HOW TO MAKE RATATOUILLE
No Salt Added
How to make Healthy, hearty, ratatouille
Vegetarian, Plant-Based Dinner Ideas
Uses a dutch oven on the stovetop
Hi! I’m Alexa from Duvall Homestead and today I am sharing how to make farm-to-table Ratatouille that is healthy, plant-based, and pairs perfectly with a roasted beef cut or a glazed salmon. This simple recipe is a great way to get lots of veggies on your plate, whether it’s used as a side dish or a main meal.
If you’ve never had ratatouille before, you will be surprised at how simple and delicious it is. I started making this 6 years ago, after learning about ratatouille in a French cooking class. I will never forget the woman who taught us how to do this – she was straight from France and was very particular with how you cook the veggies – “NEVER combine the veggies and cook at the same time – EVER!” and “watch your garlic! You might burn that garlic!” are just two of the phrases that I remember her saying over and over in this class 😉 Needless to say, my family has enjoyed this recipe since 2013 and will do so for years to come!
What is ratatouille?
Ratatouille, at least this version, is a combination of zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic. The combination of flavors is what makes this so special, and everyone I’ve served this too always says “what is so good about this? Why is this SO good?” So I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!
Tips for making ratatouille:
• One of the secret sauces to this recipe is to cook each vegetables by itself, transferring to a large bowl when finished cooking. This preserves the flavor of the vegetables and prevents any mixing of flavors – so that at the end you have a combination of pure eggplant, pure zucchini, and pure pepper.
• Onion takes longer to cook than garlic, so let the onion cook for a few minutes before adding garlic. The pot is hot, so watch the garlic carefully so as not to burn it.
• Don’t forget the pinch of brown sugar and tablesoon or two of balsamic vinegar at the very end. These really make the flavor of the vegetables stand out and you will love this tastey touch.
• Serve as a side with a glazed salmon or a beer roast, or eat alone for a plant-based, vegetarian meal.
• You may schedule this into your day by chopping up veggies in the morning and sauteing in the afternoon, for example. I used to do this all the time!
You will need:
• A dutch oven or similar stove top pot. I love using the La Cocotte Staub.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (keep adding for each bach)
• 2 small to medium sized zucchinis
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 small eggplants
• 4 tomatoes (or 1 28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 branch of thyme
• Pinch Brown sugar
• 1-2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
Feeds: 6 people (as a side dish)
Estimated time: 1 hour
Can be eaten as leftover: yes – even better!
HOW TO MAKE RATATOUILLE:
1. In a dutch oven pot on medium heat, sauté one by one the zucchinis, eggplants, and peppers, adding oil to each and placing veggies in a bowl when finished.
2. Once all veggies are done, cook the onion until transparent. Add the garlic part-way through cooking the onion so as not to over cook the garlic.
3. Add veggies, tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, and a branch of thyme and simmer for 30 minutes on low.
4. After 30 minutes is up, add 1 tbsp of brown sugar and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Stir, and simmer for just a couple of minutes, and the ratatouille is ready to serve!
Thank you so much for watching this video and I hope you enjoy this simple and healthy ratatouille plate.
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As always, feel free to share this recipe with someone you think would like it.
Thank you for sharing in our Homestead!
Alexa
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