Easy Ratatouille
Ratatouille traditionally calls for roasted veggies, but this is a quick stove top version that's much simpler. You can substitute other vegetables if you want. For instance, I dont like eggplant so I use yellow squash.
Ratatouille traditionally calls for roasted veggies, but this is a quick stove top version that's much simpler. You can substitute other vegetables if you want. For instance, I dont like eggplant so I use yellow squash.
- Carbohydrate 12.709729375 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.183351875 g
- Fiber 6.37517509293556 g
- Protein 2.840718125 g
- Saturated Fat 0.32147125 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (239g)
- Sodium 9.609375 mg
- Sugar 6.33455428206444 g
- Trans Fat 0.231025625 g
- Calories 72 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut zuchini and eggplant and/or yellow squash into 1-inch chunks. Cut asparagus into 1 inch lengths. Cut red bell pepper into 1-inch chunks as well.
- Heat olive oil and garlic in large pan until garlic starts to soften.
- Add chopped vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes.
- Add diced tomato with juice, oregano, crushed red pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon or to taste). Bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or till veggies are done to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve as a side dish, or serve over rice as a main dish.
Searing garlic in olive oil requires precise attention because minced allium burns within seconds at high temperatures, turning bitter and ruining the base of the stew. Traditional Provençal ratatouille relies on layered, long-simmered roasting, but this rapid stovetop variant concentrates flavor by reducing canned tomatoes directly with fresh summer squash and bell peppers in a wide skillet. Maintaining a uniform one-inch dice across every vegetable ensures that dense pieces like eggplant or squash finish cooking simultaneously with tender asparagus and bell peppers.
Managing Moisture and Texture in the Skillet
Canned diced tomatoes introduce a significant amount of liquid, which must simmer gently rather than boil aggressively to prevent the exterior of the vegetables from turning mushy before the interiors soften. Because zucchini and yellow squash release abundant water upon heating, keeping the pan uncovered during the initial five-minute sauté allows excess surface moisture to evaporate before the canned tomatoes enter the pan. Dried oregano blooms effectively in the hot tomato juices, releasing fat-soluble aromatic compounds that elevate the simple seasoning profile beyond basic canned produce.
- Control heat by lowering the burner immediately after the tomato mixture reaches a boil, maintaining a steady simmer for 15 minutes.
- Adjust the texture by uncovering the pan during the final five minutes if the sauce appears too thin or watery.
- Substitute yellow squash directly for eggplant at a one-to-one ratio if bitter compounds or spongy textures are undesirable.
