Ratatouille, a summer vegetable stew, is perhaps the most iconic dish of the southern French region of Provence. In this recipe, I’m going to show you a roasted version of ratatouille, one of the two most common varieties of the authentic recipe.
Authentic ratatouille, though, is not a dish of nicely stacked sliced vegetables, which is what most people in English-speaking countries think it is, thanks to the Disney movie of the same name. But more on this below. Instead, it is a slowly cooked stew of summer vegetables and tomatoes. Not exactly Insta-worthy food, yet super delicious. And as you’ll see, it is extremely easy to prepare.
Roasted Ratatouille
As I mentioned above, roasted ratatouille is one of the two most common main varieties of this dish. In this variation, ingredients are sautéed one by one before being cooked together. The other variety is somewhat simpler: you simply cook all the ingredients together in a pan.
But this roasted ratatouille is not much harder to make, and I think this small bit of extra work is well worth the effort. By roasting the vegetables over high heat, you create an additional grilled flavor without ever needing to use a grill.
Authentic Ratatouille
Several varieties of ‘authentic ratatouille’ exist even in Provence, as is the case with basically every recipe. Aside from the two major differences in the preparation method (see above), seasoning and the way the ingredients are cut (i.e., diced or sliced) can also vary.
What’s pretty much consistent is the basic ingredients, which are eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. For seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper are used in literally every version, and most contemporary recipes add bay leaves and thyme. But you can use basically any Mediterranean herb—basil, parsley, celery leaves, marjoram, fennel, or even herbes de Provence—and still make an authentic ratatouille.
One thing is true though. The nicely stacked, sliced vegetable casserole that most English speaking home cooks are familiar with is not an authentic ratatouille. That one is instead a dish popularized by the Disney movie with the same name, but it is in fact an artistic creation. It’s origins go back to another Provençal dish from the city of Nice, the Tian.
Ratatouille Tips
Perhaps the most important tip for a delicious ratatouille is to use sweet summer tomatoes. Unfortunately, you rarely find these in a supermarket these days. Try to get them at your local farmer’s market if possible. If not, cook your ratatouille in summer or late summer, using very ripe tomatoes.
My second most important tip is that you shouldn’t worry about the exact quantities of the ingredients. Use roughly the quantities I give you in the recipe, but even if your eggplants are a bit smaller and your zucchini larger, or vice versa, your ratatouille will turn out just delicious.
You can use any spices that would traditionally be used in Provence, and your ratatouille will still be authentic. Bay leaves and thyme are the ones that I’ve found to be the most popular in French online recipes these days. But feel free to add basil, marjoram, fennel, celery leaves, or herbes de Provence. All of them are ‘authentic’; people use them in their ratatouille throughout southern France. Fresh herbs obviously add to the summer feeling, but you can use dried ones as well.
Ratatouille requires quite a large frying pan, even for this quantity. If you don’t have a lid big enough for your pan, simply cover it with aluminum foil.
How To Serve Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a very versatile dish. You can serve it as a main course; in this case, it becomes a very healthy summer vegetarian-vegan dish.
It is often served as a side dish, and it goes well with basically any roasted meat. And of course, you can serve it both warm and chilled. My favorite time to serve ratatouille is 30–60 minutes after preparing it, but of course, this is only a personal preference.
You can easily store it in the fridge for a couple of days, and then eat it either chilled or reheated.
I would add quite a lot of different ingredients to ‘enrich’ my ratatouille and basically create another dish. Rice, chickpeas, or mushrooms would work great. But if you step outside the realm of vegetarian recipes, chicken, sausage, or even fish would elevate your ratatouille to a whole new level.
Authentic Roasted Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants about 1 ½ pounds or 700 g
- 2 zucchini about 1.65 pounds or 750 g
- 2 lbs tomatoes ripe summer tomatoes, about 9 pieces or 950 grams
- 2 bell peppers 1 green and 1 red
- 2 onions about ½ pounds or 200 g
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs thyme fresh
- 2 ½ tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- salt
- black pepper ground
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Remove bell pepper stem and seeds and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Cut off stems of zucchini and eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise then again in half lengthwise (you can cut bigger eggplants in 3) and then into 1 inch cubes. Dice the onions in larger pieces and cut the tomatoes in 4. Roughly chop the garlic. Transfer everything into a separate plate or bowl.
- Sautée the veggies one by one in ½-½ tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over high heat for 5 minutes. First the bell peppers, then the eggplants and lastly the zucchini. Transfer them back to their plate or bowl.
- Sautée the onions and tomatoes in 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and salt for the last minute.
- Add all other ingredients; bell peppers, eggplants, zucchini, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir, cover and lower the heat.
- Cook for about 40 minutes over medium-low, covered. Stir every 5-10 minutes.
