Ratatouille

Bright, flavorful, and flecked with herbs, this ratatouille recipe showcases summer produce at its best. Enjoy it with your favorite rosé and good bread!

ratatouille recipe

Every time I make this ratatouille recipe, I think about a trip I took to Provence, France, a few years ago. While I was there, I stayed with a local family. When they met me at the train station, I was exhausted and hungry, worn out from hours of traveling alone. But when my hosts announced that they were serving ratatouille for dinner, I felt my energy come flooding back. I’ve always loved ratatouille, a Provençal vegetable stew, and I was so excited to try it in France! That night, we sat on my hosts’ patio, drinking rosé and scooping up ratatouille with big hunks of crusty bread. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day in France.

So when the tables at Chicago’s farmers markets start to sag under the weight of late summer bounty, I always fill my bags with ratatouille ingredients. The dish is a wonderful reminder of the generosity of my host family and the magic of traveling abroad, but it’s also just delicious. Summer vegetables melt into a rich, silky stew that’s bright with vinegar and flecked with fresh herbs. If you’re able to try it in the next few weeks, do. Eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and herbs are all in season. This ratatouille recipe is the perfect way to use them.

Ratatouille ingredients

Ratatouille Ingredients

Ready to try this ratatouille recipe? Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Onion and garlic – They create the stew’s flavorful base.
  • Eggplant – Any kind!
  • Zucchini – I’ve been obsessed with Italian striped zucchini (pictured above) this summer, but other varieties of summer squash are also fair game. Feel free to use regular zucchini, yellow squash, yellow zucchini, or whatever you have on hand!
  • Peppers – Yellow, orange, and red bell peppers all taste great! I’ve had good results with red pimento peppers too.
  • Cherry tomatoes – I add them in two parts. Half get really soft and saucy, while the rest become tender and bursty, but still hold their shape. I love this combination in the final dish!
  • Dried oregano, fresh thyme, and herbes de Provence – They add aromatic depth of flavor.
  • White wine vinegar – It makes the ratatouille tangy and bright.
  • Fresh herbs – For garnish! Basil and thyme are fantastic, but I especially love ratatouille with fresh oregano on top.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – Use it to sauté the veggies first. Then, drizzle it over the finished stew for extra body and richness.
  • Red pepper flakes and salt and pepper – The red pepper flakes add heat, and the salt and pepper make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Chopped zucchini, eggplant, and peppers

How to Make Ratatouille

Ratatouille has a reputation for being a labor-intensive dish, but if you don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen, don’t worry! My ratatouille recipe is simpler than a traditional one, and the results are just as flavorful. Here’s how it goes:

  • First, sauté the veggies. In a traditional ratatouille recipe, you would brown each vegetable separately before adding it to the stew. In my recipe, I streamline this process. You’ll sauté the veggies in two parts. First, cook the eggplant and onion. Then, add the zucchini, peppers, thyme, half the cherry tomatoes, and dried herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften.
  • Next, take it off the heat. Stir in half the vinegar and pile the remaining cherry tomatoes on top.
  • Then, bake. French ratatouille is usually cooked entirely on the stove, but I like to finish mine in the oven. That way, the stew gets thick and velvety, and the cherry tomatoes on top become really juicy and start to burst.
  • Finally, season and enjoy! Remove the ratatouille from the oven, add the remaining vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve it right away, with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs, or store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like it best on days 2 and 3, when the flavors have had more time to develop. Most often, I eat it hot from the stove on day 1 and at room temperature after that. It’s delicious both ways!

ratatouille in a pot

Ratatouille Recipe Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to enjoy ratatouille is the simplest: in a big bowl with lots crusty bread on the side! Before you eat, top it with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs to deepen the flavor. Make it a full meal by pairing it with a simple cooked protein, like my lemon marinated lentils. Here are a few more delicious ways to serve it:

How do you like to eat ratatouille? Let me know in the comments!

ratatouille

More Favorite Summer Recipes

If you love this ratatouille recipe, showcase your late summer veggies in one of these recipes next:

For more ideas, check out these 35 Best Zucchini Recipes or these 50 Fresh Tomato Recipes!

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ratatouille

Ratatouille

rate this recipe:
5 from 26 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
This ratatouille recipe is the ultimate late summer dish! Serve it warm or at room temperature, with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs, and lots of crusty bread.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, eggplant, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, half the tomatoes, the bell pepper, zucchini, thyme, herbes de Provence, oregano, the remaining salt, and pinches of black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Top with the remaining cherry tomatoes and bake uncovered for 17 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes start to burst.
  • Remove from the oven, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with fresh herbs. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, as desired.

45 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Lana
    08.31.2021

    5 stars
    Holy Moly! This is an amazing recipe. I served it over polenta. So delicious 😋

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.01.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Blair
    08.31.2021

    5 stars
    This recipe was incredible tasting and so simple! I’ve been eating it for lunch for the last 3 days! It’s hearty enough to be filling like a stew/soup but is so fresh and healthy. I will definitely be making again. Thanks for the easy recipe.

