This mixed vegetable ratatouille recipe cooks down a rainbow of fresh veggies like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and squash with fragrant herbs to create a hearty, savory stew that makes for the coziest of meals. Who knew it was so easy to cook French food at home?
I Make This Rustic French Stew Every Summer!
I have several classic French recipes in my repertoire, like French onion soup, coq au vin, beef bourguignon, and this croque monsieur. Each of these recipes is like a warm hug, and so is this veggie-packed ratatouille.
Traditionally, this rustic French stew is made with eggplant, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and zucchini that’s cooked down until fragrant and quite thick. Prepared this way, it’s not the prettiest dish.
Over time it underwent a more refined evolution, with the attractive (almost too pretty to eat) layered version you see at many restaurants and in the movie Ratatouille.
My version falls somewhere in between. I prefer the chunky stew, but I still like my veggies when they retain their shape, texture, and bright color infused with earthy herbs. Mostly, I’m after a ratatouille that’s hearty and full of layers of rich and savory flavor, and this recipe is just that.
Enjoy! Heidi
My Top Tips for Making Ratatouille
- Chop the vegetables the same size so they cook at the same rate. Even though the peppers will be longer, their average surface area is the same.
- Cook the vegetables over medium heat so they soften but don’t brown. This is not a dish where you want a lot of caramelization!
- Don’t overcook the vegetables. I prefer my vegetables to still have some texture and bite instead of becoming soft and mushy.
- Add acid from vinegar for flavor. I use red wine vinegar in this recipe but you could also use balsamic vinegar.
The Fresh Produce and Flavor Builders
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Vegetables and Aromatics
Using ripe, in-season vegetables is the secret to a really, really good ratatouille. For this easy recipe, you’ll want to stock up on bell peppers (I prefer red), eggplant, zucchini, onion, and tomato.
For even more flavor, I like to add minced garlic cloves to the vegetable stew.
The “Sauce”
Unlike classic beef stew or seafood stew, there’s no stock or broth added to create the sauce that coats the veggies. Instead, we’re relying on a generous amount of olive oil (about ¼ cup) and a splash of red wine vinegar, plus kosher salt to first caramelize, then slowly cook the vegetables and draw out their moisture.
As the vegetables break down, they’ll create their own bright and flavorful “sauce” that’s perfect for mopping up with a hunk of crusty bread.
Heidi’s Tip: Ratatouille can be made any time of year but late summer into fall harvest is when the fresh ingredients really dazzle.
Making Ratatouille Is So Easy and Uses Just 1 Pan
- Chop up all the vegetables. The chopping is what takes the most effort and time of this entire recipe. But I like chopping so I’m okay with it.
Heidi’s Tip: Salt the eggplant! This removes some of the bitterness (if it contains large seeds) and also draws out excess moisture to help it cook more evenly. Now, do I remember to salt my eggplant every time? No. But do I mean to every time? Yes.
- Cook the veggies in stages. Even though you chopped all of the vegetables to an even size, you still need to add them into the hot pan in waves. This ensures every vegetable is cooked evenly and is able to caramelize rather than steam (if you add everything to the pan all at once, you’ll wind up with mushy veggies rather than a saucy ratatouille). The bell pepper, onion, and garlic cook first, followed by the eggplant. Add the zucchini and tomatoes last so they don’t overcook.
- Enhance the flavor. The fresh vegetables are already super flavorful, so the fresh herbs, red wine vinegar, and pinch of red pepper flakes are added just to bring the dish together.
- Keep cooking until stew-like. Once everything’s been added to the pan, the vegetables will need to cook for another 20ish minutes. I like to prep my side dish during this time so I can get dinner on the table as soon as the vegetable ratatouille is finished.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Vegetable Ratatouille Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided
- 2 red bell peppers , seeded and cut into 1-inch slivers
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large eggplant , cubed, about 4 cups
- 2 medium zucchini , cubed, about 4 cups
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves , slivered or torn into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Seed and slice the bell peppers into long strips. You can cube them, but I like how the longer lengths wrap around the other veggies when cooked. Chop the onion, eggplant, zucchini, and tomato into similar-sized chunks so they cook at the same rate. Mince the garlic.
- Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet and bring to medium heat. Add the red bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions soften and start to become translucent, stirring occasionally. Season with ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and the red pepper flakes.
- Add the eggplant and cook for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme, half of the basil, and the red wine vinegar. Season with black pepper and the rest of the kosher salt. Cook for 20 more minutes or until the flavors meld and the vegetables become stew-like, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve with another drizzle of olive oil and more fresh torn basil.
What to Serve with Ratatouille
- Crusty bread
- Pasta such as cooked penne or rigatoni
- Rice
- The BEST Garlic Bread
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Creamy Polenta
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
- Baked or Grilled Salmon
More Easy French Dishes to Try
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