Ratatouille

inDinner Recipes, Double Duty Recipes, French Recipes, Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetable Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
  • YIELDS | 6 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 20 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 45 MINS

This classic dish has been beloved by French families for centuries. One taste and you will know why. Originally considered peasant food, ratatouille earned the reputation because even the poorest people in France had the inexpensive ingredients needed to make a pot. It can be slow cooked to produce a delicious stew. This version is super simple with fewer dishes to clean, and it freezes well too.

Double Duty Recipe: Serve this vegetable mixture warm with eggs, or pour over brown rice or macaroni. You could also serve ratatouille as a sauce poured over chicken or steak, with a green salad on the side.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium unpeeled eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  •  2 medium onions, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 2 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped (about 5 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup fresh basil, shredded
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Push the onions aside in the pot.
  2. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, toss in the red peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook 3 minutes then mix into the onions and push aside.
  3. Add the zucchini sprinkled with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes then mix in with the other vegetables and push aside.
  4. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and cook the eggplant for 3 minutes. And then mix into the rest of the vegetables.
  5. To the pot, add the chopped tomato, canned tomatoes with their juices, pepper, oregano, and thyme and mix well, scraping up any brown pieces from the bottom. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove the lid and add the basil and parsley and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice until the sauce has thickened.
  7. Serve warm with crusty French bread.