When husband Stephen walked in the other night with four Asian eggplants that he got from one of his co-workers, I knew it was time to cook up some ratatouille. Our own eggplants have been pretty much of a bust this summer, with the plants hardly growing and the fruits being few and far between.

Ratatouille is a rustic vegetable stew from Nice, in southern France. It’s made with eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onions and tomatoes. As the garden winds down and presents abundant harvests, ratatouille seems to be just the ticket to utilize the veggies.

Considered a peasant dish because it was made with leftover vegetables, sometimes even vegetable scraps, it can be eaten with low-cost items like pasta or bread.

In this recipe, adapted from fromachefs kitchen.com, the vegetables are sautéed individually in a Dutch oven and then combined for a quick simmer. 

While the dish takes a bit of knife work, with cubing up the veggies, it makes a big pot with fairly little fuss. This batch made enough for dinner for Stephen and me, a two-person serving for neighbors, one lunch, plus two quarts that were put into the freezer. Not bad for the one hour of work!

Start cooking

The recipe calls for cubed eggplant. I used 2 of the Asian eggplants, which I cut into triangles by slicing on an angle and turning the eggplant, then making additional diagonal cuts. (You can do this with carrots as well, creating uniform triangles that are relatively the same weight and size, even as the carrot thins.)

I didn’t have any large bell peppers, so I used 2 poblanos. I thought this would add a bit of heat to the stew, but it all seemed to mellow with the cooking.

Zucchini, yellow squash, onions and tomatoes round out the recipe. By sautéeing the veggies individually and then combining them for a 20-minute simmer, everything is tender and retains a bit of a crunchy bite. 

The method was fairly simple. I used two pots. Sautéeing in the one, putting the sautéed veggies into the other. When the onions and the peppers were done—the last items to sauté—I just dumped the second pot into the first pot.

Rather than the 1 large can of crushed tomatoes called for, I added some of our tomatoes that needed to be used. I removed the skins and quartered them.

I enjoy using fresh tomatoes, even as they take a bit more attention than opening a can. While you can leave the skins on or buzz the sauce once it’s done, I like to take the skins off. This is easily done by heating a pot of water, then cutting an X on the bottom of the tomatoes. When the water comes to a boil, you drop in the tomatoes and boil for about 30 or 45 seconds. (You can see that the skins get wrinkled and then peel away from the tomato from the bottom.) Fish the tomatoes out with a spoon and drop them in a large bowl of cold water. I just use cold tap water. Most recipes want you to drop them into ice water—but I don’t bother, as I am a woman of ice cube trays with other frozen food piled on top of them.

The skins come off easily. I trim out the core and any blemishes, and put the tomatoes into a saucepan. I break them up a bit and let them simmer until the tomatoes are cooked. It’s easy. Then you just need to add your favorite spices, either dried or fresh, garlic, onion, basil and a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. It comes together beautifully. 

You can vary the length of time you simmer the tomatoes depending on your tastes. (Peaches and nectarines are blanched and peeled the same way.) 

Serving up the ratatouille

Being a pasta girl myself and wanting to add a bit of protein, I used the remnants of two different pastas, for a total of about 8 ounces, and I added 2 beaten eggs, 1 small finely diced red pepper and some grated cheese. Thinned with a little bit of half and half (you can use pasta water instead), the creamy pasta made a great base for the vegetable stew. You could also serve the stew with a dollop of ricotta or cottage cheese, some tuna or even a bit of leftover beef, pork or chicken. If you’re into bread, it’s the perfect accompaniment! (Heck, it would make a great topping for boxed mac and cheese!)

Stephen often helps with cutting the veggies, which speeds the cooking process immensely. It’s a great opportunity to share a glass of wine, chat and work on dinner together. 

For me, taking time to prepare a meal, using wholesome ingredients, is a grounding point in my day. And not only are meals tasty and a joy to eat, the leftovers are great for lunch or for freezing.

Speaking of meals, a small food pantry has been installed in Narrowsburg, NY at the corner of Erie Avenue and Lower Main Street. It’s a give-a-little, take-a-little experiment installed by the 2025 Sullivan Leadership class. Got food, give a little. Need food, take a little. Help us keep our friends and neighbors fed!