Recipe For Ratatouille: A Traditional French Dish

We'll show you how to prepare homemade ratatouille, a French recipe with vegetables that brings high-quality antioxidants into your diet.

Written and verified by the nutritionist Saúl Sánchez Arias.

Last update: 14 November, 2022

Ratatouille is a French dish that contains plenty of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s made from vegetables and it’s very simple to prepare. We’re going to explain it to you in detail so that you can prepare it at home and enjoy its excellent organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. Our recipe for ratatouille will only take you a few minutes to prepare.

Before starting, it’s worth mentioning that most nutrition experts recommend the regular inclusion of plant-based foods in the diet. These contain many quality compounds that contribute to a better state of health. At least 3 servings of fruits and vegetables should be consumed every day.

Ingredients for our recipe for ratatouille

If you want to prepare an exquisite recipe for ratatouille, you’ll need to get hold of the following ingredients:

• 3 tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 eggplant
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 zucchini
• 1 white onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• Salt
• Pepper powder
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• 2 bay leaves

Step-by-step

1. Peel the garlic and the onion, and then chop them into very thin slices.
2. Then wash the tomatoes and slice them.
3. Cut the peppers, eggplant, and zucchini into thin slices.
4. Once the vegetables are ready, heat extra virgin olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
5. When ready, sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. After this time, remove the pot from the heat. Put the garlic and onion to one side.
7. In another pan, heat oil to start cooking the vegetables individually. First, the eggplants, seasoning them with salt and pepper to give them flavor. Once they are ready, add them to the pan with the onion and garlic.
8. Then, cook the peppers in the pan, and, finally, the zucchini and tomatoes.
9. Next, mix the vegetables in the pot and add the bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary.
10. Heat this preparation over medium heat and cook for 10 more minutes.
11. After this time, add salt to taste and serve. It can be eaten cold, although it’s best enjoyed freshly made.

The benefits of “ratatouille”

The inclusion of ratatouille in the context of a balanced and varied diet has a number of health benefits. This is because it’s a dish that concentrates a significant amount of phytochemicals with antioxidant capacity.

These elements help to neutralize the formation of free radicals and their subsequent accumulation in the body’s tissues. This effect has been shown to help prevent complex pathologies.

In addition, vegetables are a source of vitamin C, a substance that has many different functions within the human body. Among them, its involvement in the immune system stands out. According to a study published in Nutrients, maintaining levels of this vitamin in adequate ranges reduces the incidence of infectious diseases.

It should also be noted that ratatouille is a source of fiber. This is an element that the intestine can’t digest, but can ferment inside the digestive tube. There’s evidence that its regular consumption improves intestinal health and also creates a benefit in the microbiota. In fact, it increases the density of the microorganisms that inhabit the tube.

However, most diets are lacking in fiber. It’s advisable to have a daily intake of about 25 grams (1 oz) of this substance, although this isn’t always achieved. Increasing the presence of vegetables in your diet will help to cover the daily requirements. In this way, your body’s internal functioning will improve and inflammation levels will be regulated.

Prepare “ratatouille” at home

As you have seen, preparing ratatouille at home is very easy. It’s one of the most representative dishes in French cuisine, and provides plenty of high-quality nutrients. It can be served alone or as an accompaniment to meat and fish, thus improving the intake of antioxidants and vitamins. It’s a highly recommended dish.

Finally, a gentle reminder that, when it comes to improving your health, it isn’t enough just to take care of your diet. It’s essential to foster a number of habits as a whole. You should perform physical activity on a regular basis and pay special attention to strength work. This will ensure homeostasis in your body’s internal functioning, as well as good hormone production.