Name: Easy Ratatouille
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 pound eggplant (, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces); 2 red or yellow bell peppers (, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)); 1/2 red onion (, sliced); extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme; fine sea salt; 1 large zucchini (, sliced into half-moons (about 10 ounces)); 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce ((or 1 1/2 cups of homemade sauce); look for no added sugar); 1 tablespoon minced garlic (; roughly 3-4 cloves minced); 2 large tomatoes (, sliced (about 2 cups)); 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese ((optional; omit for a vegan dish))

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This Ratatouille recipe is a great way to use up your favorite summer produce, like zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant. I’ve been intimidated by it years, but today I’m going to show you how to make the easiest and most delicious version you’ve ever tasted. It would be fun to make with your kids after watching the Disney movie by the same name!

What is ratatouille? Ratatouille is a cooked vegetable dish originating in France, that features fresh summer produce. The name ratatouille comes from the French verb “touiller” which means “to stir up” or “toss.”

In essence, you’re tossing a bunch of veggies together to create a flavorful meal.

Ingredients You’ll Need

What is Ratatouille made of? Traditional ratatouille is made with zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and garlic, and it’s common to see eggplant added in, as well.

I’m usually not the biggest fan of eggplant, but in this case it’s a perfect match with the other flavors and textures.

If you’d prefer to skip the eggplant, you can do that with no problem! Feel free to add in other vegetables you love, like mushrooms or kale, replace it with extra zucchini, or just omit it entirely.

How to Serve It

What is Ratatouille served with? If you’d like to serve Ratatouille as a main course, I recommend serving it over a cooked grain, such as rice, quinoa, or pasta. You can also serve the leftovers as a pizza topping over your favorite pizza crust.

From a food combining standpoint, ratatouille is a neutral vegetable dish until you add the cheese, so for a vegan dinner you can leave that out and serve it with grains. Or if you prefer to include the cheese, you can enjoy it as part of an animal protein meal, with a serving of grilled fish or meat.

The options are wide-open!

How to Make It

Ratatouille is easy to prepare, but you will have to be patient as the vegetables roast in your oven. To get started, you’ll chop the eggplant, bell peppers, and onion, toss them in a little olive oil, and roast until almost tender.

While that’s in the oven, you can use that time to chop up the zucchini, tomato, and garlic that you’ll need. I like to be as efficient with my kitchen time as possible.

By the time you have everything chopped, you’ll place the zucchini in the oven to cook alongside the other vegetables (I usually add it to another pan because of space issues, but you can add it right on top of your other pan of veggies, too.)

Pour your favorite tomato sauce into the bottom of a 3-quart pan, then add in the garlic and the roasted veggies on top. Arrange sliced tomatoes over that, then back to the oven it goes until the tomatoes are tender!

Serve this flavor-packed vegetable dish over cooked quinoa (my personal favorite), rice, pasta, or pizza for a hearty vegetarian dinner. Or serve it as a side dish. It’s even delicious cold for an easy packed lunch the next day.