Corn and Zucchini Skillet With White Beans in 35 Minutes
This corn and zucchini skillet turns late-summer produce into a one-pan vegetarian dinner with white beans and feta, on the table in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
| sweet corn kernels | 500 g |
| field tomatoes, roughly chopped | 450 g |
| zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced | 400 g |
| white kidney beans, drained and rinsed | 1 can (540 ml) |
| feta cheese, crumbled | 100 g |
| garlic cloves, minced | 3 |
| olive oil, divided | 45 ml |
| lemon juice | 1 lemon |
| salt & pepper | to taste |
Steps
- 1Heat 30 ml of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 2Add the zucchini in a single layer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden in spots.
- 3Add the corn kernels and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until the corn is bright and just tender.
- 4Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes break down into a light sauce.
- 5Add the white beans and simmer for 5 more minutes, until everything is heated through and the sauce coats the vegetables.
- 6Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 15 ml of olive oil, then season with pepper and more salt if needed.
- 7Scatter the crumbled feta over the top and serve warm with crusty bread or over rice.
Corn, tomatoes and zucchini bring fibre, potassium and vitamin C, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil release more lycopene, an antioxidant associated with heart health. The beans add plant protein and more fibre, which is what makes this filling enough to stand alone.
There is a two-week window at the end of August into early September when Ontario corn, field tomatoes and zucchini are all cheap at once, and this corn and zucchini skillet exists to take advantage of it. One pan, about half an hour, and it tastes like the last stretch of summer.
This is the kind of one-pan dinner where the pan does the talking. The zucchini goes in first because it needs a few undisturbed minutes to pick up colour, and once the corn hits the hot oil, the whole kitchen smells like a barbecue. Do not worry about the tomatoes looking messy when they go in, because that is the point. Cut the kernels off the cobs inside a large bowl so they do not scatter across the counter. If your tomatoes are on the firm side, a splash of water helps the sauce along. Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days, are genuinely good cold scooped up with pita, and fold into pasta the following night.
Why does this late-summer skillet work so well?
Late-summer vegetables are at their best right now, which means the recipe does very little work and lets the produce carry it. Sweet corn goes in fresh off the cob, field tomatoes collapse into a light sauce without any help, and zucchini picks up colour in the pan. A good corn and zucchini skillet is mostly a matter of staying out of the way. If you like this kind of cooking, the crispy corn and zucchini fritters already on the Hub use the same seasonal haul in a different direction. As a heart-healthy dinner, it does the useful thing of being meatless without feeling like a compromise, which is the same trick behind the lemon herb salmon quinoa bowl and the summer lentil salad with feta and lemon on the Hub.
Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh?
Yes, and a corn and zucchini skillet works year-round because of it. Use 500 g of frozen corn kernels straight from the bag without thawing, and add an extra minute or two of cooking so any water cooks off. Fresh cobs give a sweeter result during their short season, and frozen corn makes this a year-round dinner rather than an August one.
How do I make this vegan?
Leave out the feta or replace it with a plant-based alternative. The dish holds together without it, though it loses some saltiness, so taste and add a little more salt and lemon juice at the end. Everything else in the recipe is already plant-based, including the beans carrying the protein.
How long does it keep?
Three days in an airtight container in the fridge. It reheats well in a pan over medium heat, and it is also good cold straight from the container. It is not suited to freezing, because the zucchini and tomatoes turn watery once thawed and the texture never fully recovers.
If you are cooking with your heart or your blood sugar in mind and want a plan built around your own situation, Medimap can help you find and book a dietitian near you or browse the Health Hub for more seasonal recipes and nutrition guidance.
This recipe and its nutrition notes are general information and not medical or dietary advice. Calorie and cost figures are estimates. If you have a health condition or dietary restriction, speak with your doctor or a registered dietitian.