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 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) Plum tomatoes - canned
- 0.5 Lemon - (juice only)
- 4 tablespoon Fresh basil - chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dried oregano
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 1 pinch 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 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.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Emma @ From Aldi To Harrods says
This looks delicious! We are also on a mission to eat more vegetables, which is tough when my husband doesn't like them. I think this meal is perfect for getting more veg into our diet!
Kerry @ Kerry Cooks says
This looks so gorgeous lady! I must give it a go -great way to get your five a day in one meal!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
I love ratatouille :) Yours looks great.
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
I have always wanted to try ratatouille. This looks so delicious and healthy!
Fashion and Style Police says
This is so nutritious. Thank for sharing this recipe.
Mandi says
This looks like the perfect meal for when I am at work all day and want something quite quick but healthy for all the children, will definitely be giving this a go.
Cailee says
One pot wonder for sure!! This looks amazing!! I love all these veggies! SO good!! Hope that you're having a great weekend Dannii!
xoxo Cailee!!
Angela at Daysinbed says
ooh what a lovely recipe and so so healthy too. I may have to test this out in the coming days! Thanks. Angela
Emma White says
oh wow yes this looks totally amazing I am so going to try it
Anca says
I love ratatouille. I've made the French recipe, with veggies cooked separately and it was amazing.
Charli says
I love ratatouille, we make it quite a lot in our house! Although we have never had carrots in our one so I might add them next time as an additional touch to see how it goes xx
Laura Hartley says
This looks like a gorgeous, warming dish! This would be a great way for me to get all my vegetables in one go...
Leanne says
I love easy recipes like this where you don't have to worry about presentation too much because it all mixes together!
[email protected] says
I love one pot meals. Easy to make, and easy to clean up:)
Sarah Bailey says
Oh wow this sounds delicious - I have to admit I've not had ratatouille in forever! x