Summer Veggie Cioppino

This vegetarian cioppino is packed with fresh summer veggies, chickpeas, and shiitake mushrooms simmered in a garlicky tomato and red wine sauce.

Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil divided
• 6 oz shiitake mushrooms caps, sliced
• 1 onion large, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper large, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ cups dry red wine
• 14 oz chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
• 14 oz diced tomatoes canned, in juice
• 14 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes canned, in juice
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 zucchini chopped, medium
• salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chopped fresh basil
• Crusty bread slices

Instructions

• Coat the bottom of a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the pepper is soft and the onions translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
• Return the mushrooms to the pot and stir in the wine. Raise the heat and bring it to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until reduced by about half.
• Stir in the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth, sugar, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens up a bit and the mushrooms are very tender. Stir in the zucchini and continue cooking for about 5 minutes more, until tender.
• Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
• Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley and basil. Serve with bread.

Nutrition