French · Main · Easy
Ratatouille
Provence's sun-soaked vegetable stew. Eggplant, zucchini, and peppers simmered with tomatoes and herbs until everything melts together.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Ratatouille, in 5 ideas
- It is better the next day. Like all stews, ratatouille improves overnight as the flavors marry. Make it ahead on purpose.
- Serve it at room temperature. In Provence, ratatouille is often served barely warm or at room temp, which lets the vegetable flavors shine.
- Top a fried egg with it. Leftover ratatouille plus a crispy fried egg on top is one of the great lazy dinners.
- Do not skimp on the olive oil. This is a Provencal dish. The oil is a main ingredient, not just a cooking medium.
- Cut everything roughly the same size. Even pieces cook evenly. One-inch cubes are the sweet spot.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into half-moons
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil leaves, to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Toss the eggplant cubes with 1 tablespoon of salt and let sit in a colander for 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. This draws out bitterness and keeps it from soaking up oil.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the eggplant in batches until golden, about 5 minutes per batch. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add another tablespoon of oil and cook the onion and peppers until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, herbes de Provence, and bay leaf. Return the eggplant to the pot.
- Add the zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and cook on low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are completely tender and the flavors have melded.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and torn basil.
Cook the eggplant separately first. If you throw everything in together, the eggplant turns to mush before the peppers are done. Browning it first is the whole secret.