Quick and Easy Ratatouille. A vegetable stew that takes only 30 minutes and requires just a handful of fresh seasonal produce.
This is one of those recipes that you rely on. A quick and easy vegetable dish that can be enjoyed as a main dish, a side dish, or used in a variety of super creative ways (stay tuned, those recipes are coming!). In my house, we easily make this monthly, sometimes even a few times a month. It's the thing to whip together when you don't know what to cook but you feel like something super yummy. It's the recipe you make when life says, “Hey Abra, you have exactly 2 weeks left of graduate school and about 1,000 hours of studying” or “Hey Abra, congratulations on finishing your thesis (OMG I finished my thesis!!!!!!) don't forget you still have about 1,000 hours of studying ahead of you.”
You know it's that kind of reliable. The… I'll take care of you – don't worry you'll get through this – take a break and eat a big bowl of this comfort food, kind of recipe.
Eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, sweet bell peppers, onions, and garlic, stewed together with tomatoes and fresh herbs. It's comforting, it's hearty, it's jam packed with nutrition (hello, it's ALL vegetables!), it begs to be topped with lots of goat cheese ???? and it's ready in 30 minutes! Woop! Woop!
Ratatouille you are my ride or die these days, I don't know what I would do without you.
Tips for making the perfect quick and easy ratatouille
- Make sure the eggplant is cooked until tender.
- I love a variety of fresh herbs in this quick and easy Ratatouille, but you can use dried herbs in a pinch. Thyme, basil, parsley all work.
- If you have fresh tomatoes on hand you can use them in place of canned.
- Ratatouille makes the perfect sauce for pasta, simply toss with your favorite noodle and bam! Delicious.
- I've used only red bell peppers, only green bell peppers, roasted red peppers, or just one old yellow bell pepper that was wilting away in my fridge. They all worked equally well. Don't you love a recipe like that??
- There are fussier versions of ratatouille with perfectly sliced vegetables arranged in a spiral. While gorgeous, I prefer this rustic homey version. Simply chop all of your veggies to a similar size so they cook evenly.
So have you made ratatouille before? Will you give it a try now? If you are in my neighborhood you could pop over any time in the next few weeks and I will have some in the fridge. #RideOrDie ????
Quick and Easy Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic choped
- 1 medium size eggplant skin on, diced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for serving
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 bell pepper any color, diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 medium yellow squash diced
- 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- fresh parsley optional
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large saute pan over medium heat saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggplant, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper to pan, cook until eggplant is slightly tender about 5 more minutes.
- Add bell peppers, zucchini, and squash, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes. Add can of tomatoes, stirring well to combine.
- Allow all veggies to simmer together for 15 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning, add more salt if needed. Serve with fresh chopped parsley and cracked black pepper
Notes
- I use ratatouille in a thousand different ways; as a side dish, a main event with a little protein on top, or in this gorgeous breakfast shakshuka
- This is the kind of recipe that you can alter based on the ingredients you have, less eggplant/more zucchini/no onion, etc. Just make sure to season well.
