Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Beans

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.

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.

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

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

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

• Mexican Black Bean Stew (Vegan)
• Baked Eggplant Bean Casserole Recipe
• Easy Vegan Casserole with Peppers & Tofu

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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Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Beans

This hearty, delicious Mediterranean Vegetable Stew with Beans, loosely based on ratatouille makes a fantastic vegetarian/vegan meal.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dinner, Main

Cuisine: gluten free, Mediterranean, vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant cubed1 medium eggplant cubed
• 1 large zucchini cubed/cut into chunks1 large zucchini cubed/cut into chunks
• 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
• 300 g butternut squash peeled, cubed300 g butternut squash peeled, cubed
• 1 onion finely chopped1 onion finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves finely chopped4 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 400 g 1 can tomatoes400 g 1 can tomatoes
• 400 g 1 can white kidney beans or another white bean variety, including the water400 g 1 can white kidney beans or another white bean variety, including the water
• 4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp each oregano and thyme1 tsp each oregano and thyme
• 5 tbsp white wine5 tbsp white wine
• 3 tbsp olive oil3 tbsp olive oil
• 200 ml vegetable stock hot200 ml vegetable stock hot
• 2/3 tsp coarse sea salt plus pepper to taste2/3 tsp coarse sea salt plus pepper to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• In a large pot heat up 3 tablespoons of the oil, add the garlic, onion and bay leaf and fry slowly for 3 minutes until softened. Add the wine, stir and cook for another minute. Add the eggplant and squash and cook for 5 minutes stirring often.
• Add the beans (along with the water from the can), tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and a little seasoning, stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the zucchini and pepper, cover and continue simmering for 15-20 more minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve.

Notes

• 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 1114mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6367IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 4mg

*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

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