• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Press
  • Browse Categories
  • Work With Us
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

Give Recipe logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Browse Categories
  • Turkish
  • Desserts
  • About
  • Start Here
×

Home » Vegetarian » Mediterranean Zucchini Stew With Tomatoes

Published: Aug 15, 2021 · Modified: Aug 16, 2021 by Zerrin & Yusuf

Mediterranean Zucchini Stew With Tomatoes

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This incredibly delicious and vegetarian zucchini stew will make the perfect light low-calorie meal on beautiful summer days. It is packed with a bunch of Mediterranean flavors and pairs fantastic with a light and refreshing yogurt sauce and some crusty bread.

If you would like to try more vegetarian recipes, go have a  look at our Vegetarian Recipe category. And if you’ve just fallen in love with zucchini, we also have a bunch of healthy zucchini recipes like zucchini tomato casserole, feta cheese stuffed zucchini boats or cheesy zucchini Casserole.

Zucchini stew with tomatoes and herbs in a pan and a wooden spoon in it.
Jump to:
  • Why We Like This Recipe
  • About The Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Tips
  • Serving Suggestions
  • FAQs
  • More Zucchini Recipes
  • More Vegetarian Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Why We Like This Recipe

  • It is incredibly easy and simple to make. You will be surprised how quickly you can whip up this delicious meal.
  • It is very low in calories and not heavy at all. This light zucchini stew will make the perfect lunch, appetizer, or even late-night dinner if you aren’t that hungry. It is perfect for summer and is packed with delicious Mediterranean flavors!
  • It tastes so good with some crusty bread. We enjoy dipping bread into it!

About The Ingredients

Naturally, the hero ingredient of this stew is the zucchinis. We prefer the pale green variety but literally, any type of zucchini or courgette will work fine.

Zucchini, tomatoes, spices, garlic, onion, olive oil, tomato paste, parsley on a dark background.

Then we of course have the fresh summer tomatoes, which add a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to the zucchini stew. We wouldn’t recommend using canned tomatoes, although you can if you’re in a pinch.

This recipe allows you to play around with spices a lot. Although it does already contain a perfect blend of aromatics, you can always remove and add some that meet your needs. We sometimes love adding some chili or cayenne pepper for an added kick.

If you want to create a heartier stew, you can add additional chopped potatoes, or other vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, or carrots.

How to Make

This is a flavor-packed vegetarian stew that only uses basic ingredients to create an incredibly unique and mouth-watering stew. And what makes it even better is that there is still room for you to play around with the flavors!

Zucchini sliced and diced on a wooden board, tomatoes and parsley on the side.

First, prepare the zucchini. We love to dice them as they are better in a stew. But you can chop them roughly in larger pieces if you want.

Second, make the base of the stew. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add your onions. Allow them to cook until they are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the tomato paste, cooking it for about 1 minute while stirring.

Diced zucchini cooking in a tomato sauce in a pan and a wooden spoon in it.

Add the diced zucchini with their skin on and cook them for about 2-3 minutes, making sure they are covered well with the tomato paste. Place a lid on the pot and allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.

Diced zucchini, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, garlic and spices in a pan.

Then, allow to cook and serve. After your zucchini has sweated a bit, add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, salt, and all the other seasoning ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Finally, garnish the zucchini and tomatoes stew with some parsley and serve immediately.

Zucchini tomato stew topped with chopped parsley in a pan and a wooden spoon in it.

Tips

  • We like to make our zucchini quite chunky and large. A rough chop is more than fine as they shrink a lot while they cook. This also helps add more texture to a stew, which can often be mushy.
  • We would highly recommend choosing the best and freshest tomatoes for this recipe as it is a big flavor component. You can (and even should) make your own tomato paste and choose some fresh summer tomatoes.
  • If you are in a hurry though, you can use chopped canned tomatoes, or even whole peeled tomatoes for juicier flavors.
  • This recipe is fantastic as it only uses simplistic flavoring ingredients like garlic, salt and pepper, cumin, thyme, and paprika. Obviously, all of the ingredients in this recipe create a well-balanced flavor profile, but it does leave a lot of space for experimenting!
  • You can substitute the parsley with fresh dill or basil as a garnish. These will still add a refreshing herb flavor that compliments the flavors of this stew well.

