This Provençal vegetable stew is divine, simple to make, and can be repurposed into multiple dishes. Even picky eaters who don't care for vegetables much, love ratatouille.
Ratatouille is one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite recipes. It's a vegetable stew from the Provence region in the south of France. The recipe and ingredients are so simple, ratatouille may not seem like an impressive dish. However, when these vegetables simmer together, they create an exceptional flavor. The taste is just divine. There are also many ways to serve ratatouille. You can eat it cold or warm, alone or mixed with pasta or eggs. In the notes below, I have some serving suggestions for you. Making this ratatouille recipe is easy, but it requires some chopping, so I've included some helpful tips below.
3 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
About 25 basil leaves, torn into pieces
Olive oil
1 1/2-2 lbs onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 red peppers, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 lbs zucchini and/or yellow squash, chopped
2-3 lbs eggplant, chopped
Sea salt
Cut an X on top of each of the Roma tomatoes to help the skin separate when boiling.
Boil the tomatoes for a few minutes until the skin starts to peel back. Remove from the water and, once cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Dice the tomatoes.
In a soup pot, combine the diced tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Peel the onion, cut it in half, and slice it thinly. Heat 1½ tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan with a pinch of sea salt. Add the onions and sauté for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently until soft but not browned. Transfer to the pot.
Cut, core, and dice the bell peppers into 1-inch pieces. Heat another 1½ tablespoons of olive oil in the frying pan with a pinch of sea salt. Sauté the peppers for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft. Add them to the pot.
Dice the zucchini and yellow squash. Heat another 1½ tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of sea salt. Sauté the zucchini and squash for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently until soft. Add them to the pot.
For the eggplant, increase the olive oil to 3 tablespoons and add to the pan. Sauté for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently. If the eggplant starts to stick to the pan, cover it halfway through cooking instead of adding more oil — this will trap moisture and help it soften. Once soft, add to the soup pot.
Let the ratatouille simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. It’s even better the next day — and even better the day after that.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. See more serving ideas after the recipe.
Ratatouille is delicious with any combination of bell peppers and squash. Use your favorites or whatever you have on hand — red, green, yellow, or orange peppers, and yellow squash or zucchini. They're all good!
