Friends, meet the ultimate summer meal! It doesn’t require turning on the oven or fussing with a complicated list of ingredients. Just throw a bunch of colorful summer vegetables into a pot with seasonings and olive oil and watch it transform into hearty, flavorful ratatouille. It’s absolutely perfect paired with any carb your heart desires (think bread and pasta and polenta, oh my!).
Our inspired version is easy to make, requiring just 1 pot and 10 simple ingredients, and it’s ready in less than 1 hour. Let us show you how it’s done!
What is Ratatouille?
But first, what is ratatouille and where did it come from?
Ratatouille is a stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice, France. It’s commonly made with onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, and leafy herbs. And while dishes called “ratatouille” date back to the 18th century, a dish resembling the ingredients mentioned above didn’t make it into cookbooks until around 1930.
The following is an inspired version made with simple methods, accessible ingredients, and bold flavor.
How to Make Ratatouille
This ratatouille begins with cooking cubed eggplant in a pot with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to allow it to release moisture and soak up flavor.
We then set the eggplant aside to give the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic a chance to cook without being overcrowded in the pan.
Next, we add the eggplant back in along with a duo of herby goodness: fresh basil and dried oregano. Additional salt and pepper provide even more flavor, while optional red pepper flakes add subtle heat and thyme provides more herbal notes.
For the tomato element, we opted for canned diced tomatoes for simplicity and bold tomato flavor!
After another quick 10 minutes of cooking, the vegetables become melt-in-your-mouth tender.
And lastly, we like to finish it off with additional basil for freshness and a swirl of good-quality olive oil for richness.
We hope you LOVE this ratatouille! It’s:
Summery
Herby
Saucy
Savory
Classic
& Versatile!
It’s the perfect recipe for weeknights or for celebrating an overflowing garden of summer veggies (we see you, zucchini!).
What to Serve with Ratatouille
Wondering what to serve with ratatouille? The options are endless! We love serving it over our Easy Vegan Polenta or Easy Gluten-Free Pasta, but it’s also delicious served alongside The Best Vegan Grilled Cheese or with a hearty piece of Easy Homemade Wheat Bread. It could also be served over cauliflower rice, rice, quinoa, millet, or your favorite grains!
More 1-Pot Summer Recipes
- 1-Pot Smoky Lentil Vegan Taco “Meat”
- Socca Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pesto
- 1-Pot Vegan Minestrone (Gluten-Free)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Ratatouille (Versatile, 1 Pot!)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, DIVIDED
- 1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (1 eggplant yields ~5 cups chopped)
- 2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (can use green or yellow // 2 zucchini yield ~2 ½ cups chopped)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (1 bell pepper yields ~2 cups chopped)
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, finely diced (1 onion yields ~2 cups chopped)
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced (4 cloves yield ~2 Tbsp minced)
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or sub 2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, diced)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more for seasoning eggplant)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (optional)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
- Polenta
- Pasta (gluten-free as needed)
- Crusty bread (gluten-free as needed)
- Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp (30 ml // adjust if altering number of servings) of olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large rimmed skillet) over medium heat. Once hot, add the eggplant and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant softens and begins to brown — about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Heat another 1 Tbsp (15 ml // adjust if altering number of servings) of oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until tender and slightly browned — about 10 minutes.
- Add the eggplant back in, along with the diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, thyme (optional), and red pepper flakes (also optional). Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for another 10 minutes or until the liquid has slightly reduced and the vegetables are soft. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt for overall flavor, basil or oregano for more herb flavor, or red pepper flakes for heat.
- Leftovers will keep stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Connie says
This is so yummy! I made it exactly as is but without the oil and salt because of my own preferences. I will make this again very soon!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it with some modifications. Thank you for sharing, Connie! xo
Nate in the 208 says
Fresh. Delicious. Simple. I’ve had a tendency to overcook the eggplant in the past but carefully following these instructions I did fine. Didn’t quite get the same rich color as on the website here but the flavor was wonderful.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Nate! We’re glad you enjoyed it! xo
wendy planek says
Absolutely delicious! It was a hit with my family and then I used the leftovers on top of toast with vegan Boursin cheese-omg, this will be on permanent rotation!
