The very best time to make Ratatouille is in late summer when many vegetables are at their peak. This recipe uses the traditional French method which takes a bit of time but is well worth it.
There are a few ways to make a great Ratatouille. I admit, roasting the vegetables gives them a wonderful caramelization and flavour. It’s how I get maximum tastiness in Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. But where I live, when tomatoes, peppers, onions, summer squash and eggplant are all in season, it’s usually too hot to turn on the oven. This is why I chose to feature this recipe made the authentic way. On the stove top.
If you’ve never had Ratatouille, it’s basically a French stew. Made with just vegetables, no meat. You could serve it as a vegetarian meal or as a side dish. Don’t worry too much about measuring or what size vegetables you have. What’s important is using the best tasting ingredients and trying to get a good variety of colour. And, use your imagination to cut the vegetables into different shapes, but keep them all similar sizes. Think squares, triangles, half moons etc.
There’s a reason the vegetables are sautéed in batches. If you added everything all at once to the pan you would have two problems. One, they would be too crowded to get any caramelization, so they’d just steam. Two, the ingredients in Ratatouille don’t all cook at the same rate. Thus, dividing the components into batches with similar cooking times solves the problem. You aren’t completely cooking everything first, you’re just giving them a head start to boost the flavours. Cutting and salting the eggplant first will give it some time to release a little moisture. So save cooking that until last, but the rest of the veggies can be cooked in any order.
There are versions of Ratatouille that use canned tomatoes. I’m all for using them in many dishes, but in this case, the whole point is to make use of fresh ripe seasonal produce. Including tomatoes. Once you’ve given the other veggies a chance to get some colour, add chopped tomatoes to the entire mixture. You can use various types of tomatoes. Paste tomatoes like Romas are excellent in this dish but they have a lower water content than a juicier type like beefsteak so you may need to add a splash of water. If you use a juicier tomato, a little tomato paste helps add some body.
In addition to all the vegetables in this recipe, there are also fresh herbs that really contribute to the dish. Adding some thyme branches during the simmering process adds an authentic French flavour. Save the basil until the end because its delicate flavour and bright colour gets lost during simmering. And you can choose to use crushed garlic if you want a more intense flavour, or, you can thinly slice the cloves for a milder taste.
Ratatouille isn’t just a rat in the kitchen. But it does remind me of a song if you like music when you’re cooking like I do. I highly recommend listening to some UB40 and making this delicious summer vegetable stew. It’s even better the next day.
If you make Ratatouille, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 eggplant
- 1 onion or 2 shallots
- 2 sweet peppers, any colour choose 2 different colours for presentation
- 1 green zucchini
- 1 yellow summer squash
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced or sliced
- 3 cups chopped tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste optional if tomatoes are very watery
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme plus extra for garnish
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 12 large basil leaves
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into bite sized pieces. Scatter on paper towel and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Allow to sit while preparing other vegetables.
- Cut onion into thin strips. Remove veins and seeds from peppers and chop into similar sized pieces. Slice summer squash and zucchini, removing seeds from centre if larger sized. Vary shapes of vegetables for visual interest but keep sizes similar.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to large lidded skillet. Sauté one vegetable at a time until starting to soften and caramelize. Remove to a large bowl and continue with each vegetable until all are pre cooked, ending with eggplant. Add more olive oil as needed.
- Add garlic to pan and sauté quickly, only until softening but not darkening. Add all vegetables back into pan.
- Remove stems and cores from tomatoes. Chop into bite sized pieces and add to pan. If using larger tomatoes with higher water content, add tomato paste. Place stems of fresh thyme in pan, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste mixture and add pepper, along with more salt to taste. If mixture is getting dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Continue to simmer for 15-20 more minutes until tomatoes have broken down and vegetables are soft. Remove thyme stems.
- Tear basil leaves and add to pan, along with red wine vinegar. Mix well and serve warm. Garnish with extra fresh thyme if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
more summer vegetable recipes
Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Antipasto