This Italian Zucchini Stew is loaded with fresh garden-grown zucchini, tomatoes, ground beef, potatoes and green bell pepper. Don’t forget the Parmesan cheese on top!
All of the credit for today’s wonderful Italian Zucchini Stew recipe needs to go to Marguerite DiMino Buonopane, the author of one of our all-time favorite cookbooks called, “The North End Italian Cookbook.” It’s there that we found this easy and delicious ground beef and vegetable stew recipe.
That cookbook – now in its sixth edition – captures the true essence of Boston’s Italian North End neighborhood with so many great, authentically-delicious Italian family recipes. It is often one of the first cookbooks we reach for any time we are looking for a new recipe to try.
In the case of today’s Italian Zucchini Stew, we were simply looking to make a recipe where we could use up some of our garden zucchini – which are growing like crazy this summer!
We hadn’t set out planning to share this recipe here on A Family Feast – thinking it was too similar to the Zucchini Tomato Italian Sausage Soup we shared a few weeks ago. But this Italian Zucchini Stew has a completely different flavor profile – and it was so good, we had to share!
How do you make Italian Zucchini Stew?
In this simple stew, bite-sized pieces of zucchini are cooked together with diced tomatoes, ground beef, slices of potato, and diced green bell pepper plus seasonings. Most of the prep is chopping the vegetables – then it all cooks up quickly in a big pot. Once cooked through, stir in grated Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve this Italian Zucchini Stew with crusty bread on the side and even more grated Parmesan cheese on top! This soup recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, and any leftovers can be heated up the next day for lunch.
You may enjoy these other summer soup recipes:
PrintItalian Zucchini Stew
This Italian Zucchini Stew is loaded with fresh garden-grown zucchini, tomatoes, ground beef, potatoes and green bell pepper. Don’t forget the Parmesan cheese on top!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef 15% fat (85/15)
1 cup onion diced
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 small green bell pepper diced, about one cup
2 stalks celery minced fine, about one cup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds zucchini cut into bite sized pieces, see tip in notes below
1 pound potatoes such as all purpose or new red, see tip in notes below
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Parmesan grated plus more for serving
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add the ground beef, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, green pepper, celery, salt and pepper and sauté until meat has browned and the vegetables almost tender.
- Add zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and water. Bring to a gentle bubble, cover and reduce heat to low to medium low and cook for ten minutes.
- Remove cover and add in tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes or just until the zucchini is cooked. Do not overcook the zucchini.
- Remove from heat and add the cup of Parmesan and taste for additional salt and pepper.
- Serve with additional Parmesan and crusty bread.
Notes
Cut zucchini lengthwise in half then each half in half lengthwise again to get four long quarters. Then slice the opposite way into bite sized pieces.
Peel the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. If they are small, cut into thin slices. If they are large, cut the half in half again and then into thin slices. You want the potatoes to be thin so they take a similar time to cook as the bigger zucchini pieces.
Great flavour, added a bit more spiciness and it worked amazing. Thank you!
Thanks Bersa!
Absolutely delicious and healthy way to use up our fresh garden veggies!! I served the Parmesan on the side because my husband has an allergy, and I used fresh tomatoes and sweet potato as substitutes. This stew is savory and filling!!
Thanks Barb!
I made this but added beef broth and elbow macaroni. It was awesome and so filling
Thanks Reba!
This was really good. So nice to have a new zucchini recipe. I did use frozen gnocchi rather than potatoes because that was all I had, other than that I made it just as written and was very happy.
Thanks Kathy – great suggestion!
This is a summer Italian dish that you typically didn’t have a recipe for. This recipe is spot on!
Thanks Kimmer!
This was a hit for my Sicilian husband! Added a few more things- chopped portobello mushrooms, red peppers, pinto beans (for added protein) Italian Seasoning & sugar. He said it was better than what his momma made!! Paired it with 5 cheese garlic bread. Yummy!
Wow Pamela! Thank you!
I love this recipe! I used a whole can of tomato paste, both zucchini and yellow squash and added Italian seasoning!
Great suggestions Kathy!
This was awesome!! Can you freeze it?
Hi Marsha – the zucchini will probably get soft and maybe even mushy. If that doesn’t bother you, yes you can.
I thought it was good, but lacking something. Maybe a bit of oregano, or a small can of tomato sauce.
Thanks Lynda!
Loved it! I did add another can of tomatoes and some basil this time. Also have made it without potatoes ( didn’t have any) then added a fun pasta shape at the end. Such a good recupe!
Thanks Joni!