Ratatouille is a fabulously easy way to serve summer produce like eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes.

Ratatouille is a classic French side dish enjoyed by home cooks during the summer season. Layers of tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and zucchini are mixed with onions and garlic to create this healthy and easy vegetable dish.

Simple ingredients and simple preparation result in a complex and delicious side your family will want over and over again.

top down view of ratatouille in a skillet with fresh vegetables on a table around it.

Before Disney put a rodent in the kitchen, French housewives would throw together Ratatouille in the summer time as a simple side dish. This is peasant food not haute cuisine. Yes, I know the point of the movie was the dish brought out childhood memories.

But, this recipe has the same delicious taste without the tedious effort of arranging the vegetables vertically in circles in the pan like in the movie.

Don't stress the amounts of each vegetable too much. Use what you have available. The only seasonings in this dish are the garlic, salt and pepper. If you want to add some fresh or even dried herbs, I won't stop you.

Ingredients for Ratatouille

The ingredients for this dish are best in summer when zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes are all ripe.

zucchini, or other summer squash
eggplant, see note below
tomatoes
yellow onion
garlic cloves
bell peppers, any color
olive oil, salt and pepper

You can use one large globe eggplant, or several skinnier Italian or Japanese eggplants. I like to use the skinny ones and cut them in rounds like the zucchini. You can leave the peel on the Italian and Japanese, they are not as bitter as the globe.

Ratatouille like in the movie

To serve it in pretty concentric circles like in the movie you will want to use skinny eggplant and cut the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes in rounds.

Cook the bell peppers with the onions and garlic and remove from the pan. Alternate the slices in concentric circles in the pan. Top with the cooked peppers and onions.

Farmers Market Week

Head to your local Farmers Market, produce stand, or garden to pick the freshest summer produce to make some of these recipes:

Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Arugula, and Basil Dressing by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Magical Ingredients
Easy Chicken Stir-Fry by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
French Green Bean Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Grilled Zucchini Carbonara by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Jalapeno Corn Cakes by Jolene's Recipe Journal
Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles by Rave About Food
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto by Art of Natural Living

Recipe

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Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
3-4 medium bell peppers, any color (thinly sliced)
1 medium eggplant (see note) (peeled and diced)
3 medium zucchini (cut in ½ inch slices)
3-4 medium tomatoes (roughly chopped)
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until golden.
¼ cup olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic
Remove onions and garlic from skillet. Add the following to the skillet in layers, top each layer with some of the onions and garlic and salt and pepper to taste:
+ bell peppers
+ eggplant
+ zucchini
+ tomatoes
Drizzle the top with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
3-4 medium bell peppers, any color, 1 medium eggplant (see note), 3 medium zucchini, 3-4 medium tomatoes, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil
Reduce heat to very low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes to cook off some of the liquid.