Serving Suggestions

This is a staple summer dish in Turkish cuisine, especially in the more southern parts. We always love serving it with a dollop of yogurt.

You can buy store-bought plain yogurt, although we prefer making our very own. Our yogurt recipe is incredibly easy to make and you don’t need a ton of skills or equipment.

Alternatively, you can serve it with some crusty bread like this hot water cornbread, bazlama bread, or pide bread. All these make fantastic dipping bread for this zucchini tomato stew.

Zucchini stew served in a bowl with a yogurt topping and a fork inside.

FAQs

Can I freeze this stew?

You can definitely freeze this stew for up to 3 months! The most important thing to keep in mind when freezing vegetable stews, or any dish really, is to keep a consistent and stable freezer temperature.

Can I make it with meat or chicken?

You can definitely add some type of meat to these like chicken or beef, however, we love it most as a vegetarian dish.

Can I substitute basil for parsley?

You can substitute the parsley with virtually any herb. We would recommend herbs that have a fresher and less umami flavor like basil and dill, even fennel. These herbs pair fantastic alongside zucchini with tomatoes and onions.

Can I use store-bought tomato sauce?

You can buy store-bought tomato sauce, however, fresh summer tomatoes do always work better. And never skip adding tomato paste! The tomatoes are a big component of this recipe and give it a deliciously tangy, sweet, and slightly acidic flavor profile.

More Zucchini Recipes

  • Zucchini Fritters Mucver With Feta
  • Zucchini Chips

More Vegetarian Recipes

  • Turkish Imam Bayildi Recipe
  • Turkish Stuffed Green Peppers With Rice
  • Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
  • Cheesy Cabbage Casserole

As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Print

📖 Recipe

Mediterranean Zucchini Stew Recipe

Zucchini stew with tomatoes and herbs in a white pan and a wooden spoon in it.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

A very light stew with zucchini, onions and tomatoes.

  • Author: Zerrin & Yusuf
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Sautéing
  • Cuisine: Turkish
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped 

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste 

  • 2 medium sized zucchini (about 1 pound) 

  • 3 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped 

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • ½ teaspoon salt 

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper 

  • ¼ teaspoon cumin

  • ¼ teaspoon thyme

  • ½ teaspoon paprika

  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Cook onions until translucent.
  2. Reduce the heat and add in tomato paste. Cook it for about a minute, stirring occasionally.  

  3. Dice the zucchini with their skin. Add them in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. Put the lid on and let it cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. 

  5. Add in chopped tomatoes, garlic, salt and other spices. 

  6. Cook it covered for 20 minutes. 

  7. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Notes

  1. We used diced zucchini but you can just roughly cut them in larger chunks.
  2. Tomato paste and summer tomatoes are important in this recipe for the best flavor. But if you are in a hurry, you can use canned chopped tomatoes.
  3. You can play with the spices if you want.
  4. You can substitute fresh dill or basil for parsley as a garnish.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 87
  • Sugar: 2.4 g
  • Sodium: 304.4 mg
  • Fat: 7.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 6.1 g
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: zucchini stew, zucchini tomato stew

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @give_recipe on Instagram and hashtag it #giverecipe

« Zucchini Tomato Casserole (Vegan)
Fried Zucchini Chips »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cajun Chef Ryan says

    January 10, 2011 at 4:25 am

    Zerrin,
    Indeed, zucchini is a great vegetable and with the chili and yogurt garlic sauce is a flavor bonanza.

    Reply
  2. Irena says

    January 09, 2011 at 9:14 am

    Love zucchini , very nice and interesting recipe:)

    Reply
  3. Tracey@Tangled Noodle says

    January 09, 2011 at 7:21 am

    Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables - we even grew our own at one time. They would get so big, I would have to chop them up and freeze them to use over the winter. Unfortunately, I have not seen any here in Manila, but I will keep searching. In the meantime, I will enjoy your easy yogurt-garlic sauce. 😎

    Reply
  4. Jeannie says

    January 09, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    That is one great looking dish! I don't eat much zucchini simply because this is not a local vege and therefore is quite pricey.

