Easy Ratatouille Recipe

Ratatouille is an oh so versatile, traditional French dish from Nice and Provence. You can serve this Easy Ratatouille Recipe as a side dish, a pasta sauce, over rice or just on its own with some crusty bread on the side. It takes a while to cook, but all the chopping and stirring can be very therapeutic in its own way.

Read on to learn more about the recipe, or scroll to the top for the Jump to Recipe button to go straight there.

Although I have always loved ratatouille, it took me years to make it for myself. When I finally decided to try, I turned to Nigella Lawson’s first cookbook, ‘How To Eat, The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food’(affiliate link). It contains excellent recipes for kitchen classics as well as practical advice on, well, how to eat! Originally published in 1998, the twentieth anniversary edition was released in 2018.

How I Adapted Nigella’s Ratatouille Recipe

I was drawn to Nigella’s recipe for ratatouille as she does not salt and drain the aubergines (eggplant) or the zucchini (courgettes). I have never found these steps to be necessary. This may be because I have had the good fortune never to meet a bitter aubergine, and also because I have a bit of an aversion to too much salt, having seen many of my family and friends being forced to eliminate it from their diets almost completely.

I also liked that Nigella’s version of this classic dish contains more zucchini than aubergine, a balance which I prefer. I did use yellow peppers as well as red ones, and I also eliminated the cilantro (coriander) Nigella calls for. My family are not keen on cilantro and it’s hard enough to get them to eat anything with chunks of tomato in it without putting a herb they don’t like in it as well! Instead I use a Herbs de Provence of or simply a mix of oregano, basil and thyme as well as lots of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.

If your family are not sure about chunks of tomato like mine, you can also use passata (sieved tomatoes) in this recipe instead of canned tomatoes. It’s not traditional, but it sure tastes good!

How Long Does Ratatouille Keep For?

Ratatouille will keep for up to 5 days covered in the refrigerator. This easy ratatouille recipe also freezes very well. It is lovely to have it stashed away in the freezer for quick and easy meals. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating gently over low heat.

If you plan to eat ratatouille cold – something I have never really enjoyed but that some people swear by – be sure to take it out of the refrigerator well before you use it. If, like me, you prefer your ratatouille warm, reheat gently over a low heat so that the ratatouille is as delicious as when you first made it. Try not to let it boil as this does not do it any favours.

Is This Easy Ratatouille Recipe Vegan?

Yes, Ratatouille is a vegan recipe.

Is This Easy Ratatouille Recipe Gluten Free?

Ratatouille is naturally gluten free.

What Casserole or Dutch Oven Should I Use?

I use my 30 cm (3.2 Litre) Le Creuset Enamelled Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish with a Lid. I am a huge fan of Le Creuset and have used them for years. In fact, I have a deeper Le Creuset Round Cast Iron Casserole (both affiliate links) that my mother-in-law gave me thirty years ago that is still in regular use. I appreciate Le Creuset casseroles are expensive, but if your budget allows, they are well worth saving up for. With proper care, they can last many years, and are often passed down through generations of cooks.

How Can I Serve Ratatouille?

You can serve ratatouille a side dish with just about any main course or as a stand-alone vegan main course served with crusty bread.

Serve ratatouille over cooked bulgar wheat, rice or quinoa.

Use this easy ratatouille recipe as a sauce for spaghetti or pasta shapes. I like to serve Parmesan cheese or a vegetarian or vegan alternative on top. You can also use it instead of roast vegetables and tomato sauce in my Vegetarian Lasagna Pasta Bake.

Re-heat some ratatouille gently in a saucepan and serve as a sauce over chicken or white fish.

However you serve ratatouille, this versatile dish is a delicious addition to your menus and meal plans.

Easy Ratatouille Recipe – Printable Version

Created by: April J Harris

Easy Ratatouille Recipe

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Servings 6

Ratatouille is a versatile, traditional, vegan and gluten free French recipe from Nice and Provence. Serve it as a side dish, a pasta sauce, over rice & more!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 medium onions, peeled, halved and sliced in half moons
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 aubergine, eggplant, halved and sliced in half moons aubergine is also known as eggplant
• 5 small to medium courgettes, cut in half inch rounds courgette is also known as zucchini
• 2 large red peppers, de-seeded and sliced
• 1 large yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced
• 14 ounce can drained tinned plum tomatoes or you can use 3 cups (700 ml) of passata instead
• 6 to 10 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence If you cannot get Herbes de Provence you can use ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon basil and ¼ teaspoon thyme
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• fresh or dried basil or parsley to garnish

Instructions

• Heat 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a thick bottomed wide pan with a lid (I use a round Le Creuset pan) over medium heat.
• Add the onions and sauté them until they are soft. Sprinkle with a little salt to prevent browning.
• Add the eggplant and cook for a minute or so.
• Add the zucchini, followed by the peppers.
• Grate in the garlic.
• If the vegetables absorb all the oil and you feel you need more, feel free to add it as you go along.
• Cover the pan, turn the heat back and cook gently over very low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have all softened a little.
• Add the tomatoes or passata and herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stir the tomatoes or passata through the vegetables. Cover the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 30 to 40 minutes until everything has come together. The vegetables should be soft but not mushy.
• Garnish with basil or parsley.

Notes

Adapted from How to Eat by Nigella Lawson

Equipment

• 1 large stove top to oven casserole with a lid This is the one that I use.

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