Ratatouille
The traditional rustic Provençal vegetable stew - eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and tomato, each sautéed separately before being combined and simmered together - cooking each vegetable on its own first, rather than dumping everything into one pot at once, is what keeps every vegetable holding its own texture instead of collapsing into a single mush.
⏱ 60 min🍽 6 servings
dinnervegetarianvegan
Ingredients
- •1 large eggplant, cut into cubes
- •2 zucchini, cut into cubes
- •2 bell peppers, cut into cubes
- •1 onion, sliced
- •4 cloves garlic, minced
- •4 tomatoes, diced
- •1/4 cup olive oil
- •1 tsp herbes de Provence
- •1 bay leaf
- •Salt to taste
- •Pepper to taste
Steps
- 1.Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the eggplant on its own until golden and softened, then remove and set aside.
- 2.In the same pan, sauté the zucchini on its own until lightly golden, then remove and set aside - cooking each vegetable separately like this, rather than all at once, is what keeps their individual textures intact instead of everything turning to mush.
- 3.Sauté the bell peppers on their own until softened, then remove and set aside.
- 4.Add a little more oil and sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- 5.Add the diced tomatoes, herbes de Provence, and bay leaf to the pan with the onion and garlic, and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down into a sauce.
- 6.Return all the sautéed vegetables to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender but the vegetables still hold their shape.
- 7.Discard the bay leaf and serve warm or at room temperature, as a side dish or on its own with crusty bread.