Ciambotta or Giambotta is a hearty Italian vegetable stew using summer vegetables like zucchini, green beans, leeks, tomatoes, onions, pink radish, broccoli with minimal spices.
You will love this popular dish from the Naples region of southern Italy. This vegetable giambotta is a one-pot meal, vegan, and a macro-friendly recipe. Enjoy this Italian summer vegetable medley with polenta, mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or any Italian crust bread.
The post contains helpful tips and tricks to make a successful recipe on your first attempt. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you want to skip.
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What Is Ciambotta (Giambotta)?
Ciambotta or giambotta is a summer vegetable stew of southern Italian cuisine. it is known as ciambotta or ciambrotta, ciammotta, cianfotta' or ciambotta', ciabatta and all represent the same dish. Source (Wikipedia). It is pronounced as "jam-BAUWT".
Vegetable ciambotta is prepared with summer vegetables and has a very complex flavor due to a variety of veggies. It is a vegan dish but any meat protein also goes well along with the vegetable mixture. It is a Southern Italian dish from Naples, and also known as Ciambotta Napoletana. Often served as the main dish along with crusty bread but feel free to serve as a side dish or soup as well.
I served this vegetable stew with warm basmati rice and salad.
What is in ciambotta?
Ciambotta is a combination of fresh summer produce. Zucchini, green beans, radish, tomato, onion, garlic, eggplant, shallots, fennel, wax beans, romano beans, summer squash, broccoli or broccolini, basil parsley, peppers, carrots are some vegetables to use in making this summer stew. You can use any combination of vegetables as per the pantry availability.
Why you will love this
- Healthy & nutritious- Using fresh produce makes it more nutritious & tasty as compared to any frozen veggie. It helps you in eating your vegetables happily. It is kids approved vegetable stew, my kids enjoyed it with basmati rice and literally lick the bowl. A perfect weeknight dinner to serve.
- Fresh produce & hearty- I love the fact that this healthy vegan stew is prepared with fresh seasonal produce. It is a summer season recipe but you can make it in any season with available vegetables combination.
- Make ahead & meal planning- You can make it in advance easily. Just cook it and refrigerate. Microwave it as n when required. That means it easy meal prep recipe. Hot steamed rice, salad and giambotta is my 3 days lunch/dinner prep while doing meal planning.
- Another way just cut vegetables and store them. Cook whenever required and enjoy your meal.
Ingredients & notes
Please check the recipe card for the full ingredient list and measurements.
I use zucchini, green beans, spring onion, cherry tomato, pink radish, onion, garlic, and sweet corn to make this Italian giambotta from scratch.
Variations & Substitutions
Ciambotta is not a defined recipe and you can find many variations to this stew. Mine has its own version depending on the vegetables available in the pantry.
There may be some regional variations to this vegan stew but they mostly feature summer produce.
- Vegetables- I love to experiment with my giambotta recipe and have cooked it with sweet potato, leeks, eggplant, butternut squash, pumpkin, and potato. I must say any combination of vegetables taste great when cooked together. Feel free to make your own combinations. I also like to add cannellini beans, pinto beans and kidney beans for protein and it goes perfectly with basmati rice.
- Protein- You can cook ciambotta with meat as well. Beef, chicken, sausage, pork, shrimp are some meat options to add in vegetables.
- Herb- If you do not have access to parsley or basil, check this substition for parsley.
How To Make Ciambotta (Giambotta)
Prepare vegetables
To begin with, clean and wash all vegetables. Cut them and keep them ready. You can cut veggies in any shape you like. Cut green beans into 1" length. Slices spring onions & zucchini and cut radishes into 4-6 pieces lengthwise.
Start cooking with the vegetables that will take the longest time to cook. Gradually move on to veggies that take the least time.
Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. You can use the dutch oven as well. Once the oil is hot enough, add sliced garlic and onion. Cook them for 2-3 mins until onions look soft.
To this add spring onion with a little salt. Keep cooking for 4-5 minutes.
Now add sweet corn, pink radish, and stir nicely. Add water or vegetable stock, cover the lid, and cook for 2 minutes on high heat.
After two minutes add zucchini, green beans, salt, black pepper, and water. Mix well, cover the lid and cook further for 2-3 min or until zucchini and beans are tender.
