Ratatouille
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Ratatouille: the perfect way to enjoy all your favorite summer veggies. This vibrant stew combines eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes with the rich flavors of olive oil and garlic for a dish that’s both comforting and fresh.
Hailing from Provence, a sunny region in the south of France near the Mediterranean Sea, ratatouille is a vibrant summer vegetable stew. This dish features eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes, all richly seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs. It takes some time to prepare, so making a large batch over the weekend is ideal. This way, you’ll have a tasty and colorful base ready for meals throughout the week.
Ratatouille is incredibly versatile. Serve it as a vegetarian main with grains or creamy polenta, alongside Italian sausage, grilled steak or cedar planked salmon, or tuck it into omelets or frittatas. It’s also fantastic spooned over crostini with a smear of goat cheese or even enjoyed cold from the fridge as a healthy snack.
Table of Contents
“What a great way to use the summer harvest. Enjoyed it with a little goat cheese on top. My husband loved it too – this is a keeper!”
What You’ll Need To Make Ratatouille
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables and adds flavor. A drizzle before serving really makes the dish shine.
- Eggplant, Zucchini, Bell Pepper, and Tomatoes: These core vegetables provide a mix of textures and flavors—eggplant adds meatiness, zucchini offers a mildly sweet flavor and tender-crisp texture, bell peppers bring sweetness and crunch, and tomatoes contribute tartness and moisture, creating a saucy base.
- Onion and Garlic: Essential aromatics that form a flavor foundation for the dish.
- Tomato Paste: Intensifies the tomato flavor, adds depth in color, and helps thicken the stew.
- Fresh Thyme and Basil: Thyme provides a subtle earthiness, while basil adds a fresh, sweet touch that really brightens up the dish.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional): Introduces a hint of heat, adjustable to taste preference.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by heating 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (no need to clean it). Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and transfer to a plate; set aside.
Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onion and bell pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 3 minutes more. Do not brown. Next, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes (if using) and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the cooked eggplant to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.
Add the zucchini and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until just warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and thyme.
Drizzle with a little olive oil if desired, and serve warm or chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! In fact, you should make ratatouille at least a day ahead of time if possible. Like most stews, the dish improves after the flavors have a chance to mingle in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Yes, ratatouille freezes very well. Make sure to cool it completely before transferring it to airtight containers or freezer bags. It can be stored in the freezer for up to three months for a taste of summer once the cooler weather arrives. Before using, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat gently to preserve the texture of the vegetables.
Cooking each vegetable separately before combining them in ratatouille ensures that each component cooks to the right texture and retains its distinct flavor. Different vegetables have varying cooking times; for instance, eggplants and peppers take longer to become tender compared to tomatoes and zucchini. By sautéing them individually, you can ensure they are all perfectly cooked.
Video Tutorial
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Ratatouille
Ratatouille: the perfect way to enjoy all your favorite summer veggies. This vibrant stew combines eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes with the rich flavors of olive oil and garlic for a dish that’s both comforting and fresh.
Ingredients
- 1 large (1¼ lbs) eggplant, cut into ⅓-inch cubes
- Salt
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb), cut into ⅓-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 5 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 5 large vine-ripened tomatoes (1¾ lbs), cut into ⅓-inch cubes, with their juices
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme, plus more for serving
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (no need to clean it). Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 3 minutes more. Do not brown. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, thyme, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes (if using) and ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked eggplant to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Add the zucchini and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until just warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle with fresh basil and thyme, drizzle with a little olive oil if desired, and serve warm or chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Let the dish cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. (Keep in mind that the zucchini won't stay crisp after being frozen.) This is delicious served cold, or reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 153
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 392 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Absolutely loved this recipe & cooked it for “vegan night,” which is a new once-a-week adventure for us. It was divine! I’ve made at least 15 of your recipes and all have come out wonderfully the first time. You have made cooking fun for me. Thank you, Jen!
💗
This is the second recipe I have made from this site and both were outstanding. Next time I am looking for a recipe this will be my go to.
I have tried several ratatouille recipes and none have come out as good — or as consistently great! — as this one. Thanks so much. There’s something about the bright simplicity of it. And how the flavor just gets better the next day. Yours has been my go-to recipe for a while now. Last night I made a double recipe for a crowd that includes both omnivores and vegetarians — a lot of whom hadn’t ever had ratatouille before — and everybody *loved* it. So glad I doubled the recipe because the first pot (had to use two!) went! There would have been no leftovers to enjoy if I hadn’t. And that would be a calamity!
Thank you! I’ve been wanting to make Ratatouille ever since the Pixar film came out. It looked so yummy. I made your recipe and loved it! It’s a staple now. Thank you!
I posted a photo but forgot to tag you. I’ll tag next tine I make. I’ll definitely make this often.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
A winner! And a good recipe to practice knife skills:)
Just made this & it is wonderful, I am sure it will be even better tomorrow. Not hard to make.👏
I dug this ratatouille out of my freezer today (made it in Aug 2019) and it was just as delicious as the day I made it. It was so nice to have a taste of summer during these dreary times! Thanks Jenn – I love this recipe and will have it again tomorrow with your artisan bread 🙂
This is a little embarrassing, Jenn, because I’ve been using your recipes for years (I never even go off your page on my iPhone Safari…ever, I just keep it up as one of my pages and never close it). I made the Ratatouille tonight. My daughter (11) helped. Trying to teach her some good basic cooking skills. I followed the recipe pretty well but added a can of rinsed garbanzo beans. Served it over quinoa. It was a hit. I hate altering a recipe and then giving it a review because, we’ll, it’s sort of no longer the recipe but I love garbanzo beans and try to sneak them in for fiber for my family (not that this wouldn’t have a lot of fiber as is). I also used shallots instead of onion because when I sent my daughter to the fridge for onion, she came out with shallots so I said, “yes, we can use those, are there 2 more?” And there were. My daughter can tell this is a healthy recipe and even commented that this is the food you want to be eating to stay as healthy as possible. Reading your recipes together and cooking with my daughter gives us so much joy. Pretty much every recipe you put together is a winner in our books. Love the potato leek soup 🙂
Your very appreciative fan, Alison Rowat (and her daughter Caroline Cready!!)
So glad you enjoy the recipes and that they play a small part in spending quality time with your daughter! 🙂
I just made this more or less. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a ratatouille or a caponata so I looked at a half dozen recipes and I decided what techniques and ingredients I wanted to use. It was mostly this recipe with some celery, capers, and toasted pine nuts from caponata recipes. I used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes along with a fresh tomato and some chunky tomato sauce, based on what I had on hand. From my garden I used fresh basil, thyme, mint, and oregano. I love how the eggplant got soft but the squash and celery stayed crisp. I served it over some rustic no knead bread that I baked for an appetizer along with linguine and eggplant parmesan. We loved it. It’s like a garden in a bowl!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was absolutely delish! loved it so much, will be making it many more times. I don’t cook much, but trying to make more an effort these days and I’m a vegetarian so this is perfect.
So good! This tastes fresh and tasty no matter when you are eating it! Yet another incredible recipe on this site and I strongly recommend it, especially for a vegetarian or vegan (like myself)! If you’ve seen the Pixar film based on this dish, you simply must try this. And even if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m sure you should try this as well!