Provençal aubergine, courgette, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, thyme, bay, basil, and olive oil cooked in stages
Ratatouille is a Provençal summer vegetable dish, not the tightly layered baked presentation popularized in modern media. Aubergine, courgette, peppers, onion, and tomato are cut into generous pieces and cooked in stages so each develops flavor before joining the pot. Garlic, thyme, bay, and basil perfume the vegetables without covering their identities. The final texture should be soft and silky but not puréed, with olive oil and reduced tomato juices forming the sauce.
- Prep
- 40 mins
- Cook
- 1 hour 20 mins
- Rest
- 10 mins
- Total
- 2 hours 10 mins
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
The recipe
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Before you start
Cut each vegetable evenly and keep them in separate bowls. Salt aubergine lightly for 20 minutes, then blot it dry. Peel ripe tomatoes after a brief blanch if desired. Tie thyme and bay together for easy removal and use a wide heavy casserole to encourage evaporation.
Ingredients
For the vegetables
For the herbs and finishing
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Wide heavy casserole paid link
- Large mixing bowls paid link
- Baking tray paid link
- Slotted spoon paid link
- Chef’s knife paid link
- Cutting board paid link
- Vegetable peeler paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
Method
Prepare the aubergine. Toss with 6 g salt, rest for 20 minutes, blot dry, and coat lightly with olive oil.
Brown the aubergine. Heat a portion of olive oil in a wide casserole and sauté aubergine in batches until golden; remove to a tray.
Cook the courgette. Add more oil and sauté courgette in batches until lightly colored but still firm; remove.
Soften the peppers. Cook red and yellow peppers for 8 minutes until their edges soften, then remove.
Build the tomato base. Add remaining olive oil and onions to the casserole, cook for 10 minutes, then add garlic, tomatoes, thyme, bay, remaining salt, and pepper.
Reduce the sauce. Simmer the tomato base uncovered for 20 minutes until thick and no longer watery.
Combine the vegetables. Return aubergine, courgette, and peppers, fold gently, and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
Rest and balance. Remove thyme and bay, add parsley, lemon juice, and fresh olive oil, then rest for 10 minutes.
Serve. Fold in torn basil immediately before serving warm or at room temperature.
Chef’s notes
Cook vegetables in batches so they brown instead of steaming in a crowded pan.
Keep aubergine and courgette pieces large enough to survive the final simmer.
Reduce the tomato base before combining everything or the ratatouille will be watery.
Fold rather than stir vigorously once the vegetables are tender.
Basil is best added at the end because prolonged heat dulls its perfume.
Tips and variations
Green pepper may replace part of the yellow pepper for a more assertive flavor.
Ratatouille can be cooked one day ahead and often tastes more integrated after resting.
Serve it warm, room temperature, or chilled depending on the meal.
Avoid cutting the vegetables into decorative paper-thin rounds; that is a different preparation.
A small strip of orange peel may be added to the herb bundle in a household variation.
Serve with
Present in a shallow enamel or ceramic dish with each vegetable still recognizable and a small pool of glossy tomato-olive-oil sauce around the edge.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat gently to at least 74°C or serve at room temperature after no more than 2 hours outside refrigeration. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- 430 kcal
- Calories
- 8 g
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbohydrates
- 31 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
Allergens
No major allergen is intentionally included. Check packaged tomatoes, bread, and accompaniments for celery, gluten, sulfites, or cross-contact.
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Questions
Is traditional ratatouille layered in circles?
The familiar home-style dish is a rustic stew of vegetables cut into pieces and cooked together after staged browning.
Why cook the vegetables separately?
Each vegetable browns and softens at a different rate, so staged cooking preserves texture.
Can canned tomatoes be used?
Yes. Use good whole plum tomatoes, drain excess liquid, and crush them by hand.
Is ratatouille better the next day?
It often is, because the garlic, herbs, tomato, and vegetables have time to integrate.
Can it be served cold?
Yes. It is good warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
