Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable dish from the sunny region of Provence in southern France.
Known for its vibrant colors and rustic charm, it is a hearty stew made by slow-cooking fresh vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and onions, all infused with fragrant herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and basil.
Traditionally served as a side dish or even a main course with crusty bread, ratatouille highlights the beauty of simple, seasonal ingredients and captures the essence of Mediterranean cuisine.
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The original ratatouille requires green bell peppers. I was not thrilled about this vegetable, so I substituted it with yellow and red bell peppers and enjoyed the combination.
If you use yellow or red peppers, correct the seasoning, as they are a bit sweeter. I used red wine because I did not have white wine on hand, but either is just fine.
Ratatouille is a perfect side dish for fish, meat, or chicken. We served it alongside pan-seared chicken tights.
In this Article
- Subscribe to Giangi's Kitchen!
- Why you will love this recipe
- What is Ratatouille?
- Why not cook all the vegetables at once?
- Ingredients needed to make this recipe
- Equipment Needed
- Step by step on how to make this French ratatouille
- What dishes can you enjoy with this French ratatouille recipe?
- Storing and Reheating
- If you enjoy this pratatouille recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
- Ratatouille – A French tradition
Why you will love this recipe
It’s a fantastic way to use up extra late-summer vegetables.
The perfect make-ahead dish, this ratatouille will taste even better the next day, and it reheats beautifully.
Gorgeous vegetables are turned into an amazing side dish, even if you are not fond of eggplant or bell peppers.
Make a huge pot and enjoy it while watching Disney’s movie Ratatouille, one of my favorite movies.
What is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a French stew with fresh vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, pepper, and zucchini, typically cooked on the stove.
Once cooked and served, it is a fantastic harmony of layers of simple yet amazing flavors.
It is enjoyed as a side or for a light fare dinner alongside a piece of baguette. I stress the word “piece” as I cannot stop eating the whole baguette with this dish.
There is no willpower regarding this French ratatouille recipe and my baguette.
Why not cook all the vegetables at once?
There are three reasons why we do cook some of the ingredients separately.
The eggplant, zucchini, and peppers have different cooking times. If you toss them all at once in the pan, the zucchini will be mush before the eggplant is even close to soft.
The above vegetables also contain high amounts of moisture. Cooking them all together will render so much moisture that the vegetables will start to caramelize.
Even though the process may be time-consuming, the result is impressive. Each vegetable is cooked to perfection, imparting phenomenal layers of flavor with each bite.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
This is a short introduction. The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Eggplant – make sure they are all the same size, smaller size is best as they are less bitter. Slice them and lightly score them.
Zucchini – all the same thickness is best. Remove both cap end and sliced
Olive oil – needed to saute your vegetables
Yellow onion and garlic – bring a significant layer of flavor to your ratatouille.
Bell pepper – I always gravitate to purchase yellow, orange, and red for a great color. The green ones are usually less sweet. Add them if you like them.
Tomatoes – Rips, peeled and quartered. They need to be fresh.
Fresh basil – adding it infuses your dish with another layer of flavor. Chop them.
Red wine – is needed to braise your ratatouille. You know my rule of thumb: always use good wine, a wine that you will enjoy at your table.
Salt and black pepper – seasoning required for this dish
Equipment Needed
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Serving dish
Perfect for all your braising dishes.
Step by step on how to make this French ratatouille
With all my recipes, please assemble all the ingredients before starting cooking and baking.
- Salt the eggplant and let it rest for up to 30 minutes. This step is essential as the eggplant will release all its internal bitterness. Rinse and pat dry.
- While the eggplant is resting, prepare all the other vegetables.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the onions, bell peppers, and zucchini slices until they are golden-light brown. Remove all the vegetables from the skillet and place them in a large saucepan.
- Cook the eggplant until golden brown, too, and add it to the pan with the zucchini and bell peppers. Add more frying oil if needed.
- Add garlic and tomatoes to the frying pan and cook for a minute. Once done, transfer the tomatoes to the large pan with all the vegetables.
- Add the fresh basil, season with salt and pepper, and wine, and bring to a light boil under medium heat.
- Cover and bring to a simmer. Check to ensure that the vegetables are not getting too dry, and add more wine if necessary.
- When the vegetables are tender, remove them from the pan, reduce the liquid to a couple of tablespoons, and pour over the ratatouille.
Enjoy!
What dishes can you enjoy with this French ratatouille recipe?
The natural go-to is buttermilk mashed potatoes to help soak up all the juices. Smashed potatoes are another alternative.
Rice with butter is another excellent way to enjoy this dish.
Or enjoy it alone with a French baguette and have fun soaking up all the juices.
On the other hand, it is the best side dish to all your chicken dishes: chicken spatchcocked or roasted chicken.
Breaded orange roughy is another excellent combination for this ratatouille recipe.
Storing and Reheating
Store: Once your ratatouille is completely cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheat: bring back to room temperature and warm up over medium-low heat until it is to your liking.
Freeze: Once your ratatouille is completely cooled, place it into freezer containers and freeze it for up to two months. Defrost overnight in your refrigerator. Please bring it back to room temperature and reheat as per the above instructions.
If you enjoy this pratatouille recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
Prawns Stuffed Yellow Bell Peppers
Roasted Bell Peppers Cream Soup
Ratatouille – A French tradition
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant, sliced, scored on both sides
- 5 zucchini, slice them into thick rounds
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 10 small bell peppers, red and orange
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 pounds tomatoes, ripe,peeled, and quartered
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup red wine
Instructions
- Lightly salt the eggplant slices and place on paper towel to drain for about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
- Slice the zucchini thickly and set them aside.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large frying pan and when hot, lightly brown the onions, peppers and zucchini slices.
- Remove the vegetables to a casserole and add the eggplant slices to the frying pan or saucepan.
- Cook to brown both sides lightly and place in the casserole with the other vegetables. Add extra oil as needed while frying the vegetables.
- Add the garlic and tomatoes to the oil and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and tomatoes to the rest of the vegetables with the remaining olive oil in the frying pan.
- Add basil, salt, pepper and wine and bring to the boil over moderate heat.
- Cover and reduce to simmering. If the vegetables need moisture during cooking, add a little more wine.
- When the vegetables are tender, remove them from the casserole to a serving dish and rapidly boil any remaining liquid in the pan to reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Pour over the ratatouille to serve.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
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