Ratatouille
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Ratatouille is a bright and chunky summer vegetable stew, rich with olive oil and fragrant with garlic and herbs.
Hailing from Provence, a region in the south of France near the Mediterranean Sea, ratatouille is a bright and chunky summer vegetable stew made with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes. It is rich with the flavor of olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs. Making it properly takes a bit of time, so I suggest cooking a big batch over the weekend. That way, you’ll have a tasty and colorful base for meals throughout the week. With a little imagination, there are endless ways to use ratatouille, such as:
- As a vegetarian main course over grains or polenta
- Alongside roasted or grilled meats and fish
- Shakshuka-style with poached eggs
- Tossed with pasta
- Folded into omelets or frittatas
- Dolloped over crostini with goat cheese
- Straight from the fridge as a snack (it’s delicious cold)
What You’ll Need To Make Ratatouille
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by heating 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (no need to clean it). Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and transfer to a plate; set aside.
Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onion and bell pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 3 minutes more. Do not brown. Next, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes (if using) and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the cooked eggplant to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.
Add the zucchini and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until just warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and thyme, drizzle with a little olive oil if desired, and serve warm or chilled.
How To Make Ahead & Freeze Ratatouille
If possible, you should make ratatouille at least a day ahead of time — like most stews, the taste improves after the flavors have a chance to mingle in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months for a taste of summer once the cooler weather arrives. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a bright and chunky summer vegetable stew, rich with olive oil and fragrant with garlic and herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 large (1¼ lbs) eggplant, cut into ⅓-inch cubes
- Salt
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb), cut into ⅓-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 5 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 5 large vine-ripened tomatoes (1¾ lbs), cut into ⅓-inch cubes, with their juices
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme, plus more for serving
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (no need to clean it). Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 3 minutes more. Do not brown. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, thyme, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes (if using) and ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked eggplant to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Add the zucchini and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until just warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle with fresh basil and thyme, drizzle with a little olive oil if desired, and serve warm or chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Let the dish cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. (Keep in mind that the zucchini won't stay crisp after being frozen.) This is delicious served cold, or reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 153
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 392 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Amazing Recipe, easy to make and cannot go wrong.
This recipe is outstanding. I served at a dinner party with grilled chicken and couscous. Everyone had seconds of the ratatouille! I loved the left overs the next day. You’re right; it only gets better the next day. Thank for the recipe. I’m making it again tonight.
Best,
Marybeth
Great and delicious ! Made it several times already, love!
Wow! Made this last night. First time I’ve ever had Ratatouille. Had to prove to the fam that dad could do something besides grill/smoke meat. Probably one of the world’s great dishes. Summer vegetables with simple seasonings. I called mine Redneck Rotel Ratatouille. So you can guess where my tomatoes came from. First thing I did this am was taste it cold after the flavors had a chance to mingle overnight. Delicious.! Thanks Jenn!
I made this dish, but I first lightly roasted the peppers, eggplant and zucchini (I also used yellow squash) on a grill before cutting them up and then following the recipe. I think it added more flavor.
It was great over linguine, with grilled chicken breast on the side.
Wonderful recipe! I served with crusty bread and goat cheese crumbles, along with a drizzle of olive oil, and it made for a filling, healthy meal. It did not feel like a vegetarian recipe in that it is hearty (the husband even ventured to call it “creamy”), and serving it with fresh basil and thyme really brings out the fresh summer flavor of the vegetables. I also added in yellow squash because I had it on hand. It was a lot of chopping/prepping, but the recipe itself is so simple. It’s a great way to use up the summer farmer’s market veggies. Even my 4 year old ate it! I can’t wait to try the leftovers as they “age” in the fridge. I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe on hand. Thanks so much!
I made this dish for Bastille Day today. Appreciated I didn’t need to slice and salt the eggplant. It was perfect and we look forward to the leftovers tomorrow.
Loved the idea of cooking the ingredients in batches (eggplant, onion/pepper/garlic, zucchini and squash, then tomato) Avoided what would be otherwise a mushy dish. I added some halved kalamata olives for a little bit of briny flavor. Great technique and recipe!
This was an easy ratatouille to make, but I’ve made better-tasting ratatouille before.
It was still pretty good, though.
Delicious and so easy!! Never had eggplant before. I mixed this with quinoa and topped it with goat cheese. YUM!! It’ll be on regular rotation.
Great recipe and very tasty! It is really worth all the chopping and sauteeing. Do no skip any steps, the outcome is amazing!
Excellent recipe – many thanks. My go-to recipe for ratatouille! Now I have to prepare it without garlic unfortunately… will this affect taste dramatically? Any substitute you can recommend?
Glad you enjoy it, Julian. If you can’t use garlic, I’d sprinkle some fresh chopped chives over the finished ratatouille. It will still be delicious. 🙂
Absolutely divine!
And easy to boot!
I had leftover eggplant that I was unsure how I was going to use and a friend suggested making ratatouille. I had never made it before and went looking for recipes and found this one. I’ve made other recipes from Jenn and have always enjoyed them so I gave this one a try. The only change I made to the recipe was to cut back on the amount of oil. It was easy to make and delicious! We like to eat veggies with eggs for breakfast and this goes wonderfully with eggs in the morning.
