If you are looking for a veggie packed meal, with lots of uses, then give this Easy Ratatouille recipe a try. A classic French dish that is bursting with flavour, it's a simple one pot vegetarian dinner that is great for feeding a crowd, or freezing leftovers.
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This ratatouille recipe is healthy comfort food at its finest. Chunky vegetables in a rich tomato sauce, with plenty of herbs. Serve it with chunks of crusty French bread or on top of pasta or rice. This is a nutrient dense meal, with plenty of flavour. Keep it vegan, or add cheese on top.
Traditionally, ratatouille is cooked on a low heat for a long time, however this is our quicker and easier weeknight version.
If you are looking for more veggie packed recipes, then why not try our Vegetable Pasta Bake, Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry or Creamy Vegetable Soup?
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What is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a traditional dish from Provence, France. It's a delicious stew of vegetables like courgette, aubergine, tomatoes, and peppers. There are lots of ways to adapt it, but those are the vegetables that you would traditionally find in it.
The sauce is made of canned tomatoes, a little lemon juice and plenty of garlic and herbs. You want to make sure that you use a really good quality can of tomatoes, as you will honestly taste the difference. Cheaper cans can be really watery. You could use fresh tomatoes and grate them or finely chop them.
Traditionally, all of the vegetables would be cooked individually in olive oil (so that they are all cooked properly) and then combined together and simmered in the sauce. However, we love that this ratatouille recipe can all be done in one pot. You could also roast all the vegetables and then finish them in the sauce.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bell peppers - We used red and yellow, for a nice pop of bright colour and because they are sweet. However, green and orange will work in this ratatouille too.
- Aubergine (eggplant) - Look for aubergines with smooth, shiny skin that are uniform in colour and heavy for their size.
- Onion - We used red onion in this recipe, however brown onion or even shallots will work.
- Courgette (zucchini) - Look for a vibrant and rich colour courgette. Don't choose one that is too big, as they tend to be watery and flavourless.
- Carrot - We find this is a cheap way to bulk the dish out. They do still have a bit of crunch to them, as they don't cook as quickly as the other vegetables.
- Fresh tomatoes - Although tinned tomatoes make up most of the tomatoes in this dish, we like to add some fresh for some extra flavour and texture.
- Tinned tomatoes - Try to use the best quality tomatoes you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference. Cheap tinned tomatoes tend to be really water.
- Lemon - This adds lots of freshness to the dish.
- Basil and oregano - An easy way to add lots of flavour. You could use dried oregano too.
- Garlic - Fresh is always best, however you can use a teaspoon of lazy chopped garlic from a jar if you prefer.
Variations
There really is no rule when it comes to making ratatouille, apart from that it should have a tomato base, so that means that whatever vegetables you have, put them in and it will taste great.
It is also all cooked in one pot, so throw everything in, season it, put a lid on it and simmer it until it is ready.
How to Make Ratatouille
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a pan and add all the vegetables and gently cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients and put a lid on the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
We had ours with just some crusty French bread, but it also goes really well with some pasta and topped with feta. Why not our Homemade Flatbread or Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia to scoop up all that sauce.
But there is leftovers and that will be going on an Air Fryer Baked Potato tomorrow. It would be good on rice too. Just put it on everything - it has so many uses!
Dannii's Top Tips
- Add some protein by serving a runny poached egg on top.
- You can use any vegetables you have, but chunky ones work best.
- This is delicious served with crusty French bread. However leftovers are also good on pasta, rice or a baked potato.
- If you want to have a caramelised flavour to the vegetables, then roast them all together, and then finish them off in the sauce on the hob (stove top).
- Serve with a generous amount of olive oil drizzled on top.
- Make sure all the vegetables are chopped to the same size to ensure that they cook evenly. Some people like small pieces of vegetables and others like chunkier veg, so that's up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool to room temperature, and then divide among shallow, airtight containers. You can keep it this way in the fridge for up to a week or it will be good in the freezer for up to three months.
To reheat the ratatouille, make sure that it has fully defrosted and then heat through in a pan. If the vegetables have gone a little mushy from being frozen, you could always blend everything up and use it as a pasta sauce with a splash of balsamic and a generous amount of shaved Parmesan.
More Vegan Recipes
If you've tried this easy ratatouille recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 0.5 Yellow bell pepper - diced
- 0.5 Red bell pepper - diced
- 1 Aubergine (eggplant) - small; diced
- 1 Red onion - cut in the eights
- 1 Courgette (zucchini) - diced
- 2 Tomatoes - quartered
- 1 Carrot - peeled and diced
- 400 g (14 oz) of Plum tomatoes - canned
- 0.5 Lemon - (juice only)
- 4 tablespoons of Fresh basil - chopped
- 1 tablespoon of Dried oregano
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 1 pinch of Fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and add all the vegetables and gently cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and put a lid on the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- Add some protein by serving a runny poached egg on top.
- You can use any vegetables you have, but chunky ones work best.
- This is delicious served with crusty French bread. However leftovers are also good on pasta, rice or a baked potato.
- If you want to have a caramelised flavour to the vegetables, then roast them all together, and then finish them off in the sauce on the hob (stove top).
- Serve with a generous amount of olive oil drizzled on top.
- Make sure all the vegetables are chopped to the same size to ensure that they cook evenly. Some people like small pieces of vegetables and others like chunkier veg, so that's up to you.
Nutritional Information
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Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Renee @ Two in the Kitchen says
This dish is the perfect comfort food. I love all those amazing veggies in this dish. And the fact that you only use one dish makes this perfect!!
Jasmin Charlotte says
Ohh yes I love a good ratatouille! This looks amazing - I'm all for courgette and aubergine at the moment!
Nayna Kanabar says
I love ratatouille, its one of our favorite regulars on the meal plan. Its gorgeous nad colourful and I love the chunky veg.
Ickle Pickle says
I am not a huge vegetable lover myself - but do love dishes like this. I would rather this than a meat dish! It looks delicious, thank you for sharing. Kaz x
Cathy @ Planet Veggie says
I love ratatouille, it's a great way to get a load of veg inside you!
Tara | C&CO. says
You make rataouille look so good! This isn't something I'd normally have, but it looks great
Alida @My Little Italian Kitchen says
I agree, ratatouille is always the best to use leftover vegetables and it taste so good just like that with some fresh rustic bread. Nice easy recipe Dannii have a nice weekend :-)
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
This looks perfect for a weekend night meal. I really like the combination of vegetables you used!
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
Ratatouille is one of my favorite recipes/dishes ever. I have made some quick ratatouilles before, but I need to make the real thing!
Cecilia Keinapel says
Woow these look so healthy and delicious, I love all of your recipes. I can't wait to make this! :)
Laura ~ RYG says
This ratatouille looks so good Dannii! We are on a vegetable mission as well. Can't get enough of them, so filling and nutritious and we feel better when we eat food like this!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
You can't beat a one pot wonder, shove it all in a pan and leave it to its own devices. This looks so yummy and can be used to make so many different meals.
Rhian Westbury says
I've never really tried ratatouille as I'm not a huge vegetable lover and am a bit like a kid and have to hide them in other food. It looks quite nice though x
Priya says
"Anyone can cook" .... I really
Love this recipe and bookmarked it
Marissa says
All I can think about it the film Ratatouille. Maybe I should make this and watch the film.