Ooo sounds amazing, Wendy! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Tracy says
Yummy! I’ve never made (or aside from the movie) really heard of ratatouille, but what a delicious way to make use of garden veggies. I used the search option on your website to find recipes for fresh tomatoes and this one looked good. I used 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes from my backyard garden (mix of mostly cherry tomatoes and a few others) and it was delicious!
Amazing! It must be extra delicious with homegrown tomatoes! We’re so glad the search feature came in handy and you enjoyed the recipe, Tracy! xo
Geanina says
I have made this recipe and I really like it. It is full of flavour, you can eat it cold or warm, and it is super healthy.
It will be on rotation in our home for sure.
As for the modifications, I have used fresh tomatoes and have followed it step by step.
Thank you for another great recipe! ❤️
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Geanina! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Stacy says
Absolutely delicious. I didn’t have fresh basil so I used 2tsp dried basil. I put it on top of quinoa though I had planned to pair it with polenta.
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Stacy! So glad you enjoyed!
Leanna says
How would you recommend heating up frozen left overs?
Hi Leanna, you can reheat this on the stove with a little extra water or in the microwave!
Sandra says
This has become one of my favourite go to recipes! So simple to make, and full of flavour! Love the little kick of spice from the pepper flakes. Very versataille recipe to top off pasta of any kind of over white fish if not vegan. my new fav is over soba noodles topped with fresh parsley!
Aw, thank you SO much for the lovely review, Sandra! We’re so glad you’re enjoying it! xo
Christin says
Made this for the first time tonight & turned out fabulous. I served with cauliflower rice, fresh basil, & a drizzle of olive oil. YUM! Thank you for another wonderful vegan dinner!
Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review, Christin!
Kathryn Lloyd says
Oh My Gosh!!!! This is So Delicious!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times and my husband and I love it so much. It makes more than 2 meals for us and gets better each time we reheat it! :-)
I followed the recipe exacty (but don’t add the optional thyme and pepper flakes.) The last time, the eggplant was extra large, so I just used the whole thing, and it was not quite as delightful, but still good.
We do eat dairy, so grate a bit of 2-year aged white cheddar on top after serving.
Thanks so much!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kathryn! xoxo
Shalleene Pickard says
I made this recipe exactly as directed and it is delicious! I’ve never had Ratatouille before and this is definitely going in the rotation for regular dinners. I will make this again. It was easy to make with ingredients that were readily available to me. Weserved it with the polenta that is recommended in the recipe. Yums!!!
We’re so glad to hear you gave it a try and enjoyed both recipes, Shalleene! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Gustavo Gonnet says
I made this and it was fantastic!
Thank you
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Gustavo! Thank you for sharing!
Melissa Gillaume Cappaert says
I have always loved ratatouille. When I saw this recipe posted I knew that I had to try this version as I am always blown away by the recipes on Minimalist Baker. This is the BEST version I have tried. Thank you Dana! You never disappoint. This is now my favorite recipe for ratatouille.
Woohoo! We love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Melissa!
William says
Had to do this quickly – and it was. Prepped other vegs whilst eggplant was cooking. Forgot zucchini but it did not make much difference(?). Added much more garlic and chilli flakes (our thing!). Quick, easy, delicious – a red dot on the page in our collection of recipes.
We’re so glad to hear it turned out well even without the zucchini! Thank you for sharing, William! xo
Saba J says
Delicious and simple to make, great for batch cooking or weekly meal prep… this actually tastes better the next day! For an extra layer of flavor try fire roasted diced tomatoes.
Woohoo! Love the roasted tomatoes idea! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Saba!
Kait says
I made this last night and it was the perfect way to use up some summer produce! It came together easily and was delicious and hearty. I served it with burrata and crusty homemade sourdough.
Yum! Such a delish way to serve it! Thanks for the lovely review, Kait!
