Provençal summer vegetables, each variety seared individually and then gently braised together. The crucial difference from a random vegetable stew is that eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers are cooked separately so that each retains its own character. It is equally good warm, lukewarm, or cold the next day.
Why this works
Eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers have completely different water contents and cell structures, and therefore need different times and temperatures. If put together in one pot, the zucchini will fall apart before the eggplant is cooked, and the escaping water prevents all three from browning. Seared individually, each vegetable gets its roasted aromas, and the joint braising at the end merely brings them together.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Sear the eggplants
Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan and fry the eggplant cubes over medium to high heat for eight minutes until they are golden brown all over and soft. Eggplants absorb a lot of oil at first and release it later, so resist the urge to constantly pour more in. Take them out and set them aside.
- 2
Zucchini and bell peppers
In the same pan with two tablespoons of oil, fry the zucchini cubes for five minutes until they have color but still have a bite. Take them out and fry the bell pepper pieces for six minutes until their skin blisters. They are also set aside individually. Each vegetable has its own cooking point, hence this apparent detour.
- 3
Tomato base
Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic for eight minutes until they are soft and sweet. Add the peeled diced tomatoes as well as the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, and let everything reduce uncovered for fifteen minutes until a thick, aromatic sauce forms.
- 4
Bring together
Return all the fried vegetables to the pan and gently fold them into the tomato sauce. Let everything simmer together over low heat for ten minutes so the flavors combine without the vegetables falling apart. Stir as little as possible, tossing is completely sufficient.
- 5
Season to taste
Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves and season generously with salt and black pepper. Tear the basil in only now, because its flavors are volatile. Ratatouille tastes best lukewarm and often even better the next day, when the flavors have fully settled.
Our best tips
- Sear each vegetable individually. This is the step that turns vegetable stew into a ratatouille.
- Peel ripe tomatoes by scoring them crosswise, placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and shocking them in cold water.
- Serve lukewarm, not boiling hot. This allows the individual vegetable flavors to come out much better.
Tasty variations
Tian de légumes
Layer the vegetables upright in thin slices in a dish and bake at 180 °C for 50 minutes, this is the decorative oven variation.
With egg
At the end, press in hollows and poach eggs in them, then it becomes a complete main dish.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 337 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| – of which sugar | 18 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Fiber | 12 g |
Where the 337 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sear everything together?
You can, but then you get a vegetable stew. The separate cooking is the whole point of this dish.
How long does ratatouille keep?
Four days in the refrigerator and it tastes better every day. Cold as an appetizer with baguette, it is also excellent.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, up to three months. The texture becomes slightly softer when thawed, but the taste changes little.
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