Ratatouille Recipe for the Holidays
Ever since I saw Pixar’s Ratatouille, I knew I wanted to make this dish. If you haven’t seen this movie, I can’t recommend it enough—it’s total perfection, especially if you’re a foodie or spent time working at restaurants. To be honest, you’ve probably made some form of ratatouille recipe already, without even realizing it. It’s simply a vegetable stew. One way to make it is to chop all of the ingredients and stew them in a tomato based sauce for a while. Another way, is to arrange all of your cut veggies in an iron cast skillet and bake it for a perfect ratatouille recipe for the holidays. Isn’t it so pretty this way?
What is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a peasant vegetable stew of Provence. Typically consists of eggplant, zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes and garlic. It can be served hot or room temperature, which is what makes this ratatouille recipe for the holidays such a great idea. You can make it ahead of time and bring it to a potluck. It’s especially perfect for your vegetarian guests during the holiday season. It’s hearty and delicious, while also easy to make.
The great thing about ratatouille is its versatility. Ratatouille ingredients are flexible, and it can be cooked in different ways, using any vegetable you like. It’s incredibly adaptable and truly any medley of vegetables you have on hand would work.
It can be served as an appetizer, a side dish, or the main dish of the meal; as the primary dish, it is often served with rice or couscous. And, ratatouille can be served hot or cold, or at room temperature.
However, if you want to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing, I recommend getting vegetables that are relatively the same size. This allows you to assemble the dish and make it beautiful.
Can you Make Ratatouille Without Eggplant?
Personally, I’m an eggplant lover, I even have a quick semi-homemade eggplant parmigiana recipe that is a staple at my house. But, I also know that a lot of folks just don’t care for eggplant. The easy answer is that you can make ratatouille without eggplant. The traditional ratatouille recipe, or the French ratatouille recipe does include eggplant, but you can substitute with yellow summer squash or bell peppers or even additional onions, and even potatoes. It’s essentially a veggie stew recipe, so any vegetable you have even mushrooms are totally ok to use.
If you’re making the ratatouille recipe for the holidays though, meaning you want to arrange your veggies beautifully in your skillet, I would recommend substituting for peppers or squash, since they can be cut similar in size to your other vegetables.
Pro-tip: Currently, Trader Joe’s has a herbs de Provence seasoning, and it’s perfect for soups and this ratatouille dish. I hoard this seasonal TJ item and use it all around.
How to Make Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 2 yellow squashes
- 2 zucchinis
Ingredients for the Ratatouille Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
- 2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence
Iron Cast Skillet Ratatouille Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 2 yellow squash
- 2 zucchinis
Ingredients for the Ratatouille Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
- 2 tsp herbs de Provence
Ingredients for Seasoning
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven for 375˚F Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch rounds, then set aside.
- Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. I like to use my iron skillet. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes and herbs de Provence. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan.
- Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.Mix herb seasoning ingredients and pour over the cooked ratatouille.
Other Recipes To Try
Arugula and Israeli Couscous Salad
Best Chicken Marinade in 30 minutes
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