Italian ZUCCHINI Tomato Recipe With Polenta
This Italian-inspired zucchini tomato recipe is an all-time family favorite. Cozy and bright, hearty but still light, packed with flavor—and totally, 100% beginner-friendly. You’ll mix zucchini, red onion, sweet corn, and kidney beans with a handful of Italian herbs into a tomato sauce, then spoon the veggies over creamy, golden polenta. So easy. So satisfying.
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
For the polenta
- 1 l water
- 3 scant teaspoons salt
- 300 g grainy instant polenta
For the veggies
- 600 g zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)
- 200-250 g of sweet corn (1 tin/jar, or use frozen)
- 200-250 g red kidney beans (1 tin/jar)
- 1 red onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 400 ml tomato passata (or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 small dried red chili peppers (or ½ fresh red chili pepper, seeds removed, flaked)
- 1 bunch mixed Italian herbs (e.g., basil, thyme, oregano, parsley), chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs)
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Start with the vegetables. Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut into bite-size pieces.
- Drain the corn if using canned.
- Drain the kidney beans and reserve the brine (great for aquafaba!).
- Peel and chop the onion, then sauté it in a pan with olive oil until translucent.
- Add the zucchini and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the zucchini is soft. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
- While the pan is cooking away, make the polenta.Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the salt. Slowly pour in the polenta while whisking continuously. Continue whisking until it thickens (about 5 minutes). Once it becomes too thick to stir, cover with a lid and set aside.
- Spoon the zucchini tomato sauce generously over creamy polenta and enjoy.