Late Summer Harvest Bean Skillet

Summer's grand finale is playing out in gardens across the country right now. The kids are back in school, schedules are packed, and yet the garden seems to be having its most productive moment. Zucchini the size of baseball bats appear overnight, tomatoes are ripening faster than you can pick them, and the corn is at its absolute peak sweetness. This is the beautiful chaos of late summer abundance, and it calls for recipes that can handle the harvest without demanding hours in the kitchen.

Enter this Late Summer Harvest Bean Skillet – my love letter to both ratatouille and the convenience of having batch-cooked heirloom beans waiting in the freezer. This is a 30-minute meal that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, transforming your garden bounty into something that feels both rustic and refined. The beauty lies in its flexibility – use whatever vegetables are threatening to take over your counter, and let those pre-cooked beans be your secret weapon for getting dinner on the table fast.

This skillet celebrates everything I love about late summer cooking – the abundance of the season, the satisfaction of using ingredients you've grown or carefully sourced, and the joy of creating something nourishing without spending your entire evening in the kitchen. It's proof that fast food can be real food, especially when you've done a little planning ahead.

The Magic of Batch Cooking Beans

This recipe relies on one of my favorite meal prep tricks: having containers of cooked heirloom beans ready to go in the freezer. A few weeks ago, when I had time on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I cooked up several pounds of beautiful heirloom beans and portioned them into containers with their cooking liquid. Now, on busy weeknights like these, I can pull out a container, let it thaw while I'm chopping vegetables, and have a protein-packed foundation for dinner in minutes.

The convenience factor cannot be overstated. Those gorgeous heirloom beans with their complex flavors and creamy textures become as accessible as opening a can, but infinitely more delicious. If you haven't tried freezing your cooked beans yet, check out my how to freeze beans blogpost for all the details on this game-changing technique. And if you're new to cooking heirloom beans altogether, our Ultimate Guide to Cooking Beans will walk you through everything from soaking to seasoning.

The Secret Spice: Piment d'Ville

The star seasoning in this skillet is piment d'ville, also known as piment d'Espelette. This remarkable pepper from the Basque region of France brings a subtle heat and a deep, almost smoky sweetness that pairs extraordinarily well with tomatoes. Unlike harsh cayenne or generic chili powder, piment d'Espelette has a complexity that enhances rather than overwhelms. It's the kind of spice that makes people ask "what is that incredible flavor?"

The marriage between this pepper and late summer tomatoes is particularly magical. The tomatoes' natural sweetness and acidity create the perfect canvas for the pepper's nuanced heat, while the earthy beans ground everything in satisfying richness. If you can't find piment d'Espelette, a good sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne will work, though you'll miss some of that distinctive Basque character.

Late Summer Harvest Bean Skillet

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Category

Main Dish

Cuisine

French

Servings

4

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups previously cooked heirloom beans (thawed frozen beans are perfect) I used Rio Zape.

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon piment d'ville
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

1. Put the eggplant cubes in a colander set over a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. This draws out excess water that could make your skillet soggy.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and sauté the salted zucchini until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. Pat the eggplant cubes dry with a towel to remove any surface moisture.

4. Sauté the eggplant for 2-3 minutes until cooked through and starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside with the zucchini.

5. Add the garlic to the skillet and sauté for one minute, being careful not to let it burn. Add the onion along with a drizzle of additional olive oil if needed (eggplant has a tendency to absorb oil like a sponge). Sprinkle with salt and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the corn kernels and sauté for 2-3 minutes more until they're bright and tender.

6. Add the piment d'ville and the tomato cubes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, just long enough for the tomatoes to start releasing their juices and the spice to bloom.

7. Return the zucchini and eggplant to the skillet along with the beans. Sauté everything together for a few minutes until the beans are warmed through and all the flavors have had a chance to mingle.

8. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil and serve immediately with crusty bread and a crisp salad for a hearty and healthy weeknight meal.