Name: Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1 medium eggplant (cubed); 1 large zucchini (cubed/cut into chunks); 1 red bell pepper (roughly chopped); 300 g butternut squash (peeled, cubed); 1 onion (finely chopped); 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 400 g 1 can tomatoes; 400 g 1 can white kidney beans (or another white bean variety, including the water); 4 sun dried tomatoes (in oil, finely chopped); 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp each oregano and thyme; 5 tbsp white wine; 3 tbsp olive oil; 200 ml vegetable stock (hot); 2/3 tsp coarse sea salt (plus pepper to taste)

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This hearty, delicious Mediterranean vegetable stew with beans inspired by ratatouille is a quick and easy to make vegetarian/vegan dish that’s perfect for sharing. Simple to make and ready in just over 40 minutes.

This hearty, delicious Mediterranean vegetable stew was inspired by ratatouille, a classic French vegetable stew, with a few extra ingredients thrown in for a more satisfying meal and seasonal character. This healthy vegetarian dish is very easy to make and can feed a crowd, which makes it great for entertaining as well as a family meal.

What I love about this simple vegetable casserole is that it’s extremely adaptable. You can cook it using different vegetables, such as pumpkin (omit the squash) or fennel, depending on what’s in season. Use your favourite Mediterranean herbs, not necessarily ones I used.

I added a can of beans (including the water) into this stew to turn it into a more satisfying meal. The beans add bulk while the water from the can creates a thicker, creamier stew. Plus nothing gets wasted! Use any white beans variety.

Equipment you’ll need to make vegan vegetable stew

Kitchen scale/measuring cup
Chopping board, knife and vegetable peeler
Large pot and spoon

How to make Mediterranean vegetable stew: step-by-step

1.Heat up 3 tablespoons of oil, add the bay leaf, garlic and onion and fry gently for 3 minutes until softened. Pour in the whine and cook for another minute. Add the squash and eggplant, stir and cook for 5 minutes stirring often.

Cubed squash and eggplant in large white pot with wooden spoon.

2. Add the beans (along with the water from the can), tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, herbs, a little seasoning and hot vegetable stock. Stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Chopped tomatoes, white beans, tomato paste and wooden spatula in large white pot.

3. Stir in the zucchini and pepper, cover and continue simmering for 15-20 more minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through.

Chunky vegetables in tomato sauce in large white pot.

4. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning if needed and enjoy!

Chunky vegetable stew in tomato sauce in large white post with wooden spoon.

Top tips for making vegetable bean stew

Vegetables: You can add different vegetables into the pot depending on what’s in season as well as preference. Swap the squash for pumpkin (chop it into larger chunks as it cooks quickly), add fennel or turnip.
Herbs: I used a combination of thyme and oregano but it’s entirely up to you whether you want to use both or just one of these herbs. Or perhaps create your own herb combination if you prefer.
Try not to overcook the stew as the vegetables might be too soft. Eggplant and squash take a little longer to cook so I cooked them for 15 minutes before adding the zucchini and pepper.
Serving suggestions: Serve alongside pasta or crusty bread, with a sprinkle of grated cheese (optional) and drizzle of oil.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

More easy one pot vegetarian recipes

Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.

Keep in touch

If you make this simple vegetarian stew with beans I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Did you make any swaps? Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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