French Vegetable Stew (Pot-Au-Feu)

There’s nothing quite like a vegetable pot-au-feu stew… a classic French dish I can never get enough of. Whenever I eat a pot-au-feu, I’m taken back to my childhood in Quebec eating Sunday brunch at my grandparents’ house. If you’re looking for a nice, warm vegetable dish to make on a nice cold evening, look no further.

Making pot-au-feu was one of the first dishes my mother learned to cook when she first arrived in Quebec. Every Sunday brunch was be spent at my grandmother’s, who was a wonderful cook, and who taught my mother everything there is to know about French food. Pot-au-feu was a dish that my French Canadian grandmother made regularly with beef and vegetables, and one that’s considered to be a quintessential French dish – “soul food for socialists” as Anthony Bourdain put it.

While I used to love the traditional recipe with meat, I’ve come to prefer the vegetarian version – the one you will find in this post. This is a delicious vegetable stew infused with clean and rustic flavors. It makes a light and healthy main dish or a tasty accompaniment to sandwiches.

Vegetable Stew (Pot-Au-Feu) Ingredients

• Carrot: Bite size slices of carrots for a little sweetness and a pop of color.
• Turnip: Like carrots, turnips add a hint of sweetness to the stew and some earthiness, too.
• Celery root: Celery root has a slight bitter celery taste with a creamy sweetness. It’s also a great vegetable to use in stews and soups because it absorbs flavor so well.
• Green beans: Green beans also absorb flavors beautifully and their tenderness add an extra element of comfort.
• Brussels sprouts: Brussel sprouts offer a subtle nuttiness and a smokey flavor when cooked.
• Baby onions: The sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture of baby onions make it one of my favorite vegetables to add to stews.
• Garlic gloves: Garlic offers a sweet pungent element to every dish it graces. Your kitchen will smell heavenly and your taste buds will thank you.
• Bay leaves: Cooked bay leaves give off a somewhat mint-like flavor with subtle hints of pepper and pine.
• Thyme: This herb offers an earthy, mint-like flavor, both woodsy and sweet!
• Salt: I’m using sea salt but other types of salt, such as himalayan or kosher salt can also be used. If you are using fine grain salt, use less than what the recipe calls for.
• Butter beans: Butter beans are larger than navy beans and offer a unique “buttery” taste.
• Cloves: Cloves add a strong, warm, and spicy aromatic to the stew.
• Coriander seeds: Adding coriander is optional but highly recommended. It’s an herb that offers a floral and citrus taste.
• Water: Skip the broth for this recipe and use only water. A good pot-au-feu has delicate flavors that can easily be overpowered by a broth.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Olive is drizzled at the very end to add a slightly fruity and floral element to the stew.

How to Make French Vegetable Stew (Pot-Au-Feu)

Scroll all the way down for the full recipe.

1. Gather all of your ingredients and cooking tools.
2. Take your vegetables and chop them up into bite size pieces.
3. In a large heavy pot, add all of the ingredients except for the beans and extra virgin olive oil. Set your stove to medium-high heat.
4. Bring your big pot to a boil, cover and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes.
5. Next, add the butter beans to your large soup pot and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Turn the heat off and then remove the bay leaves and season with more salt if needed.
7. Serve into bowls and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Season with freshly ground pepper.
8. Enjoy!

What Does Pot-Au-Feu Mean?

According to Merriam-Webster, Pot au feu is the French word for a French boiled dinner of meat and vegetables. A ‘boiled dinner’ is another way of calling this dish a stew. As you can see from my interpretation of the dish, not all pot au feu dishes require meat. A delicious vegetable pot au feu dish can be just as good—if not better!

What to Serve with Pot-Au-Feu

As I previously mentioned, pot-au-feu can be served as a light main dish or as a side. The flavors are mild and delicate which means that you can serve it with dishes or sides that have bolder flavors. Some of my favorite dishes to pair with this vegetable stew are:

• Nicoise salad
• Salmon en papillote
• Parmesan and broccoli quiche
• Cheese and onion tartine
• The best tuna sandwich

What is your favorite kind of stew? I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments below!

Did you like this pot-au-feu recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Print