Zucchini Stew

 

 

 

Zucchini Stew is a hearty and scrumptious 1 pot wonder. It has squash (AKA zucchini), potatoes, onions, poached eggs and a savory cheese top all in a rich tomato basil broth. 

 

This and many if my recipes are not the typical ones you'd find in an Italian restaurant.  You would however, find a pot of this delicious and healthy stew on the stove in an authentic home on a lovely hillside somewhere in Italy.

 

With the summer bounty on its way, I'd urge you to try this effortless dish with different varieties of squash.  My favorite is with snake squash, the one that grows up to 4 feet in length and has pale green skin. Try the yellow squash too.  They all work well. Let me know which you prefer.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 3 zucchinis, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rings
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 small potatoes, russet or new or whatever you have, diced into 1 inch or so cubes
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 4 basil leaves, torn by hand
• salt, 1/2 teaspoon 
• ground pepper to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, I used Pecorino Romano

Instructions:

 

In a medium pot, sauté onion in olive oil until golden, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, potatoes, salt, ground pepper and water, stir well. Reduce flame to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, with cover slightly ajar. Add zucchini and basil and stir. Crack 6 eggs around the pot, sprinkle grated cheese all over the top of the stew. 

 

 

Reduce to low flame, cover once again and cook an additional 20 minutes, covered. Serve zucchini with 1 egg per bowl with a side of crusty bread.

 

 

Servings: 6

 

Notes:

This can be made without eggs and grated cheese for an even lighter dish.

 

For dinner, I typically serve 2 eggs per person. In that case, just add more eggs :)