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More Vegetarian Recipes
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is one of those dishes I make when I want to slow down and fill the house with comforting, savoury smells. I gently cook aubergine, courgette, capsicum, tomato, and onion with garlic, olive oil, and herbs until everything melts together beautifully. It’s rich, rustic, and full of depth – perfect with crusty bread, grilled meats, or on its own with a glass of wine. Whether warm or cold, it’s simple, seasonal food that always feels just right.
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines, diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 2 courgettes, diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 2 peppers, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 390g tomato passata
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the aubergine and a large pinch of salt. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the aubergine is soft and golden. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add another 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet, and add the courgettes and a large pinch of salt. cook 10-15 minutes, or until soft and golden. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add the final 1 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet, and cook the peppers and onions for 5 minutes, or until just soft.
- Add the wine, and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Stir through the passata and a large pinch of salt and a sprig of thyme, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thickened.
- Stir through the aubergine and courgette and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve with freshly torn basil and crusty bread.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 57mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Ratatouille recipe
Movie Night Inspiration (Thanks to a Cooking Rat)
The other day we were having one of those movie marathons where you’ve settled in, blanket and all, with zero intention of moving for at least three hours. We popped on Ratatouille (because, honestly, who doesn’t love a rat who can cook?), and somewhere between the animated chopping and stirring, I realised something. For all my love of food and French cuisine, I had never actually eaten ratatouille. How on earth had I missed that one? It’s not like I shy away from vegetables. I adore a rustic dish, and French peasant food is basically my love language. So naturally, I had to rectify this oversight immediately.
Now, there are two main versions of ratatouille floating around out there. One is the visually gorgeous, spiralled, oven-baked sort that looks like it belongs on a Parisian Instagram feed. The other is the more traditional, rustic vegetable stew that’s thrown together in a pot and left to bubble away until the flavours deepen and mellow. I went for the second – I’m not here to faff about with mandolins and spiral placements when what I really want is something warm, comforting, and bursting with flavour. Spoiler alert: it was divine. Honestly, I don’t know why I waited so long.
What surprised me most was how intensely summery the dish tasted. Aubergine, courgette, capsicum, and tomato all come together in this gloriously sun-soaked medley that feels like a holiday in a bowl. It’s the sort of thing you want to eat with a chunk of bread, at a rickety wooden table outside, while the sun begins to dip below the horizon. It’s simple, it’s hearty, and it’s got that effortless French charm that makes you feel far more sophisticated than you actually are.
Cooking Ratatouille Properly (And Without Losing the Will to Live)
Look, I get it – it sounds a bit tedious, the idea of frying each vegetable separately. I rolled my eyes when I first read that, too. But hear me out – aubergine isn’t like courgette, and courgette isn’t like capsicum. They all need their own time in the spotlight to really shine. If you chuck them all in together, you’ll end up with a soggy mess and none of the layers of flavour that make this dish really sing. Treating the vegetables with respect sounds a bit dramatic, but honestly, it makes all the difference. You want the aubergine to soak up some oil and get that melt-in-your-mouth texture. The courgette should still have a bit of bite. And the onions? Soft and sweet, never rushed.
I also decided to deviate slightly from the standard recipe and added a splash of red wine instead of the usual red wine vinegar. It just felt right, you know? Letting it reduce down gives the whole thing this rich, velvety depth that vinegar just can’t compete with. I know a lot of recipes call for sugar, but I skipped that entirely. My tomatoes weren’t particularly sweet, but honestly, a bit of salt brought everything into balance. I never add sugar to tomato sauces, and I’ve yet to be proven wrong about that. The peppers were already bringing plenty of sweetness to the party, so I left it at that.
Once everything was cooked and bubbling away, I let it simmer until the vegetables had surrendered into a harmonious stew. It smelt heavenly. Like something your French grandmother would make if you were lucky enough to have one. I ate a big bowlful that night, and it felt like summer wrapped me in a hug. It’s the kind of food that’s good for your soul. And your leftovers? We’ll get to that next.
Making the Most of Leftovers (Without Even Trying)
So, here’s the thing with this recipe. It makes a lot. And I mean a lot. I know I could halve it, but then I’d be left wanting more the next day and kicking myself for not making the full batch. So, leftovers it is. And honestly, I’ve found the perfect way to use them up. After a day or two, I throw whatever’s left into the food processor with a handful of fresh basil and blitz it all into a pasta sauce. No waste, no fuss, just a ridiculously flavourful sauce that clings to pasta like it was born to do it. You can even freeze it and have it waiting for you on a busy night.
The pasta sauce idea came about mostly by accident. I’d made this massive pot and after three bowls I was starting to eye it a bit suspiciously. Like, alright, love, you’ve done your job. Time to transform. And transform it did! The basil adds this lovely herbaceous note that lifts everything, and the texture when blitzed is silky and luxurious. You’d think I’d spent hours crafting some bougie tomato base, but nope. Just good old leftover ratatouille doing its thing.
This is the kind of meal that makes me feel a bit proud of myself in the best way. Like I’ve got my life together just enough to repurpose one dish into another without relying on a microwave meal. It’s real food, made with love, and turned into something else with barely any effort. And it’s budget friendly, which never hurts. Especially when the food feels this generous and luxurious. Honestly, it’s meals like this that remind me why I love cooking. And eating. And movies about rats who cook.
Ingredients Breakdown
Ratatouille is all about celebrating good produce and letting each vegetable have its moment. Aubergine brings richness and soaks up flavour like a sponge. Courgette adds a fresh, green bite that balances the deeper flavours. Red and yellow capsicums (or bell peppers, if you’re playing along from elsewhere) give sweetness and brightness to the stew, both in flavour and colour. Onion provides the gentle base, softening into a sweet undertone as it cooks, while garlic adds a much-needed savoury punch.
Tomato passata is the heart of the dish here, giving it that smooth, saucy backbone and tying all the ingredients together. A splash of red wine gives it a luxurious edge, adding complexity and a little bit of flair. No need for sugar thanks to the natural sweetness of the capsicum, but a bit of salt is essential to balance the acidity if needed. Olive oil is your cooking medium of choice, and I don’t skimp here. Each vegetable deserves a proper coating so it can cook beautifully and develop its own flavour.
Fresh thyme adds a subtle earthiness that lifts everything without overpowering, while fresh basil is what brings it all together, especially if you’re turning leftovers into pasta sauce. It brightens up the richness and gives it that hint of something fresh and green. That’s the magic of this dish: humble ingredients, properly treated, turned into something deeply satisfying and rich in flavour. No spirals, no stress, just proper good food.
This recipe was featured on Twinkl as part of their ‘Easy Ways to Get Your 5 a Day‘ campaign.
