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Ratatouille from France

Ratatouille

📍 Nice, Provence ★ 4.3
Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

Sun-ripened Provençal vegetables stewed into a fragrant tangle.

About Ratatouille

This Niçoise summer dish slow-cooks aubergine, courgette, peppers and tomato with garlic and herbes de Provence until soft and jammy. Served hot or cold, it tastes of the Mediterranean.

🏛️ History & Culture

Ratatouille is a rustic vegetable stew from the Provence region of France, specifically associated with the city of Nice (Niçoise cuisine). Its exact origins are debated, as similar vegetable medleys have long existed across the Mediterranean, but the dish became widely known in the 18th and 19th centuries as a peasant preparation that made use of summer vegetables. The name comes from the Occitan "ratatolha," referring to a coarse stew, and it was traditionally cooked slowly to blend the flavors of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic with herbs like thyme, rosemary, and savory.

Regional variations abound: in Nice, the vegetables are often cooked separately before being combined, while other Provençal versions layer them and bake together. Some cooks add olives or capers, and the dish may be served hot as a side, cold as a salad, or even as a filling for omelets or crepes. Culturally, ratatouille embodies the simplicity and seasonality of Mediterranean cooking, and its global fame was cemented by the 2007 animated film "Ratatouille," which celebrated the dish as a nostalgic, humble comfort food. Today it is a symbol of French home cooking, though its rustic roots and flexible recipe keep it open to interpretation.

🍳 How to make Ratatouille

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

Ratatouille Niçoise

A traditional Provençal vegetable stew from Nice, where summer vegetables are slowly cooked until soft, jammy, and glossy with olive oil. Serve hot as a main with crusty bread, or cold the next day when the flavours have deepened.

Prep
25 min
Cook
60 min
Total
85 min
Serves
4 to 6
Difficulty
Easy

Recipe ingredients

  • 120 ml (½ cup) olive oil, extra-virgin Provençal if possible, divided
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into 2 cm strips
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into 2 cm strips
  • 1 medium aubergine, cut into 2 cm cubes; no salting required
  • 2 medium courgettes, cut into 2 cm thick half-moons
  • 600 g (about 1½ lb) ripe tomatoes, fresh, peeled and roughly chopped; canned San-Marzano (400 g / 14 oz) is an acceptable substitute
  • 15 g (¼ oz (about 1 Tbsp)) tomato paste, optional, for deeper colour and umami
  • 2 tsp herbes de Provence, thyme, rosemary, oregano and savory blend
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • fine sea salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • fresh basil leaves, small handful, torn, to finish
  • flat-leaf parsley, optional, chopped, to finish

Steps

  1. 1 Heat 60 ml (¼ cup) of the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until translucent and soft, but not browned.
  2. 2 Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the bell peppers. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the peppers begin to soften.
  3. 3 Add the aubergine and the remaining 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil. Stir to coat, then cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the aubergine has absorbed some of the oil and begun to turn translucent at the edges.
  4. 4 Stir in the courgette and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), herbes de Provence and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. 5 Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Partially cover and cook for 35–45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are completely soft, the liquid has reduced to a glossy, jammy sauce, and the oil is pooling slightly at the edges. The mixture should look like a thick, cohesive stew rather than a watery soup — if it is still loose, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes.
  6. 6 Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Stir in the torn basil (and parsley, if using) just before serving.
  7. 7 Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, with crusty bread, rice, or as a side to grilled fish or roast chicken. Like many stews, ratatouille tastes even better the next day once the flavours have had time to meld.
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