This ratatouille recipe is a scrumptious model of the basic French stew. It is wealthy and flavorful, full of late summer season greens, olive oil, and herbs.
Ratatouille is a French stew made with late summer season greens like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. It’s wealthy with olive oil, shiny with vinegar, and flecked with recent herbs. If you happen to haven’t tried it, put this ratatouille recipe in your checklist to make this summer season. It’s much more pleasant than the Disney film of the identical title (which is fairly pleasant, if you happen to ask me).
Making this ratatouille recipe all the time transports me to Provence, France. Just a few years in the past, I stayed with an area household there. On my first evening with them, they served ratatouille for dinner. We sat on their patio, ingesting rosé and scooping up the thick stew with crusty bread. I’ve all the time liked ratatouille, however that evening cemented it as one in all my favourite summer season dishes.
Since then, I’ve made ratatouille each summer season. This recipe is a streamlined and simplified model of 1 I shared a number of years in the past. It comes collectively on the stovetop—no oven required!—and it’s simply as scrumptious as any ratatouille I’ve tasted in France. I hope you adore it as a lot as I do!
Ratatouille Components
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this ratatouille recipe:
- Onion and garlic – They create the stew’s savory base.
- Eggplant – Any selection will work, however I sometimes use a medium-large Italian globe eggplant right here.
- Zucchini – Yellow squash is nice too!
- Peppers – Any kind of candy pepper will work right here. I sometimes use yellow, orange, or purple bell peppers. Keep away from inexperienced bell peppers—they received’t add sufficient sweetness to the ratatouille.
- Tomatoes – They break down right into a sauce that brings the opposite greens collectively. Solely use chopped recent tomatoes on this recipe. Canned diced or crushed tomatoes will overpower the opposite veggies.
- White wine vinegar – It makes the ratatouille tangy and shiny.
- Additional-virgin olive oil – For sautéing the veggies. You’ll add 1 to three tablespoons of oil to the pan at a time so that every vegetable turns into properly caramelized and tender.
- A pinch of sugar – It tames the acidity of the vinegar and tomatoes.
- Pink pepper flakes – For warmth. Be happy to skip them if you happen to’re delicate to spice.
- Contemporary herbs – Basil and thyme add recent, fragrant taste to this recipe.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
The best way to Make Ratatouille
If you happen to’ve seen the Ratatouille film, you may be questioning why my ratatouille doesn’t encompass fairly layers of vegetable slices.
It’s a good query! The dish that Remy the rat makes within the film is definitely a tian, a sort of casserole native to Provence. Whereas it’s scrumptious, it’s far fussier to make than conventional ratatouille—a humble stovetop vegetable stew.
Right here’s my most popular technique for the best way to make ratatouille:
Begin by prepping the eggplant. Chop it into 1/2-inch items. Then, place it in a colander and sprinkle it with salt. Set it over a plate or bowl or within the sink to empty for 20 minutes.
Recipe Tip
You may be tempted to skip salting the eggplant, however this straightforward step is completely value it! It attracts moisture out of the eggplant, serving to it cook dinner extra evenly and concentrating its taste.
Chop and salt the eggplant immediately. 20 minutes will practically be up by the point you end prepping the opposite elements.
Then, cook dinner the eggplant. Blot it dry and sauté it in a big skillet till tender, 10 to fifteen minutes. Take away it from the pan and put aside.
Subsequent, cook dinner the zucchini. When it’s tender (however not mushy!), take away it from the pan and put aside with the eggplant.
Then, cook dinner the peppers and onions till very tender, stirring within the garlic midway via.
Why not cook dinner all of the greens without delay?
Eggplant, zucchini, and peppers have completely different cook dinner occasions. If we have been to toss them within the pan all collectively, the zucchini can be mush earlier than the eggplant was near tender.
These greens additionally comprise lots of moisture. In the event that they began within the pan collectively, there can be an excessive amount of moisture for the veggies to caramelize.
So, whereas cooking each individually requires extra time, it pays off. Every particular person vegetable turns into completely tender and caramelized, enhancing the flavour and texture of the ultimate stew.
As soon as the onions, bell peppers, and garlic are tender, add the tomatoes, together with the purple pepper flakes and sugar. Prepare dinner till they break down right into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes.
Lastly, simmer the ratatouille. Return the eggplant and zucchini to the pan. Add the vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook dinner till the ratatouille is thick.
Stir in half the basil and season to style. Garnish with extra basil and serve!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
Ratatouille Serving Options
My favourite technique to get pleasure from ratatouille is the only: in a giant bowl with crusty bread on the facet! It’s glorious heat or at room temperature, particularly with a drizzle of olive oil and recent basil on high.
Listed below are just a few extra scrumptious methods to serve it:
How do you wish to eat ratatouille? Let me know within the feedback!
Extra Summer time Recipes to Attempt
If you happen to love this ratatouille recipe, attempt one in all these scrumptious summer season dishes subsequent:
Ratatouille
Serves 4
This ratatouille recipe is my favourite technique to make the basic French stew. It is wealthy and flavorful, full of late summer season greens like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Serve it heat or at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil on high and crusty bread on the facet.
- 1 medium-large eggplant, 1 pound, minimize into ½-inch items
- Sea salt
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as wanted
- 2 medium zucchini, 1 pound, minimize into ½-inch items
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 purple or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minimize into ½-inch items
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pound tomatoes on the vine, 3 to five, minimize into ½-inch items
- Pinch purple pepper flakes
- Pinch cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chopped recent thyme leaves
- Freshly floor black pepper
- ¼ cup thinly sliced recent basil leaves, plus extra torn basil for garnish
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Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Place within the sink or over a big rimmed plate and put aside for 20 minutes to empty. Blot dry with a clear kitchen towel or paper towels.
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Warmth 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add the eggplant and cook dinner, stirring often, for 10 to fifteen minutes, or till tender. Switch to a big bowl and put aside.
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Add one other 1 tablespoon olive oil and the zucchini to the skillet. Prepare dinner, stirring often, for 3 to five minutes, or till the zucchini is tender however not mushy. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and switch to the bowl with the eggplant.
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Add one other 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and pepper and cook dinner for five minutes, stirring often, or till softened. Stir within the garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook dinner for one more 10 minutes, or till very tender. If the pan turns into dry, add extra oil as wanted.
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Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the peppers and onions. Add the tomatoes, purple pepper flakes, and sugar and cook dinner for 8 to 10 minutes, or till the tomatoes break down.
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Add the eggplant and zucchini again into the skillet together with the vinegar, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and several other grinds of pepper. Prepare dinner, stirring often, for 10 to fifteen minutes, or till the ratatouille is thick. Stir within the basil and season to style. Garnish with extra basil and serve.
