Guess what? This sausage and ravioli stew recipe is completely vegan! Yes, you heard that right–with a few special ingredients, you can make a hearty, meaty, cheesy sausage and ravioli stew that is both satisfying for the carnivores in your house and completely plant-based. I’m incredibly lucky to have access to some great vegan alternatives at my local co-op, and they make all the difference in pulling this meal together. Of course, there are always workarounds for those who prefer to forgo meat and dairy alternatives in favor of a fully whole-foods, plant-based diet, but I’m of the mind to embrace what I can find and cook with it when I can, especially since I live with a self-proclaimed carnivore. If you can’t find the specific vegan alternatives that I mention here, you are more than welcome to substitute whatever you do have access to and this recipe will still taste delicious!

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any of these brands.)

The products I used when making the version of this recipe that’s pictured are:

Honestly, though, if you can’t find these brands or you just don’t feel like stocking up on a bunch of new ingredients, just use what you have! Got a box of dry pasta sitting in your pantry? Use that! A container of plain yogurt in your fridge? Boom, there’s your creamy “cheese” stir-in. The great thing about stews–especially ones like this, which are honestly supposed to be filled with whatever you can find–is that they’re incredibly versatile. There’s a reason that every cowboy movie, fantasy epic, and adventure novel features stew in some capacity, and I can think of at least three major pieces of media with characters eating it for lunch or dinner right off the top of my head, even. (“Red Dead Redemption II”, “Breath of the Wild”, and “The Secret World of Arrietty”, in case you’re wondering. Actually, I’m pretty sure every Studio Ghibli movie has characters eating stew at some point, but I’m getting way off track.)

*Ravioli stew? More like ravioli oooooh~!*

This was such a great meal to eat on during the sporadic cool, rainy weather we’ve been getting up here in the mountains lately. Even now, as I’m typing this out, the temperature is a crisp 67F in spite of the summer season. Fall really is gearing up to take over, meaning vegetable and ravioli stews like this, warm curries of any kind (see my recipes for Thai Red Curry, Butter Chicken, Indian Squash & Chickpea Curry, and Japanese Curry TBP), and rich chilis (see my Vegan Chili recipe) are going to be back in season soon. This is one of my times to cook, because it’s the part of the year when spicy, hot dishes are in abundance–and if there’s one thing I love, it’s spicy food. I’m hoping to really up my game this fall and winter with a revamp of my (very, very) old Pho recipe, a Thai green curry, at least one lentil experiment, and a few more Instant Pot recipes (dirty rice, perhaps?). I have a lot to look forward to in the coming months, and I can’t wait to get started!

This recipe makes five servings.

Ingredients:

18oz frozen stuffed pasta (ravioli or tortellini)
26oz pasta sauce (1 jar)
40oz vegetable broth (1.5 sauce jar)
2 sausage links, vegan
2 onions
2 zucchini
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole tomatoes
2 bell peppers
2 cups spinach
2 cups arugula
1 cup crimini mushrooms
2 tbsp Italian seasoning (see my recipe here)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pesto (per bowl)
1 tbsp ricotta, vegan (per bowl)

Directions:

Chop all vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers) into large 1.5-2 inch chunks (zucchini works best when cut into wedges, not rounds; mushrooms work best when quartered). Slice sausage into 1-inch rounds. Separate onions and sausage, and set the rest aside.
In a large stock pot, add sausage rounds, garlic, onions, olive oil, and salt. Heat on medium-high and let onions cook for 5-7 minutes, or until onions are fragrant and somewhat softened and the sausage has begun to brown lightly.
Add remaining chopped vegetables, pasta sauce, water/broth, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil on high heat (about 5 minutes), then reduce to a simmer on medium heat. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until stew has reduced by about 1 inch in the pot.
Add frozen pasta, spinach, and arugula. Stir to ensure all frozen pasta is submerged. Cover and return to a boil for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve immediately with pesto and ricotta in each bowl.

This vegetable stew is delicious both piping hot and room temperature, but I recommend the former for a truly “hearty fall stew” experience. It keeps wonderfully in the fridge overnight, but I would be wary of letting it sit for too long lest your poor raviolis begin to disintegrate (still delicious, though). As always, we ate leftovers for lunch later in the week, and it was just as good if not better than when we made this ravioli stew for dinner.

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