Mixed vegetables in a pan with potatoes, a perfect side dish for any occasion. Cooked in a pan and not fried, quick and tasty, these flavorful mixed vegetables are a pan-cooked vegetable side dish made without frying anything—tasty and light. This dish is perfect served cold, like a mixed vegetable caponata. A simple and economical recipe, ideal also for using up leftover vegetables in the fridge. I made it with summer seasonal vegetables: zucchini, eggplant and peppers, red onions, potatoes and basil. In any case, you can add any other vegetables you prefer, such as peas, fava beans, celery, carrots, tomatoes…

Cooked with very little oil, these sautéed vegetables are a perfect side for meat and fish main courses and are also an excellent base for tasty omelettes like the mixed vegetable omelette. You can also toss them with pasta, couscous, bulgur or rice to make delicious warm first courses that are vegan or vegetarian.

To make this mixed vegetable side dish I recommend using a heavy-based nonstick skillet and a lid that traps the steam from the vegetables while they cook, helping them to cook without adding water. Also, by respecting the cooking times of the various vegetables and adding them to the pan by type, you’ll obtain a side dish where the flavors of the vegetables are well defined instead of ending up with a mushy vegetable cream. Let’s go to the kitchen—I will explain step by step how to make this sautéed mixed vegetables, or rather this summer vegetable side that you can enjoy hot, warm or after a few hours of resting.

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 10 Minutes
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Fall

Ingredients to make the sautéed mixed vegetables

1 onion (white or red or spring onions)
1 eggplant (large)
1 bell pepper (red or yellow)
1 zucchini
2 potatoes
as needed extra virgin olive oil
as needed salt
basil

Tools

Skillet
Cutting board

Steps to make a sautéed summer vegetable side dish

To make the vegetable omelette, start by cleaning all the vegetables. Peel the onion, rinse it and chop it finely. Rinse the bell pepper, remove the stem, seeds and veins, slice it into strips and then cut into very small cubes.
Rinse the eggplant, remove the stem, cut it into slices about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick, then cut the slices into strips and finally into very small cubes.
Do the same with the zucchini and the potatoes after peeling and rinsing them.
Cut everything into small cubes so that they cook quickly and evenly.
Let the onion soften in a generous drizzle of oil, add the peppers, season with salt and let cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes, then add the eggplant.
Cook for another 5 minutes and add the zucchini and only after another 5 minutes add the potatoes.
Adjust the salt if needed and cook on low heat with the lid on for 10–15 minutes (cooking gently, you should not need to add water, but adjust as necessary).
Our sautéed vegetables are ready; move them to a bowl and let them cool slightly or completely before serving. Add basil for extra aroma just before serving or once cooled.
This side dish keeps in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container and can also be enjoyed cold.