Summer Ratatouille With Farro
Updated June 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes for the ratatouille; 15 minutes for assembling the big bowls
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- ¾pound (2 medium) onions, thinly sliced
- ¾pound mixed sweet peppers (red, yellow, green), cut into slices about ¾ inch wide by 1½ inches long
- 4 to 6large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1¼pounds zucchini, sliced about ½ inch thick (if very thick, cut in half lengthwise first)
- 1pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1bay leaf
- 1 to 2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or ½ to 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2tablespoons sherry vinegar or 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- 1very small garlic clove, pureéd
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4cups cooked farro or spelt
- 2 to 4tablespoons slivered or chopped fresh basil, to taste
- 6eggs, poached
- 2ounces crumbled feta or freshly grated Parmesan
For the Ratatouille
For the Vinaigrette
For the Big Bowl
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
519 calories; 28 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 1393 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
For the Ratatouille
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place diced eggplant in a large, heavy, flameproof casserole. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt to taste. Place in hot oven and roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until eggplant is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the casserole from the oven, cover tightly and allow eggplant to steam in the hot casserole while you pan-cook onions, peppers, and zucchini.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of the remaining oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peppers and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until peppers have softened and smell fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in half the garlic and cook for another minute, then season with salt and pepper and transfer to casserole with eggplant. Heat remaining oil in the skillet and add zucchini. Cook, stirring often, until tender but still bright, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic for a minute, until fragrant, season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to casserole.
- Step 3
Add tomatoes to the casserole with bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and more salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together and place over medium-low heat. When vegetables begin to sizzle, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the mix is juicy and fragrant and the vegetables are thoroughly tender. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm or cold, preferably the next day.
For the Big Bowl
- Step 4
Whisk together ingredients for the vinaigrette.
- Step 5
To assemble the big bowl, spoon warm or room temperature farro or spelt into each bowl (½ cup to ¾ cup, to taste). Top with a generous spoonful of ratatouille. Spoon a tablespoon of vinaigrette over the ratatouille and garnish with some of the basil. Top with a poached egg if desired and sprinkle with feta or Parmesan. Garnish with more basil and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
You can make this without oven roasting. In your heavy pan, saute the onion until limp, then add the cut up eggplant and stir under high heat until coated with the oil and starting to color. Then add the peppers, still under high heat, and stir to blend. When the peppers and eggplant are quite limp add the zucchini ( I use part yellow squash and the seasonings, stir to blend with the oiled vegetables, and then add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until done.
I just made the ratatouille, and it was *fabulous*! Made exactly as written, except halved the recipe. Great flavor and texture. Served with fresh basil, feta, kalamata olives, & toasted baguette for a super light dinner.
BEST ratatouille I've made. The proportion of vegetables was spot-on, but I did add half again as many tomatoes since that's my personal favorite part. It also seemed to need more olive oil along the way. I'll serve it tonight, after the flavors have married, with wheat berries, no egg.
3/4 lb sliced peppers = 3-4 cups 3/4 lb sliced onions = 3-ish cups 1 lb chopped tomatoes = 2.3 cups
It was SO good! I actually weighed all the ingredients and loved that it wasn't super tomato-forward. Loved roasting the eggplant, it became melt in your mouth in dish. Peeling and seeding tomatoes is a must. I didn't have thyme so added basil and it was delicious. It does take a minute to make but really was worth it. Most flavorful ratatouille I have made.
The veg preparation works well--different veg really do retain their shape & flavor. I like to be more generous with the olive oil than MRS is. To seed tomatoes without losing the juice, seed over a mesh strainer over a bowl & add the juice back to the tomatoes. I used herbes de provence for the dried herbs. Served differently--room temp, no dressing, a splash of balsamic along with basil on each serving; sliced hardboiled egg alongside. Chopped castelvetrano olives as optional garnish--yum.
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