  3. Roxane
    08.30.2021

    I love Ratatouille and your version looks amazing. In a reply to one of the comments you mentioned making it all on the stove. I ask because we have triple digits in Metro Phoenix and I try to avoid using the oven until it cools down (November). Any change at all to preparation if it is all done on the stove? Should I cover the dutch oven at any point. My husband and his wife love your books. When they visited I made one of your recipes and they bought your first book on their own and liked it so much that I purchased your second book as a birthday gift to my daughter in law!

    • Roxane
      09.01.2021

      It is my son and his wife that enjoy your books. Need an edit feature on the comments 🙂

      • Roxane
        09.02.2021

        5 stars
        Actually went ahead and made this recipe entirely on the stove. Turned out great and very delicious. Wonderful combination of herbs. Absolute perfection. Thanks for this one.

        • Jeanine Donofrio
          09.03.2021

          I’m so glad that worked out!

  4. Elizabeth
    08.28.2021

    I was just thinking about making Ratatouille today! How would you recommended preparing this in a show cooker?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.29.2021

      Hi Elizabeth, I don’t have a slow cooker so I’m not sure. It works perfectly just on the stove.

  5. Petter
    08.11.2021

    When does the garlic go in?

  6. Gay
    07.06.2021

    5 stars
    Best ratatouille I have ever made! Delicious.

  7. Tracy
    06.06.2021

    5 stars
    Omg! yum! I made this for two meals and leftovers. I ate the entire pot!!

  8. 1Zs Girl
    05.21.2021

    I’m a meat and potatoes kind of gal however we wanted to try a ‘meatless’ dinner for a change.
    I happened to just have some eggplant kicking around (who doesn’t?) and found this recipe.
    I really wasn’t sure about it as it just didn’t sound ‘meaty and potatoey’… but I figured I’d try it anyways. I did not taste the entire time I was cooking.
    I made some brown rice to accompany this.
    Time to eat!
    WOW! This is GOOD!!! Like REALLY good! I will definitely be keeping this recipe and will make this again. I can’t wait to try it with some crusty bread.

  9. Allie chavez
    10.05.2020

    5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious. This is the best ratatouille recipe I’ve tried. The herbs de Provence and the vinegar gave it the oomph it needed. It went perfectly with some Parmesan and herb encrusted chicken.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.06.2020

      yay, I’m so glad you loved it!

  10. Sabrina
    09.12.2020

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! This is absolutely delicious. I was looking for a way to use up some late summer CSA veggies, and so glad I stumbled on this recipe. I’ve never had ratatouille this good before. Thank you for the recipe!

  11. Christina
    09.03.2020

    5 stars
    This recipe was so delicious! I had a surplus of eggplant and tomatoes from my garden and this was the perfect use for them. I slathered bread with some goat cheese and topped with the ratatouille – and you’re right, the fresh oregano made all the difference.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.12.2020

      Hi Christina, I’m so glad you loved it!

  12. Bren
    08.28.2020

    5 stars
    So good!! Very flavorful and easy to prepare. Agreed that it must be served with crusty bread because the sauce is so good 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      Hi Bren, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  13. Jen
    08.28.2020

    Thanks so much for posting it. I realized that it looked really similar to one of my favorite dishes from Spain (pisto manchego) so I tried it out. This was delicious and definitely reminded me of Spain.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      Oh, I hadn’t heard of that, it looks very similar. I’m so glad you enjoyed.

  14. Maclean Nash
    08.24.2020

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! I love how quickly this recipe comes together and that it makes a LOT for plenty of versatile leftovers!
    I had a loaf of homemade bread (thank you covid for that new skill) which was perfect with the ratatouille and I also made the lemony lentils as you suggested and I will be making those again!
    Thank you for another amazing recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      I’m so glad you loved it and also the lentils!

  15. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    08.17.2020

    wonderful story, love Provence too, haven’t been there in a long time makes me miss it, anyway this looks lovely, so thank you

  16. Sue
    08.17.2020

    5 stars
    Excellent ratatouille, my husband said it reminded him of dinners in Nice, which make me nostalgic :). Easy to prepare from lovely produce fresh from our local market. I’m looking forward to trying the leftovers cold tomorrow as suggested. Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      I’m so glad you both loved it!

  17. Toni Resnick
    08.17.2020

    I slice all my veggies into planks, roast separately in oven until caramelised, layer them in rectangular baking pan (I use ceramic) and roast until there is a think, velvety sauce. Seasonings: salt pepper garlic herbs d’ Provence tarragon

    to make it really special I add crumbled blue cheese and fig glaze.

  18. Gil
    08.16.2020

    5 stars
    Delicious.
    Served on a bed of toasted pearl Couscous.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      Hi Gil, I’m so glad you loved it!

  19. Rebecca
    08.16.2020

    5 stars
    I LOVED this dish! It was my first time making ratatouille and I will definitely be making this again.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.16.2020

      I’m so happy to hear that!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.30.2020

      Yay! I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit.

  20. Kate
    08.16.2020

    Link to Eggplant Parm goes to Gazpacho…

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.16.2020

      thanks for pointing that out, just fixed it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.