Root Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings

From EatingWell: November/December 2008 — Subscribe Now!

This root vegetable stew is flecked with sausage and topped with whole-wheat herbed dumplings. Turn up the heat by using hot Italian sausage or make it crowd-pleasing with sweet sausage. If you find beets or turnips with their greens still attached, the greens of one bunch should yield just enough for this dish. Otherwise use whatever dark leafy greens look fresh at the market.

READER'S COMMENT:

"I've made this several times, and would suggest the following... In my opinion, kale is the ONLY green to use here, it is just perfect, and i've had less than stellar results with other options. All the root vegetables are tasty, but...

Root Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings Recipe

6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups stew & 3 dumplings each

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

Stew

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces Italian sausage links, hot or sweet
2 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled (see Tip) and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or rosemary
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped dark, leafy greens, such as beet, turnip or kale

Dumplings

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or rosemary
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low-fat milk

Preparation

To prepare stew: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Let cool slightly and cut into 1-inch pieces.
If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before dicing. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add root vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage (or rosemary) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often.
To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, sage (or rosemary), baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and milk and stir until a stiff batter forms.
When the stew reaches a simmer, stir in greens and the sausage and return to a simmer. Drop the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over the stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Tips & Notes

Tip: Beets, carrots and parsnips are easily peeled with a vegetable peeler, but for tougher-skinned roots like celeriac, rutabaga and turnips, removing the peel with a knife can be easier. Cut off one end of the root to create a flat surface to keep it steady on the cutting board. Follow the contour of the vegetable with your knife. If you use a vegetable peeler on the tougher roots, peel around each vegetable at least three times to ensure all the fibrous skin has been removed.

Nutrition

Per serving: 403 calories; 17 g fat (5 g sat, 8 g mono); 69 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 16 g protein; 7 g fiber; 815 mg sodium; 744 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (150% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Folate (27% dv).

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 1 fat