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I have written a lot of recipes for vegetable stews (see my caponata recipe or my Georgian ajapsandali recipe), but I’ve yet to cover one of the most famous – ratatouille. If you want to make this rustic Provencal stew but don’t have one of the key ingredients, then not to worry!

I’ve developed a flavourful and hearty recipe for ratatouille without using eggplant that leaves nothing to be desired.

How to Make Ratatouille Without Using Eggplant

This recipe is super simple and even the prep is minimal – there’s no need to super finely chop everything. This stew is supposed to be rustic, after all!

Start with roughly chopping your onions, zucchini and red peppers along with a good amount of garlic and some fresh thyme.

Now, using a box grater, grate a few firm tomatoes until they resemble a fine pulp. And that’s all the prep that needs to be done!

It’s time to move to the stovetop – and the good news is that this recipe is made in one pot! And to that one pot, add some olive oil and set it over medium heat.

Once the oil is shimmering, add your onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring every so often, until the onion is softened and is beginning to turn translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.

At this point, you can add your minced garlic along with some tomato paste. Cook this for a couple of more minutes – just until everything is super fragrant.

Add your zucchini, peppers and the minced thyme and stir to combine. This is also a good time to season with salt again. Cook for a little bit longer, just to begin drawing the moisture from the veggies.

Now, deglaze the pan with a bit of white wine. This is a great way to add some complexity and acidity to the ratatouille. If you don’t have wine, I recommend finishing the stew with a squeeze of lemon juice when you stir in the basil.

Cook until the wine is reduced and the strong alcoholic smell has cooked off. Then, stir in your grated tomatoes and toss in a bay leaf, as well. Bring everything up to a simmer and allow the stew to bubble away until it’s thickened and the veggies are nice and tender!

After this, take the ratatouille off the heat and stir in some fresh minced basil – and also go ahead and remove the bay leaf. Taste to adjust for seasoning and add a bit more salt and pepper if you think it’s necessary!

And that’s all there is! Go ahead and serve the ratatouille with plenty of crusty bread. I particularly like it topped with a fried or poached egg with a perfectly runny yolk.

Ratatouille without Eggplant

This classic provencal vegetable stew is easy to make without using eggplants.

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Servings 4

Prep Time 10

Total Time 40

Ingredients

1 yellow onion roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 zucchini cut into 2cm (½in) cubes
2 red peppers roughly chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme minced
60 ml (¼ cup) dry white wine
4 tomatoes grated on a box grater
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp fresh basil minced

Instructions

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large saucepan. Once shimmering, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and transluscent – about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and the tomato paste begins to darken – 2-3 minutes.
Add the zucchini, peppers and thyme and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and they begin to release their moisture – about 5 minutes
Pour over the wine and stir to combine. Cook until the strong alcoholic smell has dissipated – 2-3 minutes – before adding the tomatoes and bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and the mixture is thick – another 15 minutes – adding a splash of water if needed to deglaze.
Off heat, stir in the basil and remove the bay leaf. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.