Ratatouille Nicoise
Provencal stewed summer vegetables
Ingredients
- 500 g Eggplant
- 400 g Zucchini
- 2 Bell pepper
- 1 Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 4 Tomato
- ½ tin San Marzano tomatoes (DOP)
- 100 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 8 leaves Basil
- 1½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 3 sprigs Thyme (optional)
- 1 Bay leaves (optional)
Method
- Cube the eggplant into 2 cm pieces.
- Salt the eggplant cubes. Rest 20 minutes in a colander, then pat dry.
- While the eggplant rests: cube the zucchini and peppers into 2 cm pieces. Dice the onion. Slice the garlic. Score and peel the tomatoes (or just chop them fine).
- Heat a good glug of olive oil over medium-high. Sauté the eggplant 8 minutes until deep golden and tender. Lift to a bowl.
- Add another glug of olive oil. Sauté the zucchini 5 minutes until golden but still firm. Add to the bowl.
- Add a little more olive oil. Sauté the peppers 6 minutes until soft. Add to the bowl.
- Heat the remaining olive oil over medium. Sweat the onion 8 minutes until soft (NOT browned).
- Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and tinned tomatoes. Simmer 6 minutes until juicy and sauce-like.
- Stir in herbes de Provence, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Fold in all reserved vegetables. Simmer 20 minutes uncovered until everything melds.
- Discard the bay leaf. Tear in the basil leaves. Rest 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Ratatouille Nicoise
Ratatouille niçoise is the Provençal stew of summer vegetables from the south of France, and this version follows the more painstaking traditional method rather than throwing everything into one pot. Each vegetable — eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, and tomato — is cooked separately first, so each browns and develops its own character before they are folded together, a step that keeps the dish from turning into an indistinct mush. Salting the eggplant beforehand and patting it dry draws out moisture so it sautés to deep gold instead of soaking up oil, one of the small disciplines that separates a good ratatouille from a watery one.
The reward is a dish where every vegetable holds its shape and flavor, bound by sweet tomato, good olive oil, and the herbal backbone of herbes de Provence, thyme, and bay, with fresh basil at the end. It tastes of high summer: sweet, savory, and herb-scented, rich with olive oil but still fresh and vegetable-forward. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a side to grilled fish or lamb, spoon it over crusty bread, or let it stand a day, since like most stews it deepens overnight. Generous and vegan, it is French home cooking at its most seasonal and honest.
Ratatouille Nicoise: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Ratatouille Nicoise?
A serving has about 219 calories — 3.3g protein, 17.4g carbs, 16.2g fat, 6.4g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Ratatouille Nicoise gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Ratatouille Nicoise has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Ratatouille Nicoise take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 64 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Ratatouille Nicoise?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out thyme, bay leaves — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Ratatouille Nicoise make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.