Gimme Some Oven

Easy Ratatouille

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This easy ratatouille recipe is the perfect use for leftover summer veggies, it’s wonderfully fresh and flavorful and hearty, and it’s ultra-simple when sautéd together in a large pot (instead of the traditional method of neatly layering all of those veggies). I highly recommend serving it with a good crusty baguette.

This ultra-easy Ratatouille recipe is the perfect way to use up summer vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, tomato, bell peppers, you name it!), and tastes absolutely delicious when served with crusty French bread (or pasta or quinoa or rice). An awesome healthy dinner idea, and one that's easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. | gimmesomeoven.com (Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Vegan)

This is the time of year when all of Kansas City comes downtown to visit my little neighborhood. And it’s crazy and it’s chaotic and our streetcar is packed to the gills and people regularly park in my reserved space and the line at my coffee shop takes an eternity…but I love it. ?

As many of you know, when I quit my last job and decided to freelance from home and suddenly realized that I was free to live absolutely anywhere I wanted in Kansas City, my decision was a no-brainer — I wanted to live as close to my favorite market in town as possible. Luckily, the stars aligned that summer, and I stumbled into a lease in an unknown little apartment building literally right across the street from the market. And now over 5 years later, I’ve been thrilled to call my little nook of the River Market home ever since.

I just love this neighborhood.

And — one of the surprise joys of marriage has been actually been getting to fall in love with this neighborhood all over again now that I’m seeing it through Barclay’s eyes. This past weekend, for example, we had a wide open day on Saturday and were brainstorming the night before about places we could go or things we could do. But then he got this little sparkle in his eye and said, “Actually, how about we just have a relaxing day in the neighborhood? Grab some coffee at Quay, go by the market, maybe ride the streetcar somewhere nearby for lunch, have a reading date at home, a drink at Farmhouse…”

Annnnd….cue all the feels. ? ? ?

It ended up being the best day. And made me so thankful yet again for the season that I — and now we — have been able to call this precious neighborhood home. And even though the market was absolutely jam-packed with people all weekend, I was thankful for the thousandth time to be able to walk across the street and soak up the scene and bring home the most beautiful rainbow of veggies for us this week — many of which I used to toss into this easy ratatouille recipe, which I’m convinced everyone needs to make at least once during the summertime.

This ultra-easy Ratatouille recipe is the perfect way to use up summer vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, tomato, bell peppers, you name it!), and tastes absolutely delicious when served with crusty French bread (or pasta or quinoa or rice). An awesome healthy dinner idea, and one that's easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. | gimmesomeoven.com (Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Vegan)

Have you ever made homemade ratatouille before?

(Or watched the movie? ??)

It’s one of my favorite dishes to make each summer because it’s the perfect way to showcase so many of everyone’s favorite season veggies! Traditional French ratatouille typically calls for eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and lots and lots of fresh herbs. And then for fancy presentation, all of those vegetables are typically thinly-sliced and layered in a rainbow pattern in a baking dish, then baked atop a simple tomato sauce — which is gorgeous and awesome. But also time-consuming and tedious. ?

So instead, I love just sautéing and simmering all of those same ingredients together to create more of a rustic ratatouille stew.  And guys, it couldn’t be easier.

This ultra-easy Ratatouille recipe is the perfect way to use up summer vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, tomato, bell peppers, you name it!), and tastes absolutely delicious when served with crusty French bread (or pasta or quinoa or rice). An awesome healthy dinner idea, and one that's easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. | gimmesomeoven.com (Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Vegan)

Just chop up all of those veggies into bite-sized pieces, sauté them with garlic (I use lots of garlic) and fresh herbs (I really love rosemary and basil) and a splash of wine until everything is cooked and tender. If you’d like a more mushy, stew-y consistency, feel free to simmer the veggies a little longer over low heat. But I like to sauté them just until they’re cooked through, and then serve immediately while they still retain their shape and colors. Up to you!

Then…voila! This huge, gorgeous, vibrant pot full of fresh veggies will be yours to enjoy!!

I love serving mine simply with a good crusty baguette. But it’s also delicious served over pasta or quinoa or rice. And of course, always feel free to add in some of your favorite protein (cooked sausage, chicken, steak, etc.) if you’d like.

Seriously, so simple, so seasonal, and so delicious.

Enjoy, everyone!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Easy Ratatouille

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

This easy ratatouille recipe is the perfect use for leftover summer veggies, it’s wonderfully fresh and flavorful and hearty, and it’s ultra-simple when sautéd together in a large pot (instead of the traditional method of neatly layering all of those veggies).