Thanks for this recipe and the others we’ve enjoyed.
Lovely recipe! Made this tonight (together with your risotto recipe) and my husband raved about it. I’m a big ginger lover so added a small knob of ginger to the mixture to add a light flavor (the knob made it easy to remove). Will make again!
This was very easy to make, I love that the pieces are bite sized. I prefer to peel my eggplant, but otherwise made the recipe as is! Very tasty and healthy!
Made this for dinner today. I’d never had Ratatouille before, but it looked so good in pictures that I wanted to try it. I was not disappointed!
We added in a yellow squash, used a bit less oil (subbed in coconut oil as we didn’t have olive on hand), and left out the sugar.
It was fantastic. Impressed the entire family, and myself as well. Fed four adults with plenty left over to enjoy the next day. I will definitely make this again.
Made this for the family & they loved it! It is absolutely yummo 😋 Vegetarian and vegan friendly – beautiful colors make your dinner plate pop! There was approximately 2 cups left so I threw it into a pot of Pasta Fagioli soup – my husband said it was the most delicious Pasta Fagioli he had ever had – Thanks for sharing!
Simple and packed with delicious flavour….This recipe however only serves 2!!!!😅😅❤❤❤
This was great!
Thank you for this awesome recipe! Just the right amount of spice from crushed pepper. I had to eliminate onions as my husband hates them, but still delish! 😍
Absolutely delish! Easy to make and so good for you! Will make again and again!
OMG! Who knew that Ratatouille could taste THIS good!!! My first spoonful of this dish made me think of how Anton Ego must’ve felt in Disney’s “Ratatouille” 😀
Aside from all the prep work (dicing), this recipe was so straightforward and easy to follow – another award winning dish, Chef Jenn! Your cookbook is definitely going on my wish list.
Made this a couple of days ago for my wife and a vegan/vegetarian friend visiting from Hawaii. This is Absolutely Delicious 👍😁👍. Substituted some nice shiitake mushroom slices for the peppers and served over mini penne pasta with fresh baked rolls. Our vegan friend liked it so much she made it for her friends when she returned home. I plan to make this many more times…shakshuka style is next!!!
This was absolutely delicious! I used tomatoes and peppers from the garden and added mushrooms (as I had them on hand). My son-in-law and my daughter-in-law both requested the recipe and they loved it as well. Such a versatile recipe and so easy to put together. Will definitely make this again and again. 🙂
I love ratatouille, but eggplant tends to bother my husband’s stomach. Is there something you think would be a suitable substitute for it? Thank you! And I am making your beef tenderloin with red wine sauce along with your scalloped potatoes for Christmas dinner!
Hi Christine, You could use yellow squash – that would look pretty, too. 🙂
Made the ratatouille, my first, and loved it. Bright and flavorful. I did add the red pepper flakes for just a small kick. Followed exact instructions and we ate on top of fresh toasted French bread. A little ambitious for a weeknight dish, but will make again!
Really good. Made it early in the day and reheated just before serving. Served with mashed potatoes, green salad and baked chicken breasts. The textures and flavors complimented each other.
Love love love this recipe. Making it for a friend ho hates peppers- will it be equally good without the pepper- should I substitute something for the pepper? TIA
Glad you like it, Lauren! It’s fine to leave out the pepper. Just substitute it with more of one of the other veggies in the recipe. Hope your friend enjoys it too! 🙂
I must say this recipe is AMAZING! My girlfriend who goes to school in another state from me was dying to have Ratatouille because it’s her favorite dish! So in about 8 hours when she gets home she is going to a very yummy surprise! This is the first time I’ve ever really cooked following a recipe and it came out amazing! Seriously thank you for this recipe!
This dish is fantastic! Good on day 1 but amazing on day 2, so I’ll definitely make it in advance next time. Subbed fire roasted canned tomatoes and dried thyme because that’s what I had. Served if over farro with some shavings of parmesan, but I’m excited to try it other ways as well (with goat cheese crostini sounds amazing). I’m already sharing the recipe with friends. Thanks!!
Love love love!!! So good!! Thank you for another winner.
Ok Jen, I have enjoyed every recipe of yours that I have tried and this was no exception! Have made ratatouille several times, this one is the best. Usually when I make this I cut the veggies larger. I followed your directions exactly and chopped everything small. Made it as a side vegetable with seafood. Rave reviews! Better on day 2!
Thanks for another great recipe.
Vivian
This was a fabulous recipe. I had tomatoes left over from the garden and searched for a recipe other than tomato sauce to use them up and was so happy I found this recipe! It was easy to prepare and so tasty. It was so good I shared it with my Daughter and her Husband and they made it and raved about it as well. Will definitely be making this many times in the future.
i haven’t made this yet and am just wondering if there is any need to salt the eggplant first? i’ve seen some recipes do this to remove bitterness from the eggplant. thanks!
It’s not necessary here, Amanda. (In fact, I almost never do it.) Enjoy!
