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Fill up on nutritious veggies with zucchini stew. It’s a powerhouse meal complete with beans, basil, and kale! Only 15 minutes of prep time required.
save this recipe!This is the soup you make at a very specific time of year. Your zucchini plant is taking over your garden. You have more tomatoes than you know what to do with. And you absolutely, under no circumstances, want to turn on the oven. Is it soup season? Absolutely.
Reader rating
“Made this for a friend after she had an accident knocking out some front teeth. She and her husband loved it, wanted the recipe. I made it for my family also. It is delicious!” —Patty
The main players
Jump to the recipe card for measurements!
- Zucchini: About 2 medium (3 cups chopped). We tested green vs yellow squash and loved the color contrast of using one of each.
- Marinara Sauce: We tested a few options here, and marinara wins for weeknight ease and flavor complexity.
- Navy Beans: Creamy, protein-packed, and neutral enough to take on the flavors of the stew. You could sub cannellini or great northern, but navy beans gave the best texture.
- Kale: Adds bulk and nutrients without overwhelming the dish. We tested spinach too, but kale holds up better.
- Fresh Basil: Stirred in at the end for that punch of fresh herb flavor. Don’t skip it!
Switch it up
When it comes to making this dish your own, you have a lot of options! Essentially, any combination of veggies can be used, so choose your favorites and have them at your disposal. Some of my favorites are:
- Potatoes (red, russet, or gold)
- Celery
- Carrots
- Bell peppers
Got more zucchini? Make these Italian-style vegetarian stuffed zucchini boats next!
Zucchini Stew with White Beans (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- ½ medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chopped zucchini, about 2 medium zucchini*
- 2 cups marinara sauce, 450 g
- 1 15-oz can navy beans, 425 g
- 1 cup chopped kale
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and zucchini to the pan, cooking until onion and zucchini are a bit soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stewify: Stir in marinara sauce and beans. Continue cooking, covered, for 5 minutes until marinara sauce is hot and gently simmering.
- Greens: Stir in chopped kale and basil. Cook until kale wilts, about 2 minutes.
- Serve: Season with salt and pepper, as needed, then serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Made this for a friend after she had an accident knocking out some front teeth. She and her husband loved it, wanted the recipe. I made it for my family also. It is delicious…
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! I actually also have a friend in that predicament, thanks for reminding me of this one!
Yummy! I added more water to make it a little more soup-y. And lotsss of shaved Parmesan 😋 nice simple healthy recipe, thank you!
Trying something new for my work lunches this week! Just made this and it came together so easily! Even my meat-loving Mama who hates all healthy things asked for seconds! The navy beans made the base creamier. So yummy! Def going into my monthly rotation of recipes. I even prepped the next batch for the freezer. Now all I have to do is dump it all into my InstaPot.
Nothing better than hearing this, thank you!
Made this zucchini stew added smoked sausage to it also part of it added just chicken. One without anything extra. All thee dishes were fantastic.
Thrilled to hear that you loved it, Paige! 😀
Delicious, quick and easy. I will make again
thank you for sharing this recipe.It was simple and tasty (I added some cheese) but was a little too mushy for the fam. again-thank you for sharing-it’s quick, easy and simple for when you need to use up some veggies or pantry staples!
Yay, so glad it was a hit Nomi!
I made this tonight with a few variations and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! I added eggplant and jarred roasted red peppers plus a fresh tomato and cooked the veggies down for a long time before adding the marinara sauce. I also subbed cannelini beans since that’s what I had. This is such a flexible recipe to adapt to your taste and what you have on hand!! Oooh maybe I’ll add spinach at the end next time if I don’t have kale. I’m thrilled that this is another Live Eat Learn winner that’s going in the regular rotation!
Thrilled you loved it Rachel, thanks for the review!
This is delicious. So quick and easy to prepare. It’s definitely going into regular rotation!
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review Mary!
Just a quick update. I have been sharing this recipe with everyone! Thanks Sarah!