Ratatouille is lovely, summery, packed full of veggies, and an irresistibly bright side dish! We’ve got a nice hearty tomato sauce to round out all our punchy flavors. This recipe stores perfectly in the freezer so you can have a taste of summer even in the chillier months!
No no I’m not talking about the movie, I’m talking about the French dish that is ratatouille! This vegetarian stew is chock full of perfectly tender veggies, bright and hearty tomato sauce, and stores beautifully for meals to come.
This dish is considered peasant food, but don’t let that title sway you from sampling this dish. It just means meals that were easy to prepare with what you had on hand. In the 21stcentury we call that a weeknight meal!
What Is Ratatouille?
What exactly is this Disney famed dish? Is it a veggie lasagna or a stew? Is it a niçoise or a provencal?
Well Jo has the answers, this here entrée is a vegetable stew that usually consists of: eggplant, zucchini, onion, green pepper, and tomatoes. They’re all chopped up small and cooked beautifully to form the visual stunner that was once concocted by a clever little rodent.
Ingredients
- Veggies – Eggplant, zucchini, squash, red and yellow bell pepper, onion.
- Herbs –Bay leaf, fresh thyme, fresh basil.
- Garlic –Minced up fresh. If jarred is all you have on hand keep in mind that 1 ½ teaspoons equals 1 fresh clove.
- Tomatoes –A canned of crushed tomatoes is all you need for our hearty sauce!
- Sugar –Yes sugar and no I’m not crazy! We need a little bit to round out the sweetness of our sauce.
- Olive oil – To saute and soften up our veggies in.
- Red pepper flakes –To add a little bit of heat to our dish.
How To Make Ratatouille
- Cook the eggplant: Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Crisp the veggies: Add another tbsp of olive oil to the skillet, and add the zucchini and squash, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender crisp. Transfer to a plate.
- Tenderize the rest: Add remaining tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and add the onion and bell peppers. Cook. stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Do not brown.
- Cook the sauce: Add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, thyme and stir. Cook for another 10 minutes until the tomatoes cook down. Add the cooked eggplant and turn the heat to a medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is cooked through.
- Finish the dish: Stir in the zucchini and squash and cook for 2 more minutes until heated through. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh basil and additional olive oil if preferred. Serve warm.
The Key To The Best Ratatouille
Like all good stews, ratatouille is best when allowed to sit with those flavors all comingling and developing in beautiful harmony. Give it at least a day to veg out in the fridge and heat up when ready to feast.
How To Serve
Lucky for you this stew is great just about anyway you slice it, or serve it, or whatever! I personally like to curl up with a big old bowl of the stuff and call it a night, but if you’d like to get a bit more fancy with it, here’s some accompaniments:
- Steaming hot over fluffy white rice
- Spooned lovingly over creamy polenta
- Alongside your favorite entrée like grilled chicken, white fish, or pork tenderloin.
- Served saucy and dripping over some good crusty bread.
Some Tips
- Peel your eggplant before placing it in a colander with salt and allowing the excess moisture to leave the veggie if you’re worried about texture.
- Crush your thyme before introducing it into your dish, this will release all of those oils and help infuse the dish with that thyme flavor.
- If you’re missing the plump little flavor bombs that are fresh tomatoes, feel free to include cocktail or baby tomatoes right when the veggies are comingled and cooking!
- With a recipe this simple, you’ll want to ensure that your veggies are as high quality as possible!
Storing Leftovers
This dish will last just picture perfectly in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer
Allow the dish to completely cool before transferring to an airtight container and placing in the freezer. Using this method you can get this stew to last you 3 months in the freezer! Just allow it to thaw completely before warming back up in the oven.
More Must Try Recipes:
- Cowboy Caviar
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Garlic Herb Red Potato Salad
- Spanish Rice with Ground Beef
- Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Mushroom Cauliflower Skillet
Craving More? Follow Along:
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant cut into 1/3 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small zucchini cut into 1/3 inch cubes
- 1 small yellow squash cut into 1/3 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 small yellow bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 4 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook the eggplant: Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Crisp the veggies: Add another tbsp of olive oil to the skillet, and add the zucchini and squash, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender crisp. Transfer to a plate.
- Tenderize the rest: Add remaining tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and add the onion and bell peppers. Cook. stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Do not brown.
- Cook the sauce: Add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, thyme and stir. Cook for another 10 minutes until the tomatoes cook down. Add the cooked eggplant and turn the heat to a medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is cooked through.
- Finish the dish: Stir in the zucchini and squash and cook for 2 more minutes until heated through. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh basil and additional olive oil if preferred. Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- This dish will last just picture perfectly in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Allow the dish to completely cool before transferring to an airtight container and placing in the freezer. Using this method you can get this stew to last you 3 months in the freezer! Just allow it to thaw completely before warming back up in the oven.
Best thanks to the staged cooking of the vegetable ingredients.