Easy Italian Zucchini Stew

Italian zucchini stew is the perfect plant-based dish for a quick weeknight meal that’s comforting and full of flavour. This stew is ready in just half an hour and is loaded with veggies for a highly nutritious bowl of goodness.

I love Italian flavours more than I can possibly describe, and this easy Italian zucchini stew is a simple dish that truly makes them shine.

The zucchini stew is loaded with nutritious veggies and infused with oregano, garlic and basil to create a perfect dish that’s perfect on its own but also great to have with some warm, crusty bread.

Even better, zucchini stew is easy to make in about 30 minutes and all the ingredients are budget-friendly.

It’s just the perfect Italian-style dish for those moments when you want to eat clean without compromising on flavour.

What do you need to make Italian zucchini stew?

Olive oil — I like to saute the veggies for soups and stews in a bit of olive oil to enhance their flavour. If you don’t like to cook with oil, you can saute them in some veggie stock or just water.

Onion, celery and red bell pepper — It’s always best to dice the base veggies on the smaller side so they cook quickly and evenly.

Garlic — I use four garlic cloves in this zucchini stew, but you can adjust the quantity to your liking.

Oregano — You can add some extra dried herbs besides oregano, including basil, thyme, marjoram or sage. Alternatively, use an Italian seasoning mix instead.

Fresh herbs are another great idea — just add a tablespoon of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary each for some extra flavour.

Red chilli flakes — You only need ¼ teaspoon of red chilli flakes to give this zucchini stew a bit of a kick. You can skip it if you don’t want any spiciness or increase the amount if you like things to be fiery.

Tomato paste — Allow the tomato paste to cook for a minute before adding the rest of the ingredients. This is a great way to enhance the flavour.

Potatoes — I used Maris Piper potatoes for this stew, but any type of floury potato would be an excellent choice.

Zucchini (courgettes) — There’s no need to peel or scrape the zucchini, especially if they’re organic.

Chopped tomatoes — Use the best quality chopped tomatoes you can for the best flavour. Alternatively, you can use fresh tomatoes, but you may need to cook the stew for about 10 minutes more.

Fresh basil — A handful of fresh basil infuses this Italian zucchini stew with an incredible flavour. Add it right and the end and reserve some to top up individual bowls if you like.

How to make it?

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and add the onion, celery and red bell pepper. Saute for 6-8 minutes until the veggies are softened.

Stir in the garlic, dried oregano and red chilli flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Next, stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the potatoes, zucchini, chopped tomatoes and water. Stir to combine, bring to a bubble and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Stir in the fresh basil, season to taste and serve with your favourite crusty bread.

Recipe notes and tips

• It’s always best to cut the potatoes and zucchini in even-sized bits, so they cook uniformly.
• If you’re not a vegan, you can stir in 30 g (¼ cup) grated Parmesan with the fresh basil. You can also serve zucchini stew with some extra grated Parmesan on top.
• You can add some other veggies to this stew, with eggplant (aubergine) and yellow squash both being excellent choices.

If you liked this easy Italian zucchini stew, you might also like some of my other easy vegan stew recipes:

• Vegan Cannellini Bean Stew
• Tuscan Bean and Barley Stew with Kale
• Greek Peas Stew with Potatoes (Arakas Lathers)
• African Peanut Stew with Kale
• Easy Butter Bean Stew

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