Aromatic herbs & beautiful fresh vegetables come together in this very hearty, super healthy Easy Ratatouille which combines big flavour with simplicity. A perfect, quick & easy week night dinner!
Ratatouille is a traditional French vegetable stew that poor farmers would make to use up their excess vegetables. ‘Touiller’ in French means ‘to toss’ or ‘stir it up’ hence the name. I can assure you though, that when you eat this rich and hearty dish, you will feel anything but poor.
There are many different ways to cook Ratatouille and some of the more traditional ways take a little while to make. One way to do it is to cook every one of the vegetables individually then layer them up and bake in the oven. Whilst I am sure the finished result is delicious, I wanted to bring to you a quick and Easy Ratatouille which would combine the big flavours of aromatic herbs and fresh vegetables with simplicity for a quick and very healthy week night meal.
Sometimes the simplest meals are the best and that is certainly the case with my Easy Ratatouille. It is great with rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous, as a topping for a baked potato or simply with some Homemade No Knead Focaccia Bread. It can also be served as a side and keeps really well in the fridge for three to four days where the flavours just keep getting better. We always end up arguing over who gets the leftovers!
I like to keep my vegetables quite chunky but if you prefer them smaller then by all means cut them that way. Just bear in mind that they won’t take quite as long to cook so you will need to adjust the cooking time to suit.
Some people recommend salting and sweating eggplant before cooking. Whether or not this makes any difference at all is a controversial matter. Personally I don’t think that it makes a difference to flavour at all. Years ago eggplant did have a tendency to be bitter but they have evolved over the years and are now much mellower than they were. If you would prefer to sweat yours prior to getting started with this recipe then go for it but personally I think life is too short!
My Easy Ratatouille recipe combines the traditional eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, onion and garlic but also has the addition of some rosemary and fennel. The rosemary adds just a very slight undertone but the fennel adds pops of delicious aniseed flavour to every bite. I am somebody who isn’t keen on strong aniseed flavours but trust me here as the fennel isn’t too strong and works extremely well with the other flavours. If you really are a fennel hater and won’t take my word for it, then feel free to omit it.
I have absolutely loved seeing your pictures of my recipes on Twitter & Instagram this week. So many of you have made my Roast Stuffed Pumpkin and my Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving. It warms my heart to know that you are enjoying my recipes and sharing them with your family and friends! Please also continue to share them with me. I am @avirtualvegan on Twitter & Instagram. You can also post to my Facebook page if you don’t tweet or use Instagram.
Quick & Easy Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, see recipe notes)
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 1 large eggplant / aubergine , chopped into chunks
- 2 large zucchini , chopped into chunks
- 2 large bell peppers , any colour
- 900g | 4.5 cups chopped fresh tomato , you may substitute chopped canned tomatoes but the finished flavour won't be quite as good
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary , or fresh
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large bay leaf
Instructions
Make sure that all of the ingredients are chopped and ready to go.
In a large pan saute the onions in olive oil over a medium heat until translucent. If you wish to keep the recipe oil-free use a couple tablespoons of water for sautéing instead.
- Add the garlic and continue cooking until just starting to brown,
- Add all of the other ingredients and leave to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Give it a good gentle stir (you don't want to break the veggies up too much).
- Cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes have broken down.
- Serve & enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The use of olive oil for sautéing is optional. If you would prefer for this dish to be completely fat free then omit it and cook the onions & garlic in a good non stick pan (I love Ozeri's Stone Earth Pans as they are eco friendly & contain no harmful chemicals or toxins), or use a few drops of water if your pan isn't so good.
If you prefer to sweat your eggplant then cut into rounds, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave over a bowl or sit in the sink for at least half an hour (longer is fine). After this time blot each piece of aubergine with paper towel. Most of the salt will have run off. Now you can carry on with your recipe. I personally never bother to do this but I know some people like to.
Joanna says
Oh! I almost forgot… I also added some blended up basil and olive oil (pseudo pesto) that I had in my freezer from our last big batch of CSA herbs and I put some frozen chunks on the bottom of my bowl before spooning in the piping hot ratatouille. The heat from the meal melted the pesto and left me with DELICIOUS little surprises in my bowl every once in a while! A vegan pesto would do the same trick, whether frozen or fresh, whether on top of the dish or buried at the bottom. <3
Joanna says
So much flavour! Farmers’ Market tomatoes make a world of difference 🙂
I added a bit of extra olive oil and a touch LESS salt (1.5 tsp instead of 2 tsp) plus an extra bay leaf. This meal was a total hit and we will definitely be adding it into our regular dinner rotation. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Joanna. It’s the perfect recipe to be using your farmer’s market tomatoes in! Thank you for stopping by to leave feedback!
Deb says
How much water do you use in the pan when simmering?
A Virtual Vegan says
You only need water if you are making the recipe oil-free and then it’s just a tablespoon or two plus an extra drop every now and again to stop things sticking to the pan. Once the initial sautéing is over and all the vegetables are added to the pan, no water is added. The moisture comes from the vegetables themselves. here are lots of tomatoes in it and they release enough to make it nicely saucy.
[email protected] says
This Ratatouille is one of my favorite side dishes of all time! My husband and I love it so much we use it as spaghetti sauce these days 🙂
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s awesome! I serve it like that sometimes too. It’s so versatile.
John says
Mel, I just wanted to stop by to say how much I enjoy this recipe. I have now made it several times, and each time I am kind of blown away by how much I love it. I think that the thing that makes it stand out is the way that the fennel and rosemary carry the dish on their own. Adding other typical herbs for a ratatouille would muck it up. Also preparation is such a breeze. Once the vegetables are all cut up and ready to go the cooking is a snap. Thank you so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you John! I appreciate you stopping by to leave feedback and am so glad you are enjoying it. I love it too and make it often. I think fennel is a much under-used herb which is a shame. It’s great with tomatoey flavours.
Susannah~Healthygreensavvy.com says
I’ve been making ratatouille for years — it’s the best way to use up the bounty from our CSA, and I usually freeze several batches to enjoy in winter. When I’m pressed for time, tomatoes plus zucchini and eggplant a little basil or oregano makes a serviceable replacement and still lets me use up all those veggies. YUM. Glad you’re sharing this delicious recipe — perfect summer dinner!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Susannah! Summer produce is just the best!
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says
Great recipe. I’ve featured it in this week’s Meat Free Mondays. The roundup is now live. Thanks for submitting, oh and yummed, stumbled and pinned.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks so much Jac. I will share it later!
Christine says
Such a great way to eat vegetables. Love it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Christine!
theveganistafoodie says
This looks like a great healthy meal for the winter. Awesome recipes. Thank your of posting.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. You couldn’t get much healthier!
Miss Angie (@MySoCalledChaos) says
Yum! I love Ratatouille!
A Virtual Vegan says
It’s such a tasty & healthy dish!
kristen says
yum!! thanks for sharing this!
A Virtual Vegan says
You’re welcome Kristen!
Katarzyna says
Yummy! I love this kind of food!
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you like it!
Ali @ Home & Plate says
Yum…we always called this dish Hot Salad growing up. Loved it then and love it now. Your recipe looks delish!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I love that you called it hot salad! So funny!
[email protected] says
This looks so good!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Julie! ?