Recipe for French Ratatouille in 4 variants. Get inspired!

Would you like something light for lunch, dinner or as a side dish?

Try one of the recipes for French stew ratatouille, which will surely disappear from the plates before you can say cobbler.

Let’s imagine vegetable, with mushrooms, but also with chicken.

Traditional ratatolha original

The original ratatouille recipe is sure to be loved by anyone who likes French cuisine. You can eat the dish on its own with bread, pasta or as a side dish to meat.

Ingredients

• 4-6 ripe red tomatoes
• 1 medium eggplant, diced
• 1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 1 kg pumpkin or squash, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Ground pepper (to taste)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Line two large trays with baking paper.
• Clean the tomatoes, remove the seeds and then grate them on a coarse grater. You can puree the tomatoes with an electric blender. Set aside.
• On one baking sheet, spread the sliced eggplant drizzled with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkled with a teaspoon of salt.
• On the second baking sheet, put the pepper, zucchini and squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
• Bake the eggplant in the oven on the upper rack and the other vegetables on the lower rack for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan, add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and caramelized on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the crushed garlic, stir and sauté for about 30 seconds. Then add the grated tomatoes, reduce the heat and let it simmer.
• After 15 minutes, remove both trays from the oven, stir and bake for another 10 minutes until the eggplant is golden on the edges.
• Then put the roasted eggplant in the pan and let the other vegetables finish roasting until the peppers caramelize (approx. 5-10 minutes).
• Place the baked vegetables in the sauce as well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
• Then put the pan away, stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, fresh basil, pepper and oregano. Season with additional salt or pepper to taste.

Ratatouille with mushrooms

This recipe is not baked, so its preparation is really a matter of time. See for yourself.

Ingredients

• 450g of fresh mushrooms
• 2 large onions
• 1 medium eggplant
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 red pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried or fresh basil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Method

• Cut the mushrooms and onions into thick slices. Eggplant, zucchini, red pepper and tomatoes into centimeter pieces.
• Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic.
• Sauté until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Then stir in the mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, salt and black pepper.
• Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Top with a little water if necessary.
• Serve with bread, pasta or as a side dish to meat.

If you are an eggplant lover, be inspired by the recipes for baked eggplant in 4 variants.

French ratatouille baked in the oven

Also try the healthy baked ratatouille, which you can finally cover with herb pesto or perhaps goat cheese.

Ingredients

• 450g eggplant
• 2 small zucchini, cut into half rings
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into large pieces
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 250 ml canned tomato paste or pureed tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 75g soft goat cheese (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto (to taste)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°C.
• Peel the aubergine or leave it, cut off the stem and cut into cubes. Cut the zucchini into slices.
• Place the eggplant in a large bowl with the zucchini, peppers, and onions. Drizzle with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, chopped thyme and toss.
• Pour the tomato puree into a baking dish or baking dish and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, garlic, pepper and spread it on the sides of the baking dish.
• Then spread the chopped vegetables on the puree, place the cherry tomatoes on top and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Sprinkle the finished ratatouille with goat cheese and drizzle with pesto.

Ratatolha with chicken

Although this dish is known as vegetarian, it is not forbidden to prepare ratatouille with chicken meat. The preparation is again simple and you will have it ready in no time.

• Chicken thighs, wings (according to taste and preferences)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 eggplant, cut into pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into pieces
• 1 medium squash or pumpkin, cut into pieces
• 450g peeled tomatoes, coarsely grated
• 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock
• Chopped fresh basil leaves

Method

• First, clean the meat and then salt and pepper it on both sides.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and deep fry the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Do the same with the other side of the chicken.
• Then transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the same pan and fry the onion until golden brown for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt.
• Next, add chopped eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin and mix. Add the tomatoes, pour the broth and mix.
• Put the chicken pieces in the sauce, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20-25 minutes.
• Finally, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with basil and serve.

Eggplant and zucchini=a source of beneficial substances

Eggplant is an annual plant related to potato and tomato. Among other things, it is a source of sodium and folic acid (i.e. vitamin B9), and also helps prevent the formation of free radicals in the body.

What is very interesting is that it contains more nicotine compared to other edible plants. However, you don’t have to worry about addiction because it has a negligible amount compared to the amount of nicotine you get from passive smoking.

Zucchini is also one of the healthiest vegetables. This is because it contains an amount of provitamin A, which penetrates deep into the cell nuclei and thereby affects overall health and provides energy. In addition to magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus, it is a source of fiber.

Zucchini is a really healthy food, which is evidenced by the fact that it detoxifies the body very well. In addition to being able to cleanse the body of toxins, thanks to its water content, it is low in calories, so it is suitable for weight loss and reduction diets.

For other vegetable dishes, be inspired by these 4 recipes for healthy and tasty vegetables . For example as a side dish.