    Reply
  5. OysterCulture says

    January 09, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    We love zucchini but I have never made it with a yogurt and garlic sauce before, that sounds extra special. Another delicious treat that you've shared with us.

    Reply
  6. Kate @ Diethood.com says

    January 09, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    That sounds so good! I love zucchini, but zucchini in yogurt? MMMM! I need to try this recipe!

    Reply
  7. Nancy @ Kitchen Gypsies says

    January 09, 2011 at 11:45 am

    Hi Zerrin, Your recipe sounds very tasty. I've added it to my long list of foodie recipes to try. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Corina says

    January 09, 2011 at 12:24 am

    I love zucchini but unfortunately my husband doesn't so I hardly ever get to make it. I'll wait until the next time he's out and then make this just for me.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 4:49 am

      My husband didn't used to love zucchini, either. Surprisingly, he loved this one. Maybe the garlicky yogurt sauce helped me. Maybe it can work for yours, too 🙂

      Reply
  9. George says

    January 08, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    My main complaint about zucchini is it's lack of flavor. It seems you've solved that problem here. Will definitely try this one.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 4:54 am

      The solution lies behind the spices and garlicy yogurt sauce. Try and enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Anda @ Cinna-moonBeams says

    January 08, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Another zucchini fan here: Yes to zucchinis! This recipe is mouthwatering, thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 4:56 am

      I've just become a zucchini fan! I must learn new recipes now!

      Reply
  11. Lisa says

    January 08, 2011 at 4:59 pm

    This looks very appetizing. I never would have thought to use a yogurt sauce.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 4:57 am

      If you use strained yogurt, it is even better! Zucchini loves yogurt 🙂

      Reply
  12. tasteofbeirut says

    January 08, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    I love zucchini; in the summers in Lebanon we eat it every days until we get sick of it; it is very small there and almost sweet. It is good in many ways, even steamed; but the best way is with onions and tomatoes and a garlic yogurt sauce. Like the one you did.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 5:03 am

      Although it is a summer vegetable, I can't help buying zucchini in Winter, too. You know I am the new lover of this veg. and I must improve new dishes with it.

      Reply
  13. Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog says

    January 08, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Zucchini is one of my favorite veggie - love the sauce with yogurt and garlic - ideal for me!

    Cheers,

    Gera

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 5:04 am

      I'm sure you will love it more when you use this sauce on it!

      Reply
  14. Mateja says

    January 08, 2011 at 2:00 pm

    In our family we all love zuchini! Kid's favorite are breaded, my husband's sauteed, and mine stuffed. Wonderful post Zerrin! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 08, 2011 at 2:06 pm

      How lucky you are! We discovered the great taste of zucchini a bit late, and trying new recipes with it. Better than never:)

      Reply
  15. dokuzuncubulut says

    January 08, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    Evde hepimiz çok severiz kabak musakka, bol derotlu ve sarımsaklı yoğurtlu. Harika olmuş Zerrin, ellerine sağlık.

    Reply
    • Zerrin says

      January 09, 2011 at 4:52 am

      Musakka olarak ben de seviyorum. Dereotu ve kabak her zaman harika bir çift olurlar, değil mi? Annemden öğrendiğim bu tarifte dereotu yok, kendisi sevmediği için kullanmaz. Hatta günkurusu domates de ekler, harika olur.

      Reply
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Zerrin & Yusuf

Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

More about us→

POPULAR

  • How To Cook Buckwheat Groats
  • How To Prepare Fava Beans (Fresh & Dried)
  • Piyaz Recipe - Turkish White Bean Salad
  • Turkish Beef Stew
  • How To Make Fresh Homemade Yogurt
  • How To Cook Oyster Mushrooms Easy

Footer

All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted and the property of Give Recipe. They may not be republished in part or whole without proper credit and permission.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 GIVE RECIPE

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Privacy PolicyACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT