This ratatouille recipe is my take on the traditional French vegetable stew. Though it’s much quicker than the original, it’s filled with the same sunny late-summer flavor!
Ratatouille recipes traditionally call for an all-day simmer. In this weeknight-friendly version, I boil the veggies to get them started, then gently simmer until they’re perfectly velvety. It’s ready in under an hour!
You only have to wash one pot! And, like its Spanish cousin Pisto and Italian Caponata, it’s even better the next day. Freeze a big batch to brighten your January with summer’s best flavors. Or enjoy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all week long.
Table of Contents
What is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille, pronounced “rat-uh-too-ee,” came long before the Disney movie! This vibrant vegetable stew has deep roots in the culinary traditions of Provence, a region in the south of France, where it can be traced back to the 18th century.
Once considered a peasant dish, ratatouille was created to use an abundance of vegetables grown in local gardens. Over time, ratatouille became a celebrated symbol of Provençal cuisine. It’s a great example of the Mediterranean diet’s celebration of fresh, seasonal vegetables.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The vegetable stew is best in the warmer months when eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini are at their most vibrant. Consider doubling and freezing if you have a large enough pot!
- Produce: Eggplant, yellow onion (swap white), bell peppers (green, red, yellow, or a combination), garlic, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and dried rosemary bring an aromatic quality.
- Fresh herbs: Thyme and basil add freshness. Swap with parsley or dill.
- Olive oil: Use a nice extra virgin olive oil with some personality, like our slightly peppery Spanish Hojiblanca.
- Acidity: Red wine and sherry vinegar add a depth of flavor, balancing the sweetness. The alcohol will cook off, but if you avoiding it substitute with vegetable broth or chicken stock. Season with more sherry vinegar to taste.
How to Make Ratatouille
Like my winter vegetable stew, this easy ratatouille recipe builds flavor quickly and easily using just one pot. Keep an eye on the vegetables as they cook: you want them to be soft and delicate, but not mushy.
- Salt the eggplant: Peel 1 pound of eggplant, removing the peel entirely or in a striped pattern for a more rustic look. Cut into 1-inch pieces and place in a large colander in your sink. When ready, sprinkle generously with salt and leave for 20 minutes as you prep the remaining ingredients. When the eggplant has sweat out its bitterness, pat dry with paper towels.
- Prep the produce: Meanwhile, finely chop 1 yellow onion. Slice 2 bell peppers into 1-inch pieces. Mince 6 garlic cloves (see our how to mince garlic guide for tips). Chop 2 pounds of tomatoes, saving their juice as you go. Slice 2 zucchini into 1/2-inch half moons.
- Cook the onion and peppers: In a large heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions. Cook, stirring regularly, until they’re translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the bell peppers and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more.
- Add the remaining veggies: Add the garlic, tomatoes and their juice, zucchini, and eggplant. Stir in 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 sprigs of thyme. Season with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon each of black pepper, paprika, and dried rosemary.
- Boil then simmer: Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Turn the heat to low, then cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Season: Remove the ratatouille from the heat, taste, and adjust salt to your liking. Add the sherry vinegar and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with fresh basil.
- Serve: If you have time, cover and allow the ratatouille to rest in its warm pot for 1 hour or so before serving. When you’re ready to serve, ladle into bowls. Optionally, top each with a sunny side up egg and pass around some crusty French bread for dipping. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, cold, any which way!
Tips for this Ratatouille Recipe
Cooking ratatouille in one pot is simple, easy, and totally feasible on a given weeknight. Three important things to keep in mind before you get started:
- How to chop the vegetables? Some recipes call for small-dice, while others call for rustic large pieces. It’s a matter of personal preference. I like 1-ish inch pieces, which get nice and velvety without becoming mush. The key is to make the vegetables all about the same size so they cook at the same rate.
- Salt the eggplant. The salt helps eggplant sweat out bitterness, break down its spongy texture, and cook more quickly.
- For the best flavor, rest in the warm pot for 1 hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to settle and deepen beautifully. You do not need to heat before serving, ratatouille is great just warm.
How to Serve Ratatouille
There is a small French bakery near me called Douceur de France. Without fail, every time we visit, I order their ratatouille. They serve it just warm in a bowl, topped with a perfectly runny fried egg and a piece of crusty French baguette or a beautiful fougasse on the side. If I’m serving ratatouille as the main course, which I often do, this is exactly how I serve it.
Though ratatouille needs no further embellishment, it’s also a classic side dish that goes well with simple roast meats, like lamb or chicken. For a dinner party, kick things off with another French classic: the Niçoise Salad.
More Vegetable Stew Recipes
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Ingredients
For the Stew:
- 1 pounds eggplant, peeled (or striped) and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers (mix of red, green, or yellow), sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
- 2 zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch half moons
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant: Place the eggplant in a large colander in your sink. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes as the eggplant sweats out its bitterness. Pat dry to remove the water and excess salt.
- Cook the onion and peppers: In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add the onions. Cook, stirring regularly, until they’re translucent (about 5 minutes). Now add the bell peppers and cook for another 4 minutes, and continue to stir as they soften.
- Add the remaining veggies: Add the garlic, tomatoes and any of their juice, zucchini, eggplant, wine, and thyme. Stir in the black pepper, paprika, and rosemary. Season with kosher salt.
- Boil then simmer: Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Turn the heat down, then cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or so.
- Season: Remove the ratatouille from the heat, taste, and adjust salt to your liking. Add the sherry vinegar and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with fresh basil.
- Serve: If you have time, cover and allow the ratatouille to rest in its warm pot for 1 hour or so before serving (see recipe notes). To serve, ladle into bowls. Optionally, top each with a sunny side up egg and pass around some crusty bread for dipping. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, cold, or any which way your heart desires.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Storage: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Take it out 30 minutes or so before you are ready to serve. Warm it through over gentle heat or just bring it to room temperature.
- Freezing: Freeze ratatouille, tightly sealed, for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and again bring to room temperature before serving. If you prefer warm, use gentle heat.
- If you find the texture has softened too much, puree and serve as a creamier soup with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
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Hi Suzy. I just made the ratatouille. There is quite a bit left over. Can I freeze it? Thanks I love your recipes!. Joanne (Australia)
Hi Joanne! You can freeze ratatouille. Thaw overnight in the fridge and take it out a while before you serve (only warm over gentle heat or bring to room temperature.) If, as a result of freezing, you find the texture to have softened too much, you can puree and serve it more as a creamier soup with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It’s very possible you might find the texture too soft though, so the pureed soup idea is my way around that 🙂
Very delicious. After I sauteed the onions and peppers, put it all into my instapot on the vegetable setting for 5 min w/quick release. All the veggies were perfectly done not overdone. Wonderful.
All of your dishes look delicious!!! Thanks for posting them.
One thing that turns me off is an egg on top of a dish like that ratatouille. I watch the food channels a lot and there seems to be a trend to put sunny side eggs on dishes. I love eggs but NOT on an otherwise tasty dish.
But, to each his own!! I lived in the Middle East for a number of years and love the food there. Also traveled around the world for a number of years. I went around the world every three months from Kuwait to California and then continued back around, stopping in many countries on the way. I love food from all over and make dishes from different countries all of the time.
I like the variety that you are showing.
Thanks for being there and sharing!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Patrick! I borrowed the idea of adding an egg on top here from a local french restaurant (that’s how they serve it), but you definitely do not have to serve it this way. As you said, to each his own 🙂
This looks so great and especially with the egg on top….one ingredient I don’t ever have is red wine, nor sherry vinegar, but I have other types of vinegar. Can you recommend substitutes? I am currently homebound and want to make it asap! Thank you so much.
Hi Angela. Any lighter-tasting vinegar should work here.
there are no geeen bell peppers in Rattatouille
That’s the beauty of cooking, Francis. One can get creative. And there are several versions of ratatouille out there, by the way 🙂
Sooooo good!! And easy! Just the prep takes time. Next time I’ll use the food processor.
I cooked up some mild Italian sausage cut into thirds and caramelized the pieces in apple juice to put on top and served each potion in large white bowls, then sprinkled with the fresh basil. So pretty looking and absolutely delish. Thank you
Thanks for sharing, Alison! I like the idea of adding Italian sausage here. Sounds great!
Looks great- question: I made your braised eggplant last week (yum) and loved the way the slow oven cook made the dish come out… might the ratatouille benefit from that method or am I way off…. ??
I think it’s worth a try here too, Linda! Enjoy!
This was fabulous! I served it with a fried egg and good bread as suggested and it was a perfect summer meal!
Love it! Thanks so much for giving it a try, Sally!
Where is the Souflaki recipe ??
You can find it here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/greek-chicken-souvlaki-recipe-tzatziki/
That egg!!!
Totally!
Such a great ratatouille, and perfect for summer!
I never really knew what ratatouille was, but I love all of these ingredients. I can’t wait to eat this!!!
I love the idea of putting an egg on top- added protein, plus all of those beautiful vegetables, this looks so good!
Me too! Since I’ve tried the egg on top, I always add it now. Thanks, Katie!
This is such an awesome one pot dinner! Love that runny fried egg on top of the Ratatouille! Looks so delicious!
Mmm! My kind of dinner!
This is one fabulous ratatouille recipe. I’d never tried it with an egg on top, but that was a genius idea—so tasty!