Ratatouille

Dinner

Aubergines, courgettes, peppers, and tomatoes slow-cooked in olive oil until they've all melted together into this silky, jammy stew. Each vegetable keeps its own flavor but everything's infused with garlic, herbs, and that fruity Provençal olive oil. It tastes like concentrated summer, sweet, savory, rich with olive oil, fragrant with thyme and basil. Brilliant warm, somehow even better the next day when the flavors have had time to properly meld. Simple market vegetables that become surprisingly addictive.

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 4

Cook ModeTurn this on to keep your screen awake while cooking

Ingredients  

1x2x3x?

• 2 aubergine
• 2 courgette
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper red
• 1 bell pepper yellow
• 5 tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
• salt and black pepper

Equipment

• 1 dutch oven
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 chopping board
• 1 knife
• 1 colander to sweat the aubergines
• § measuring jug

Instructions

1. 1. Prepare the aubergines and courgettes

   Sweat the aubergine chunks in a colander with a generous sprinkle of salt for 20 minutes, then pat dry with a clean tea towel. This little ritual keeps things meltingly tender and never bitter.
2. 2. Sauté the vegetables separately

   Heat half the olive oil in your pan over medium heat. Sauté the aubergine until golden, then remove to a bowl. Add a splash more oil, toss in courgette and peppers, and cook just until softened. Lift each into the bowl as they’re done. This lets each veg shine and avoids a muddy stew.
3. 3. Make the aromatic base

   Tip in the onions to the pan, sweat until translucent, then add the garlic, stirring until fragrant. Tumble in those luscious tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. 4. Combine and stew gently

   Return your cooked veggies to the pan, shower over the herbes de Provence, and season with salt and pepper. Stir gently. Cover and cook on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, or pop the lot into a 160°C oven for even slower loving. Let it mingle, but don’t stir too roughly, the vegetables should keep their personality.
5. 5. Finishing flourish

   Taste, adjust seasoning, and if you’re feeling the French spirit, garnish with fresh basil. Serve warm with crusty bread, or cold if you’re channeling breakfast on a sun-dappled Nice terrace.

Notes

• Ratatouille gets even better a day later, after the magic happens overnight in the fridge.
• It’s even excellent cold, piled on toast with soft cheese or as a base for eggs.
• Serving ratatouille with a freshly cracked egg (either fried, poached, or baked right on top) is absolutely traditional across much of southern France and is beloved as a rustic, protein-rich upgrade, especially when the dish doubles as breakfast or a light supper. It adds an irresistible richness and feels like a tapas-style nod to Provençal home cooking. 
  • If you like a runny yolk, let the ratatouille simmer gently in the pan or oven, cover, and cook the egg for 6–8 minutes until the whites are set and the yolk wobbles invitingly.
  • For fried eggs, simply crack the egg into a separate pan and slide on top, seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Baked? Pop the assembled plates under a hot grill for 3–5 minutes.

About this recipe

Ratatouille is proper Provençal soul food from the sunny south of France. It started out back in the 18th century in Nice, where locals made the most of whatever summer veggies were on hand: aubergines, courgettes, peppers, and tomatoes. The word “ratatouille” comes from the Occitan word “ratatolha,” and actually means “to stir up,” which is exactly what you do with this colourful mix of fresh goodness.

Far from fancy, ratatouille was originally humble grub for farmers and fishermen who needed filling, no-nonsense meals. There’s even a cheeky old joke that it was “food for those without teeth” because everything gets so soft after slow cooking. Now, it’s gone global, and it’s easy to see why. Healthy, vibrant, and packed with flavour but light on calories (about 140 kcal per serving), it ticks all the boxes for anyone wanting a taste of classic French cooking without the faff.

Topping it off with a fried or poached egg is a proper little nod to tradition in the region, adding a silky richness that turns this veggie stew into a full-on meal. And if Pixar’s 2007 film “Ratatouille” helped put this dish on the map, well, no harm done, this humble bowl of goodness deserves every bit of spotlight.

Making ratatouille is like catching a mini getaway to the Mediterranean coast, each spoonful bursting with sunshine, simple ingredients, and that kind of warmth you only get from sharing good food with good company. It’s always time well spent and never fails to charm the crowd.