Traditional French Ratatouille

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Tender eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and onion stewed in fresh tomatoes and herbs de Provence.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French, Mediterranean

Servings: servings

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

1 medium to large eggplant , cut into ¼"inch cubes (about 2 ½ cups chopped)
3 tablespoons high quality olive oil (See Recipe Notes)
1 cup chopped yellow squash (one medium to medium large squash); ¼" inch cubes
1 cup chopped zucchini (one medium to medium-large zucchini); ¼" inch cubes
1 cup diced bell pepper , red, yellow or orange in ¼" inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons garlic minced
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes (about 3 Roma tomatoes); seeded and chopped into ¼ "inch pieces (See Recipe Notes)
15 ounces crushed tomatoes , or diced tomatoes drained (See Recipe)
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence , in the spice section of your grocer
1 dried bay leaf
½ cup dry white wine (or water)
fresh basil , chopped as garnish

Instructions

Prep

Cut eggplant into ¼"inch cubes (you can leave the skin on or remove it); place it in a colander with a paper towel and salt generously; cover with dishtowel and set aside (See Recipe Notes)
1 medium to large eggplant
Cut yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers onions, garlic; set aside (put them in separate bowls because you won't add them all at once)
1 cup chopped yellow squash, 1 cup chopped zucchini, 1 cup diced bell pepper, 1 cup chopped onion, 3 tablespoons garlic
Cut roma tomatoes in half; remove seeds and cut into pieces; set aside
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes

Make the Ratatouille

On medium heat 1 teaspoon of oil in dutch oven; add eggplant; cook for 4 minutes and transfer to bowl
1 medium to large eggplant, 3 tablespoons high quality olive oil
Add yellow squash and zucchini to stockpot; cook 4 minutes (if you need a little more oil, add it in 1 teaspoon increments); after squash has cooked 4 minutes, transfer to the bowl with the eggplant
1 cup chopped yellow squash, 1 cup chopped zucchini
Add onion, fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic to the stockpot; cook 3 minutes
1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes, 3 tablespoons garlic
Add crushed tomatoes, white wine (or water), a bay leaf and Herbs de Provence; stir well
15 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 dried bay leaf, ½ cup dry white wine (or water), 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
Add sauteed eggplant and squash to stockpot
1 medium to large eggplant, 1 cup chopped yellow squash, 1 cup chopped zucchini
Turn heat to medium low; cover and cook for 25 minutes or until squash is tender; remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped basil and serve
fresh basil

Notes

Make sure to use ceramic, non-stick or stainless steel cookware; anything else and the eggplant turns brownish/gray. Do not use a cast-iron skillet.

Prep the Eggplant:

You can remove the skin or not; either way, cut it into ¼ "inch cubes. Place a paper towel in a colander, add the eggplant and season generously with salt; cover with dishtowel.

When it's time to add the eggplant, lightly pat it dry with a paper towel (some of the salt will fall off and that's okay)

Yellow squash and Zucchini

It is not necessary to remove the skins; just dice into ¼ " inch cubes

Olive oil

Add 1 teaspoon or so to the dutch oven and saute the eggplant. After you transfer the eggplant to a bowl, if you need a little more oil for the squash, add it. Do the same when it's time to add the onions.

Tomatoes

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, use canned diced tomatoes; just drain them first

A note about stirring ratatouille

While ratatouille is cooking on the stove, stir it occasionally very gently - if you stir too often and too hard, it turns to mush.

Nutrition