Is it ok to use small can of tomato sauce instead of tomato paste and sugar?
Sure, Joan – that should be fine.
As always with Jenn’s recipes this was fantastic – didn’t change a thing -delicious!
This was my first ratatouille, and I think my recipe-choosing instincts were right, because this is delicious and easy to make. I used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of fresh, and I sauteed the tomato paste along with the onion/pepper/garlic mixture for a bit to darken it before adding the tomatoes. Also, I added a pinch of smoked paprika and a healthy grind of black pepper. The only problem is that I wish I had made a lot more!
AWESOME! I added Maryland white (freshly shucked), substituted shallots for onion, deleted chili flake.
Chilled for 24-hours and warmed in micro.
I then placed all lump Maryland (3 oz) of crab on each serving.
Happy People!! Thanks!
My family really liked this recipe tonight (I have 2 elementary-aged children). It was a perfect way to use all the goodness coming out of the garden right now. I used roma tomatoes, which are not as juicy, so I did need to keep adding water to the tomatoes as they were cooking to keep it saucy. Definitely a make again recipe!
Thanks for such a great recipe! I make a large batch on the weekends for meals during the week.
This looks delicious however if I make this the day before I serve it along side grilled chicken or ribs what is the best way to warm it up? Or do you recommend serving it chilled?
It’s delicious chilled, but if you’d prefer it warmed, it’s fine to microwave it. Hope you enjoy!
LOVED IT! As others, I too have made many diff ratatouille recipes….this one is my FAVORITE! I will always use this recipe!! Hubs had never had ratatouille and loved it so much that he said if all veggie dishes were made to taste this good he would becone a vegetarian LOL! I did however do some tweaks just because of what was on hand and some bcuz of preference…using 1 can of diced tomatoes cuz didnt have fresh in hand… Used fresh basil of course and sundried tomatoes instead of tomato paste,mmmmmm….also had herbs de provence at hand so I used that as well…garlic infused olive oil cuz we love garlic! Toasted up some garlic french bread and loaded ratatouille ontop with some freshly grated Parmesan…is a slice if heaven fitting to say about this…why yes, yes it is…hubs n I were in foodie heaven! Looking forward to enjoying this tomorrow which i kno will be soooo delish! Thanks Jenn… You have a follower for life! ☺
Takes a while to make but excellent.
Great recipe. I’ve made many ratatouille recipes and this one was easy and delicious. Cutting the veggies small and cooking separately is so smart! Thanks for this take on a favorite summer dish.
Yum, yum, yum. Super easy way to use up the baby eggplants that are growing in abundance in my garden. I served this with grilled shrimp covered Jenn’s sun dried tomato pesto that I had left over from last summer in the freezer (gulp – flavor was still awesome despite the time delay!).
Parents and husband ate it all up with no leftovers!
If you use canned diced tomatoes, how many cans or what amount of canned would you use?
Hi Danielle, I’d recommend a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes. Enjoy!
Had some fresh vegetables from my garden and the local farmer’s market. Wonderful tasty way to highlight them the beautiful summer crop. Thank you and will be making this simple yet flavorful dish many more times.
I’ve been making ratatouille every summer my entire adult life. Have tried many recipes, which were mostly all good. This one, is BY FAR, the best ever and will be my go-to from here on. Every recipe I’ve tried here is amazing so this is my new first stop when searching for recipes. It’s rare that I don’t find what I’m looking for.
My 12 yo ate eggplant for the first time and loved it. So fresh and summery. Will make again!
How bad would it be to leave out the sugar ? I don’t really eat sugar .
Would a substitute work do you think ?
Hi Dannielle, It’s fine to leave it out. If you find it needs a little sweetness, a sugar substitute will work.
I just made this recipe and loved it! I’ve tried multiple different ratatouille recipes, and this one is definitely the best: it’s beautiful, fragrant, and didn’t turn into a pile of mush! The only change I made was using dried herbes de Provence instead of the fresh basil and thyme. I served it with eggs and felt like I was back in suburban Paris eating my great aunt’s own recipe. This one is a keeper.
Alexandra, thanks for posting your tweak! Except for the fresh herbs, I had everything else (more or less: I subbed 1 small Italian and 1 small graffiti for the larger eggplant, a yellow squash for one of the zucchini, and a Vidalia for the yellow onion), and I *really* wanted to make this, so I used the dried herbs de Provence on your rec. My husband and I both loved it over polenta, and it was also fantastic in an omelette. I can’t eat wheat, but I bet it would be dreamy over crusty grilled bread with a drizzle of EVOO.
Jenn, thanks so much–this recipe is versatile, delicious, and so pretty. I think I’ve found a new staple for summer entertaining!
I love ratatouille, but traditional recipes can be very time consuming to prepare and I always found the flavours of the spices to somehow clash or not fully compliment the dish.
This recipe, however, is different. It is easy to make and an absolute joy to eat! My wife and friends absolutely love it when I serve this for dinner!
Like all of Jen’s recipes, if you follow the simple instructions you will end up serving a winner of a dish time and time again!