Formerly considered a peon dish, ratatouille has today gained its class among top chefs and the finest restaurants. ‘Good’ means having the required quality and proper standards. So, is ratatouille good? Let’s see.
Is Ratatouille good?
Yes, ratatouille has the required quality and standard for a healthy meal.
This French Provençal dish originating from Nice is made up of stewed vegetables. One who looks to have a vegetable-based, rich in vitamin diet should make ratatouille a choice.
It contains more than ten vegetables, herbs, and spices, which can be used interchangeably depending on your taste bud.
How is Ratatouille made- step by step
Ratatouille does not have a specific recipe. Unlike various french cuisine, there are many variations employed, slightly different in methods and ingredients.
Here is my favorite video.
Ingredients
For four servings
Vegetables
- 1 Eggplant
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, usually gotten from four to five leaves
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Half red bell pepper
- Half yellow bell pepper
- Half onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes.
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Herbs/spices
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, usually gotten from four to five leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Half teaspoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Wash all vegetables thoroughly, plucking off the stem where needed.
- Slice the squash, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes into a circular shape of about 1mm inch, then keep aside.
- Prepare the sauce by heating the olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-safe pan. Add the diced onion, garlic, and the red and yellow bell pepper and allow to sauté for 10 mins. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes.
- Stir appropriately for even distribution of ingredients.
- Take off the heat and add the basil
- Stir and smoothen the surface of the sauce
- Arrange the sliced vegetables in a circular form (this depends on the shape of the pan) using alternating patterns, that is, zucchini followed by eggplant, squash, and tomato on top of the sauce starting from the outer edge of the pan towards the center of the pan. Then keep aside.
- The herb sauce. Make this by mixing the olive oil, pepper, salt, thyme, parsley, garlic, and basil in a bowl.
- Use a spoon to spread the herb sauce over the vegetable.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 50mins.
- Ratatouille is ready! Serve hot or leave in the refrigerator for flavor melding and serve after five days. Either cool or reheated!
Read also: How To Shred Fresh Mozzarella – A Step-By-Step Guide
How long does it take to cook ratatouille?
One-hour maximum depending on how soft you want your vegetable to get.
Does ratatouille have meat?
No, it doesn’t. It’s a vegetarian meal. But just as pasta does not have meat in it but can be prepared as beef taco pasta, ratatouille can also be transformed into a meat lover’s ratatouille.
Cuts like flank steak, skirt steak, pork chops, lamb, chicken, and veal are excellent for ‘meat ratatouille.’
Is ratatouille good for weight loss?
Absolutely! Ratatouille is good for weight loss. However, you will have to include it in your daily diet to achieve this. Vegetable intake is effective for weight loss because it contains fiber which quickly fills you up without adding more calories. Thus, ratatouille, a vegetable-based meal, helps improve metabolism and aids weight loss.
What does ratatouille look like?
In my opinion, the layered arrangement of the vegetables is a key feature of ratatouille. If it is not layered vegetables, you can give it another name.
What is ratatouille made of?
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Basil
Parsely
Garlic
Bell pepper(red and yellow)
Onion
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Things that go well with ratatouille
Ratatouille can be eaten as a main dish and a side dish. If you are like me and the latter is your preference. Here are what goes well with ratatouille:
- Bread
- Rice
- Fried squash blossom
- Crostini and Goat cheese
- Baguette or bun
- Spaghetti
- Couscous
- Macaroni and cheese
- Meat(chicken, pork chops, steak)
- Roasted potatoes
- Polenta
- Tofu steak
- Bacon bits
- Italian sausages
How long does ratatouille keep?
Interestingly, ratatouille can be served hot instantly or cold. You can also decide to make it two days before serving for flavors to incorporate evenly. To do this, the dish is refrigerated for about five days. It can then be served cold (after about one hour) or reheated on a stove or microwave.
