Traditional French Ratatouille

This traditional ratatouille recipe is straight out of sunny Provence: summer vegetables like tomatoes,  zucchini, bell peppers, and eggplant stewed to perfection. With this easy one-pot method, this ratatouille makes an easy and deeply nourishing summer side dish you’ll come back to again and again.

Oui, oui, ratatouille.

Proust had his madeleines. But I have ratatouille.

I first came to know Provençal cooking as a college student, when I chose to study abroad on the French Riviera. (Can you blame me?) Since then, I’ve returned several times to southern France, and look forward to eating classic ratatouille, chunky and bursting with soft-cooked summer vegetables, every time.

Since my studies abroad, I have been fortunate to travel to neighboring Provençal regions of France several times, most recently Aix-en-Provence in summer, when food was at its most glorious in the farmers market, and each piece of produce seemed so say, “S’il vous plaît, make me into ratatouille!”

A Bit About the Food of Provence

The food of southern France is extraordinary. Rather than fancy, sauce-driven, rich, “look at me!” formality of the haute cuisine temples of Paris, the food of Provence and the south, generally, is honest, simple, and wholesome: fresh fish; pastas and pizza (the proximity to Italy being key); socca, a large chickpea pancake; the world’s best tuna sandwich, pan bagnant; briny tapenade; and more.

But one dish stands above them all: humble ratatouille.

Love summery Mediterranean cooking? You should also check out my recipes for classic eggplant parmesan and artichoke spread, a southern French and Italian specialty. 

What Is Ratatouille?

Ratatouille is a traditional Provençal vegetable dish, derived from the best Mediterranean “peasant food” traditions. Provence, in the southeast region of France, sits adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, with a a sunny, warm climate perfect for growing vegetables like summer squash like yellow squash and zucchini (have you made this summer squash parmesan yet?), tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, onion, and basil. 

Enter ratatouille. French ratatouille takes all that best summer produce and cooks it into one warm, stewy vegetable dish that goes with everything from burger night to roast chicken to eggs. (Do yourself a favor and incorporate the leftovers into a goat cheese omelet.)

Below, learn more about making this essential vegetarian summer dish, and get this traditional French ratatouille recipe.

Oh — and if you ever head to the Côte d’Azur, the best, most honest traditional Provençal cooking (including ratatouille) I have ever had is at La Merenda. I can’t say enough good things about it.

French Ratatouille Recipe Ingredients

You will need: onion, garlic, zucchini and/or yellow squash (I like one of each), bell peppers (preferably one green and one red), olive oil, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and tomato paste–my secret weapon. 

Ratatouille uses lots of fresh vegetables. I specified quantities, but you can use some flexibility here depending on what you have. All of these vegetables are natural complements to one another. Cook with good olive oil and some aromatics until stewy and warm.

How to Make This Traditional Ratatouille

This ratatouille recipe follows the traditional French method, but made easier. I also have a recipe for sheet pan ratatouille, if you want to let the oven do the work!

Making Traditional Ratatouille Recipe, Easier

Technically, technically, ratatouille should be cooked by cooking each vegetable (squash, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and so on) separately, then gets combined in a pot to stew together until bubbly. No less than the French cooking Bible, Larousse Gastronomique, says to do this.

Cooking each vegetable separately in a skillet for traditional ratatouille has its benefits. One key to building flavor is to brown the vegetables — not burn, mind you. Brown. (Just think of how toasted bread tastes fuller and nuttier than untoasted bread.)

Putting all the vegetables in the pot at the same time releases an excess of moisture as the vegetables cook. This prevents browning, and thus, flavor. There is also a risk of the vegetables overcooking to mush.

However! I have found that a hybrid method for cooking ratatouille results in an excellent ratatouille, with layered, complementary flavors from the zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, tomato, onion, garlic, eggplant, and herbs like thyme and basil.

To do this, I only cook the eggplant separately to get some browning, then combine all the rest of the vegetables in a wide pot on medium-high heat in a certain order, and avoid stirring just until the bottom layer browns a little. Then stir, add the eggplant back in with the herbs, stir again, and cook until done.

What to Serve With Ratatouille

Truly, I could eat this ratatouille on its own, piled on top of a slices of fresh, crusty baguette. But to make a meal out of it with some protein, try these ratatouille food pairing ideas:

• Ratatouille with grilled Italian sausage, which has a similar flavor profile to Italian sausage and peppers
• Serve French ratatouille as a side for white fish or roast chicken
• Make it a topping for pasta or creamy parmesan polenta
• Add a tablespoon or two into eggs for a Provençal omelet