Craig Claiborne’s Ratatouille
Updated June 18, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1eggplant, about 1½ pounds
- 3zucchini, about 1½ pounds
- 2onions, about ½ pound
- 3green peppers, about ½ pound
- ½cup olive oil
- Salt to taste, if desired
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 4cups drained, canned tomatoes, chopped or crushed
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- 1bay leaf
- 4sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½cup drained capers
- ½cup finely chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
200 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 892 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim off the ends of the eggplant and zucchini. Do not peel. Cut each into cubes measuring about one inch or slightly larger. There should be about nine cups of eggplant cubes and six of zucchini.
- Step 2
Peel the onions and cut into one-half-inch cubes. There should be about one and one-half cups.
- Step 3
Core, seed and devein the green peppers, and cut them into one-inch pieces. There should be about two and one-half cups.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole and add the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, over high heat until the vegetables start to brown, about five minutes.
- Step 5
Add the onions, green peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring, over high heat, about two minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir to blend. Add the bay leaf, thyme and capers. Add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cover closely. Reduce the heat and let simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.
Private Notes
Comments
Forgotten how good that classic recipe is! Added 1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence to recipe and simmered it for 2 hours partially covered to intensify the flavor. Nice side dish with grilled meat. Tastes great re-heated after being stored, frozen for a while.
I followed the recipe closely, since I haven't made enough ratatouille to wing it. Most of the ingredients came from my favorite farm stand, including red, orange, and green peppers, which looked nice. The dish was delicious and simple.
I substituted yellow squash for part of the eggplant, a yellow and red pepper for two of the green peppers, added herbs de Provence and 3T of distilled white vinegar. Got great feedback from my guests!
I love that it is not as fussy as many other ratatouille recipes. I too used a mix of squashes and pepper colors because that was what was at the farm stop, as well as some basil because I'm using the last of the season from my herb pot. Excellent!
My mother "discovered" ratatouille in the late 70s, and raved about it when I was a teenager (she was excited about anything French); the main thing that stuck with me for all these years is--CAPERS. And I had to search and search and finally googled "ratatouille and capers" before this recipe appeared. Also, it was never really meant to be roasted (hot summer!!!) and was meant to be stewed on the stove like this; the current recipes want everything roasted which is a pain! Enjoy.
Wonderful simple recipe. I've been making Laurel's Kitchen Ratatouille for years but decided to try this with the capers, for a change ( also added kalamata olives) with a little Farro on the side. So Good!