Ratatouille

If you've got aubergine, courgettes and tomato, you're most of the way to this French vegetarian: about 130 minutes of cooking across 22 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 22 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At involved difficulty across 22 steps, it's worth setting aside proper time for. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Cut the aubergines in half lengthways.
- Place them on the board, cut side down, slice in half lengthways again and then across into 1.5cm chunks.
- Cut off the courgettes ends, then across into 1.5cm slices.
- Peel the peppers from stalk to bottom.
- Hold upright, cut around the stalk, then cut into 3 pieces.
- Cut away any membrane, then chop into bite-size chunks.
- Score a small cross on the base of each tomato, then put them into a heatproof bowl.
- Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, leave for 20 secs, then remove.
- Pour the water away, replace the tomatoes and cover with cold water.
- Leave to cool, then peel the skin away.
- Quarter the tomatoes, scrape away the seeds with a spoon, then roughly chop the flesh.
- Set a sauté pan over medium heat and when hot, pour in 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Brown the aubergines for 5 mins on each side until the pieces are soft.
- Set them aside and fry the courgettes in another tbsp oil for 5 mins, until golden on both sides.
- Repeat with the peppers.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables at this stage, as they have some more cooking left in the next step.
- Tear up the basil leaves and set aside.
- Cook the onion in the pan for 5 mins.
- Add the garlic and fry for a further min.
- Stir in the vinegar and sugar, then tip in the tomatoes and half the basil.
- Return the vegetables to the pan with some salt and pepper and cook for 5 mins.
- Serve with basil.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan
Watch how it's made

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Ingredient substitutions
- Red Wine
- beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar · grape juice + vinegar
What to serve with Ratatouille
- Chocolate Gateau Dessert
- French Lentils With Garlic and Thyme Miscellaneous
- Coq au vin Chicken
- Pork Cassoulet Pork
Tips & common questions
How long does Ratatouille take to make?
About 130 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 22 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of red wine?
Try beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Ratatouille vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Recipe data for Ratatouille via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.