We need soft yet firm vegetables. Finally, adjust the salt, and pepper as per taste.
Mix nicely, here you can cook vegetables further as per your desired softness. Add more water or cook more to reduce existing water content.
Garnish & serve
Garnish with chopped parsley or basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes, ciambotta aka giambotta is ready to enjoy. I served mine with steamed basmati rice and salad.
Can you bake Ciambotta?
You can make ciambotta in the oven as well. Depending on the vegetable cooking time varies in oven-baked giambotta. Start with 355 F – 180 C temperature and add vegetables as per their cooking time and bake. There is no need to add vegetable stock or water in the oven-baked ciambotta recipe.
Tips & FAQ's
- Use fresh vegetables as much as possible. They add tons of flavors as compared to frozen one. I used frozen sweet corn to my recipe when I shot this stew.
- Cook vegetables till they are soft not mushy.
- Adjust salt, pepper and chili flakes as per taste.
You can freeze ciambotta. The answer is yes. Just portion them and transfer them in freezer-friendly bags. Store in the freezer for up to a month. You need to thaw before using and reheating. Having said that I found veggies lose their texture after the thawing process and become soggy. It is always BEST to cut vegetables in advance and cook as per requirement.
Cooking giambotta is a very easy task as compared to cutting all vegetables. Start cooking with the vegetables that will take the longest time to cook and gradually move on to veggies that take the least time. Making sure not to overcook vegetables, cooked yet firm enough to hold their shape is the best judgment.
How to serve
You can serve this vegan Italian stew with rice, polenta, or pasta. We eat with rice and it gets over in just a few minutes. My family loves to add some quick pickles like pickled onion or pickled radish along with the stew.
Roasted cherry tomato or marinated cherry tomatoes also taste great with it.
How to store
You can store any leftover giambotta in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just transfer into a container with the lid and store it. When required either heat in a saucepan or just microwave for 1 minute.
More Summer Recipes
If you like this vegetable recipe, do check a few more summer vegetable recipes from the blog.
Check what goes well with parsley and What goes well with tomatoes.
If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a star rating. Don't forget to tag #fitmealideas20 on Instagram or @fitmealideas on Pinterest!
Recipe
Vegetable Ciambotta (Giambotta)
Ingredients
- 1 10 radish 1 bunch of pink radish
- 2 cup green beans cut into 1" in length
- 1 cup sweet corn I used frozen, but fresh is preferred
- 1 cup zucchini almost ½ zucchini sliced
- 1 cup spring onion almost 1 bunch, measure tightly packed 1 cup
- 1 cup onion sliced in a half-moon, almost half of medium-size red onion
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 4 garlic sliced garlic pods
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper adjust as per taste
- ¾ teaspoon salt adjust as per taste
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup basil chopped
- 2 cup water use vegetable stock if available.
Instructions
- Clean and wash all vegetables. Cut them as desired shape and keep them ready1 10 radish, 2 cup green beans, 1 cup sweet corn, 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup spring onion
- Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot enough, add sliced garlic and onion. Cook them for 2-3 min until onions look soft.2 tablespoon olive oil, 4 garlic, 1 cup onion
- Add spring onion with a little salt. Keep cooking for 4-5 minutes.1 cup spring onion
- Now add sweet corn, pink radish, and stir nicely. Add water or vegetable stock, cover the lid, and cook for 2 minutes on high heat.1 10 radish, 1 cup sweet corn, 2 cup water
- Finally, add zucchini, green beans, salt, black pepper, and water. Mix well, cover the lid and cook further for 2-3 min or until zucchini and beans are tender.2 cup green beans, 1 cup zucchini, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 cup water
- Adjust the salt, and pepper as per taste. Mix nicely, here you can cook vegetables further as per your desired softness.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or basil leaves, ciambotta aka giambotta is ready to enjoy.1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, ¼ cup parsley, ¼ cup basil
Notes
- Use fresh vegetables as much as possible. They add tons of flavors as compared to a frozen ones. I used frozen sweet corn in my recipe when I shot this stew.
- Cook vegetables till they are soft, not mushy.
- Salt, pepper, and chili flakes are the simple spices used in making ciambotta so adjust as per taste.
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