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 large zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 pints fresh cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine* (or dry red wine)

Instructions

  1. Add diced eggplant to a colander, and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit 15 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out excess liquid.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, bell peppers, and zucchini, and sauté for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly cooked through.
  3. Stir in the eggplant, tomatoes, basil, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and rosemary, and cook for 10** more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Slowly add in the wine, stirring the bottom of the pan to scrape up any brown bits that may have formed.  Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and black pepper, and remove the bay leaf and rosemary.
  4. Serve warm, with a side of crusty bread, quinoa, rice or pasta.  (I also recommend sprinkling on some Parmesan cheese, if you’d like.)

Notes

*If you do not cook with wine, feel free to substitute in 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock + 1/4 cup red wine vinegar instead of the wine.

**If you would like more of a stew consistency, feel free to reduce the heat to medium-low after 10 minutes, cover, and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.

This ultra-easy Ratatouille recipe is the perfect way to use up summer vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, tomato, bell peppers, you name it!), and tastes absolutely delicious when served with crusty French bread (or pasta or quinoa or rice). An awesome healthy dinner idea, and one that's easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. | gimmesomeoven.com (Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Vegan)

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

25 comments on “Easy Ratatouille”

  1. So perfect for all the summer CSA veggies we’ve been getting! Thanks for sharing – a must make :)

  2. Yum! The last version of Ratatouille I made called for cooking each veggie separately. It was delicious, but took a really long time and so many dishes!! Can’t wait to try this version. ?

  3. River Market is by far my fave place in the Kansas City area. I need to get up there way more often!

  4. I’ve been making a variation of this for years. Thanks for giving it a fancier name!

  5. This ratatouille sounds very nice. I can’t tell you how happy I am that it is not made on a bed of tomato sauce…

  6. I’ve always really wanted to try Ratatouille, but am not a huge eggplant fan. Do you think it can be made without the eggplant? Or perhaps substitute another vegetable? Thanks!

    • Hi Megan! Yes, you could make this without the eggplant. Feel free to use more of one of the other veggies in this, or you could use portobello mushroom (we bet that would be yummy, and the consistency would be fairly similar to the eggplant). We hope you enjoy this!

  7. This ratatouille looks easy, healthy and delicious. Plus, as you said, one can use leftover summer veggies. Thanks for sharing this.

  8. Thanks a bunch for easy ratatouille recipe. It’s just not tasty but very healthy as well.

  9. Looks so perfect for this time of year – beautiful colours. Have you tried using the same ingredients but roasting in a hot oven? Self same ingredients, totally different end result -kind of sticky and a little bit charred around the edges – perfect with roast chicken or just on its own with some bread to mop up the juice. You do need to line your roasting tray with paper or foil though, or you’ll ruin your Sunday by having a horrid clean-up job. You’ve made me want to go to the market now, busy day today, so maybe tomorrow.

  10. I have never tried ratatouille – noticed there is no broth used? Is that correct? Thank you!

  11. Thanks for the recipe for ratatouille. I discovered the recipe below a couple of years ago but I think your instructions are easier to follow and it just goes to show that the cook can use whatever fresh herbs he/she has in her garden. When I make it I will hashtag to you.

    A few months ago, as my daughter was getting ready for Step test for medical school, I prepared some frozen meals for her so she would not have to spend so much time preparing meals and could spend more time studying instead. I printed out about 10 of your recipes and spread the recipes out on the floor. It was a transforming experience. As a result, I rewrote the instructions for one of my daughter’s favorite recipes. I think that is what makes your blog the best. Not only are the recipes delicious, your instructions are straightforward and easy to follow. Thanks for that.

    Thanks also for sharing your love of Kansas City and the City Market. I grew up in Belton, and my daughter currently lives in Mission and we try to get to the City Market whenever we visit her but it’s not often enough. I miss KC.

    Good luck to you both in Barcelona. (My daughter spent a year in Spain as an English language teaching assistant in Cuidad Rodrigo (sp?) before she started medical school)

    https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Recipes/Seafood/Snapper/Crispy-Florida-Snapper-with-Ratatouille

    • You’re welcome, Ellen, we hope you enjoy it! And thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this. We are touched that you and your daughter enjoy the blog and the recipes you’ve tried so much! :)

  12. I may have (non-romantically) fallen in love with Barclay when he suggested “a reading date at home.” Sitting quietly and reading a book while friends or family do the same is a seriously underestimated joy!

  13. Sorry, but what’s a colander

  14. YES. Eggplant is my recent obsession. Love it!

  15. This ratatouille seems so easy to make.
    thanks for sharing.

  16. Maybe a cliché but my grandmother used to cook this even if she never named it Ratatouille. I’m glad I’ve found this recipe as it’s the closest I can get to what she used to cook.