. Get the recipe for Milagu Rasam »

North Indian Kidney Bean Masala Stew (Rajma)
North Indian Kidney Bean Masala Stew (Rajma)

North Indian Kidney Bean Masala Stew (Rajma)

Cream of Fennel Soup
Cream of Fennel Soup

Cream of Fennel Soup

Curried Yogurt Stew (Kadhi)
Curried Yogurt Stew (Kadhi)

Chickpea flour acts as a stabilizer, preventing yogurt from curdling in this aromatic soup.

Cookbook author and cooking instructor Smita Chandra visited the SAVEUR test kitchen to help us develop the recipe for this classic South Indian soup, which is soured with tamarind and spiced with black pepper, coriander, cumin, and rasam powder—a toasted blend of chana dal, chiles, and whole spices, which can be made or purchased from specialty stores. See the recipe for Smita Chandra's Rasam (Spicy Tamarind Soup)
South Indian Vegetable Stew (Sambar)
South Indian Vegetable Stew (Sambar)

Cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey describes sambar as “a split-pea stew which is varied daily with the addition of, say, caramelized shallots or tomatoes or okra or aubergine (eggplant) poached in tamarind juice.” What we discovered in our test kitchen is that any combination of vegetables, such as yams, zucchini, or eggplant, can be added to this aromatic south Indian stew, which is often served with dosas.

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