Easy Classic Ratatouille Recipe
“Vegetable stew” is not exactly a thrilling sales pitch! But this ratatouille recipe, perfectly simmered with olive oil and herbs, is the kind of delicious that makes you wonder why you’ve been underestimating vegetables this whole time.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 medium zucchinis cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow squash cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ pounds cherry tomatoes halved
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh basil torn and packed (plus more to garnish)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, then the eggplant, and a sprinkle of salt. Tossing every minute or so, sauté for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned and tender. Transfer eggplant to a large bowl and set aside.
- Turn to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot, then the zucchini and yellow squash, and sprinkle with salt. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, tossing every minute or so, until tender. Transfer squash to large bowl with eggplant and set aside.
- Turn to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot, then the peppers and onions, and sprinkle with salt. Sauté for 5 minutes, tossing every minute or so, until tender.
- Keeping the peppers and onions in the pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Over medium heat, add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Toss. Let simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so, allowing tomatoes to concentrate and reduce.
- Over medium heat, add the rest of the veggies, and let simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until ratatouille has thickened to a stew, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Skim off any excess liquid from the tomatoes if desired. Remove bay leaf, and add vinegar and basil. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Stir and enjoy hot or at room temperature (for up to 2 hours) with more fresh basil on top!
Video
Notes
- You can use other types of tomatoes (like Roma or plum), but I prefer the smaller seeds in cherry tomatoes.
- Chop and prep all veggies before beginning!
- Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are, you may need to skim off some extra liquid at the end of cooking.
- This recipe makes roughly 6 cups of ratatouille but it depends heavily on the size of your veggies!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1582IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg