Grandmas’ Secret to Perfect Ratatouille: The Right Order to Cook Veggies!

Every attempt at homemade ratatouille turns into a disaster: the tomatoes are too watery, the zucchinis turn to mush, while the bell peppers stubbornly remain undercooked. Mastering a good ratatouille is no small feat. As the namesake movie perfectly illustrates, like many seemingly simple recipes, it’s actually one of the most complex to perfect. You need to use high-quality, ripe vegetables but also know a few tricks… While we may not have a little chef like Ratatouille to guide us at home, we’re fortunate to have equally valuable advice from those who’ve mastered it before us. Our grandmother shared her little secrets for making a ratatouille to be proud of.

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“It’s all about the basics.” When we asked her about ratatouille, she immediately mentioned the cooking order. “Not all vegetables cook at the same rate: you need to pre-cook them one by one, separately!”, she explained. She starts by sautéing eggplant cubes in a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. She seasons them, allows them to brown for a few minutes, then transfers them to a bowl. In the same skillet, she adds sliced bell peppers. She lets them color before setting them aside with the eggplants. Next, she cooks zucchini slices without letting them brown. She removes them, then sautés a large chopped onion until golden. Finally, she adds diced tomatoes.

Then, she transfers all the vegetables into a Dutch oven. She adds a bouquet garni, two crushed garlic cloves, and a potato chopped into small cubes. “It’s to absorb the excess water. It’s not traditional, but it adds flavor and a bit of texture!”, she whispers. All that’s left is to cover it and let it simmer for 45 minutes on low heat. It takes a bit longer, but the result is worth it!

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Pro tip: to ensure the vegetables “melt” properly, add a small pinch of salt with each new addition during cooking: the salt helps them gradually release their water, allowing it to evaporate instead of soaking the ratatouille.