Ratatouille Stew
With tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and zucchini simmered with robust garlic and rich olive oil, this Ratatouille recipe delivers a vegetarian stew that is rich and comforting, while still feeling light and fresh.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes seeded, peeled, and chopped
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided, plus additional for serving
- 1 large yellow onion minced
- 2 large bell peppers (any color) deseeded and cut into ½-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine or vegetable broth or chicken stock
- 2 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash sliced into ½-inch chunks
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ cup Spanish Green Olives halved
- ½-1 teaspoon kosher salt + more for salting eggplant
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- fresh basil leaves for serving
Instructions
- Peel and dice the eggplant, and then place it in a colander over a large bowl or on a baking sheet lined with a rack. Sprinkle heavily with kosher salt. Let the eggplant sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then rinse well and pat dry.
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes and place them in a food processor fitted with an s-blade or blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed stock pan over medium heat. Once the oil has heated, add in the minced onion and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and sauté for 4-6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is glistening and softened.
- To the onions, add in the diced bell peppers and sauté for 3-4 minutes to soften. Once the peppers have softened, add 1 teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 4 cloves minced garlic, and thyme leaves to the pan. Sauté for 30-60 seconds just to toast.
- Once your nose begins to smell the garlic, add in ¼ cup of wine (or vegetable broth or water) and scrape off the browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. Let cook for 1-2 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- Add the processed tomatoes, diced zucchini/yellow squash, olives and bay leaf to the pan and season with a ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- In the meantime, heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick or stainless steel sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the prepared eggplant and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until slightly golden and the edges are a bit caramelized.
- Add the sauteed eggplant to the stew. Once simmering, turn the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced and the vegetables are tender, stirring often.
- To serve, remove the bay leave, taste and adjust seasonings. Drizzle with additional olive oil and top with fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Tomatoes: In place of the Roma tomatoes, you can use 1-pint cherry/grape tomatoes, 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, or one (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes.
Olives: Spanish olives are not traditional, but add so much flavor and texture. Feel free to omit or use kalamata olives in their place.
Red Pepper Flakes: Omit to control the heat level.
Storage: Leftover Ratatouille can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2298IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
