If you find yourself with an abundance of summer "Cucuzza" squash, you're probably searching for a delicious recipe to make with it and my Italian Cucuzza Squash Stew is the perfect plant-based meal to make that the entire family will love!
Table of Contents
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- An Easy, One-Pot Dish Ready in About 30 minutes!
- 100% Gluten-Free and Vegan!
- Made with Clean, Real Food Ingredients!
This Italian Cucuzza Squash Stew is a recipe handed down to me from my Italian father and the Italian "Cucuzza" squash I used came straight from his home garden.
This is a quick, one skillet meal ready in less than 30 minutes, is perfect for Meatless Monday and is vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and Medical Medium® Compliant.
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the clean, real food ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to buy organic if possible.
- Italian Cucuzza Squash
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Tomato Sauce
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Himalayan Pink Salt
That's it!
5 Fast Facts About Squash: excellent source of vitamin C, magnesium, and vitamin A; full of antioxidants; high fiber content; contains 135 mg of beta-carotene; contains 2,400 mg of lutein for eye health*
5 Fast Facts About Tomatoes: contains lycopene's which are cancer fighting agents; high in beta-carotene: excellent antioxidant; high in vitamins A and K; high in chromium which helps control blood sugar levels*
5 Fast Facts About Onions: rich source of sulfur compounds; excellent for cardiovascular health; inhibits bone loss in women; reduces blood pressure; lowers blood cholesterol levels*
5 Fast Facts About Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: lowers blood cholesterol levels; rich in antioxidants; improves bone mineralization and calcification; excellent protection from heart attack and stroke; contains anti-inflammatory benefits*
5 Fast Facts About Garlic: regulates blood sugar levels; lowers high blood pressure; contains anti-bacterial and analgesic properties; anti-viral; helps to lower cholesterol levels*
5 Fast Facts About Himalayan Pink Salt: contains 84 minerals; unrefined, unprocessed, raw; promotes stable pH balance in cells; controls water levels in the body; aids digestion and facilitates better nutrient absorption*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Italian "Cucuzza" Squash
This variety is very similar to yellow squash and is commonly grown in backyard gardens. One distinct feature is that it is HUGE! The squash below from my dad's garden was so big it broke into two pieces!
How to Make This Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the Veggies
Begin with the Cucuzza squash by cutting off the ends, peeling it, and slicing it down the middle vertically. Scoop out the center of the squash that contains the seeds. Then cut the peeled squash into small cube pieces, which will make them cook quicker.
Next, cut the tomatoes and onions into small, diced pieces and set aside.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients
Add the squash, onions, garlic and olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven and sauté on medium heat for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
Next, add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir everything together. If you are adding optional sliced vegan sausage, add it now and re-stir everything again.
Step 3: Cook the Stew
Cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until squash are soft and semi-translucent, stirring occasionally. If the stew is too thick, just add 1-2 tablespoons of filtered/purified water to thin it out to your preference.
Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference and serve as a main dish, over pasta, white rice, or spaghetti squash.
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Substitutions
Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Italian "Cucuzza" Squash: If you don't have or can't find the "Cucuzza" variety, you can substitute it with yellow squash, zucchini, or even eggplant. Whatever you use, peel the vegetable and cut it into small, diced pieces.
Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes will always taste fresh but it you're in a bind or don't have fresh tomatoes, you could substitute with organic canned diced tomatoes. Try to buy them in a BPA-free can if possible.
Onion: You could really use any variety of onion (with the exception of a sweet onion since this is a savory dish) but a white onion would be best.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: This could be substituted with 100% pure avocado oil.
Garlic: Freshly crushed garlic will taste better than garlic powder, but it can be substituted with garlic powder or garlic granules.
Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, but feel free to use sea salt as a substitute.
Red Pepper Flakes: These will give the dish a little spicy flavor but if you don't like red pepper flakes or will be serving the dish to children, they can be omitted and add 1-2 pinches of organic black pepper instead.
Serving Size: This dish will make approximately (4) servings.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't have the Italian Cucuzza squash variety, you can still make the recipe with regular yellow squash or even zucchini.
This recipe is also very similar to my Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Stew which uses eggplant and would be another great alternative.
Even though this is a stew dish and is really good by itself, there are several options you could make to make the dish more filling.
For example, it can be served over pasta (my dad says angel hair pasta is the best!), quinoa, white rice, cauliflower rice, or even spaghetti squash.
Yes! The original recipe my dad gave me had real Italian sausage added to it (which I omitted to make it vegan), but you could always add vegan sausage or regular Italian sausage if you didn't need it to be vegan.
I usually don't buy vegan sausages because they are a processed food (and not gluten-free), but my dad insisted the recipe isn't the same without sausage. So, I used the vegan Field Roast Italian Sausages (I bought them at Whole Foods) and not only did it give the dish extra flavor but even gave the sauce a little different consistency.
Here are the changes I made when I made a second batch adding vegan sausage which took the dish to another whole level of deliciousness:
Tip #1: I used (2) links of sliced vegan Field Roast Italian Sausages and added them in the same step as the tomatoes and tomato sauce. If you didn't need the recipe to be vegan, you could use regular Italian sausage, although I don't know the preparation steps to cook it. I would think you would need to cook it first, separately, then add it at the same time as I did the vegan sausage.
Tip #2: In this batch, I used (3) cups of peeled/diced Cucuzza instead of (2) in the original recipe.
Tip #3: I used the original amount of red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon, but it was too hot for my boys so if you are feeding it to little ones or don't like spicy foods, you may want to reduce or eliminate the red pepper flakes.
Tip #4: This version will make approximately (4) servings.
I have another Cucuzza squash recipe my father gave me called Spicy Italian Cucuzza Squash Bake, but it is vegetarian and not vegan.
You could use your favorite vegan cheese to make it 100% vegan.
Yes! Because Italian Cucuzza squash is so large, freezing it is a great way to enjoy it year-round!
After peeling the Cucuzza, removing center with the seeds, and cutting it into small, cubed pieces, blanche it for approximately (1) minute in filtered/purified water and then store in BPA-free freezer bags for up to 12 months.
Cucuzza Squash Stew with optional Vegan Sausage
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Italian Cucuzza Squash Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cups Italian Cucuzza squash peeled and cubed
- 2 cups organic tomatoes diced
- 1 cup organic onion diced
- ½ cup organic tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons organic extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves organic garlic freshly crushed
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- ½ teaspoon organic red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies: peel and dice the squash into small pieces; dice the tomatoes and onions.
- Add the squash, onions, garlic, olive oil and Himalayan pink salt to a large skillet or dutch oven and sauté on medium heat for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until the onions become soft.
- Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (optional: add 2 links of vegan sausage) and simmer (covered) for approximately 15 minutes, or until the squash are soft and semi-translucent, stirring occasionally. If it gets too thick, just add a tablespoon of filtered/purified water until it thins out to your preference.
- Adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Serve as main dish or over angel hair pasta, white rice, baked potato or spaghetti squash.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.
Want More Healthy Vegan Dinner Recipes?
Check out these:
- Vegan Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Kelp Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- or my Real Food Vegan™ 14-Day Meal Plan Program with 42 plant-based vegan + gluten-free recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
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