Ratatouille
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
Our ratatouille recipe is great to have on hand for an easy lunch or jacket potato topping. Rich tomato sauce with soft aubergine, courgette and peppers – this vegetarian dish will be a favourite with everyone.
Each serving provides 223kcal, 5.5g protein, 17.5g carbohydrate (of which 16g sugars), 12g fat (of which 2g saturates), 10g fibre and 0g salt.
By Jenny White
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines
- 4 small courgettes
- 2 red peppers
- 4 large tomatoes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- small bunch basil, roughly torn
Method
Cut the aubergines into quarters lengthways, then cut the quarters into 2.5cm/1in slices. Cut the courgettes into 2.5cm/1in slices. De-seed the peppers and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
To peel the tomatoes, score a cross in the base of each tomato and place them in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and set aside for a minute. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel away the skins. Roughly chop the flesh.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole or heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions and cook over a gentle heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and very tender.
Add the aubergines and courgettes, increase the heat slightly and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the peppers, garlic, sugar, some salt and pepper and half the basil. Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook over a very gentle heat for 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Scatter the ratatouille with the remaining basil and serve warm.
Recipe tips
If you're not keen on aubergines you can omit them, but when cooked well they do add a lovely richness to ratatouille.
Fresh basil is great in this dish, but you could also add a little thyme or use dried herbs. Dried herb mixes like herbs de Provence are often included in ratatouille recipes.
Serve ratatouille as a main dish with a side salad and crusty bread for mopping up the delicious sauce. It's also good with grilled meat.
Leftover ratatouille can be stored in the fridge for up to five days, or frozen. The vegetables will be softer and more mushy after defrosting which makes a great pasta sauce.