Katie says
Not sure how this only ended up 6 1-cup servings, since when I made it, it ended up being WAYYY more. But I’m not complaining since it is DELICIOUS. I ended up adding some beans (just so this can be a complete meal) and it was so nourishing :)
Woohoo! Love the idea of adding beans. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Katie!
Karen says
I made this earlier in the week and it is so flavorful and delicious! I served it over lentil pasta. This will definitely be in my rotation of regular meals. So much goodness packed into it. Thank you for sharing this yumminess!!
Yay! We love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Karen! We are so glad you enjoyed!
Sophie says
Just made this recipe and it is delicious!! perfect Ratatouille! All the ingredients come together. I could see adding white beans for extra protein.
Ooo, love that idea! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sophie!
Claudia says
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious, and it got rave reviews from my boyfriend too! It was an extra fun evening because we took the opportunity to watch the movie Ratatouille :-)
Such a fun idea, Claudia! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing! xo
Rachel says
Made this and put it on top of a rice pasta. I left out the onion and garlic due to IBS sensitivities, which unfortunately took out a lot of the flavor that I’m sure the recipe would have as instructed. Still, an easy and delicious dish!
Thank you for sharing, Rachel! The garlic and onion do add a lot of flavor, but for low FODMAP, you could try adding a pinch of asafoetida, green onion, or increasing the fresh herbs. Glad to hear you still enjoyed it overall! xo
Andie Holloway says
We made this last night and it was spectacular! I did peel and sweat the eggplant first (my fam isn’t down with eggplant peels, though I love them) and we omitted the oil and water sautéed, which worked beautifully. The whole shebang came together FAST and had such amazing flavor. We served over air fried polenta, but today, the leftovers will go over pasta. Our 9 year old declared this a make again! We loved it! Thanks for another hit, Dana!
Aw, wonderful! We love to hear this. Thanks for the lovely review, Andie! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed!
Lindsey G says
Simple and delicious! Paired this with penne.
Yum! We love to hear this. Thanks for the lovely review, Lindsey!
Nicole says
Absolutely delicious! I ate it with French bread while watching the movie Ratatouille.
Now that’s our idea of a good time! Thanks for the lovely review, Nicole! xo
Christina says
Using this cute dinner and a movie idea tonight. :)
Olwyn says
I love ratatouille but how do I do this without oil?
Hi Olwyn! We haven’t tried this recipe without oil, but we think if you sauté with water instead of oil it should work! Just keep an eye on it and if the pan is too try or the food starts to stick, add 1 Tbsp more water. Let us know how it goes! xo
Andie Holloway says
We water sautéed the veggies and it turned out beautifully!
Catherine says
This looks amazing! I was wondering if I could replace canned tomatoes with fresh (I have a ton coming from the garden right now) and what cooking modifications you would suggest for that swap?
Hi Catherine! As the recipe is written we suggest you substitute ~2 pounds diced vine-ripened tomatoes for the can of tomatoes. If you don’t have a scale, we’d say you can do about 4-5 cups of diced tomatoes. Let us know how you like it! xo
S.B says
What do you suggest as an alternative to eggplant? I would love to try your original recipe but can’t do eggplant. Thank you!
Hi there! You could simply substitute more summer squash in place of the eggplant, like yellow squash or zucchini, and just skip the step of sauteeing the eggplant separately. Alternatively, mushrooms might be nice? Let us know how you like it! xo
Ester says
I would say that’s more like Spanish pisto rather than ratatouille, still it looks delicious!
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Ester. We hadn’t heard of pisto. Looking up recipes for it, it looks like it might be less common to include fresh basil and oregano in pisto? Would love to hear if you have expertise on this!
Olga Caddock says
Thank you for this recipe – it looks delicious and I’ll definitely be giving it a try.
How about using Garlic Infused Olive Oil when cooking the veggies? Do you think that would be a good idea – maybe instead of the minced garlic?
I also have Garlic Granules – would those be suitable and in what quantity, please/
Sorry about the queries
Hi Olga! No apologies here, we love to answer questions! We think garlic infused oil would be so delicious in this recipe, and if you were to use garlic granules instead we’d suggest starting with 1/2 tsp and adding more if you like it more garlicky! xo