Easy Skillet Ratatouille Recipe

This Easy Skillet Ratatouille recipe is a quick and simple way to prepare ratatouille without baking or using a mandoline slicer. It makes a delicious and healthy side dish that’s loaded with summer vegetables.

For some inexplicable reason, I am still surprised to find myself surrounded by zucchini every summer.

“Where’d all this darn zucchini come from?” I mutter under my breath (as if I didn’t see this coming). “I have zucchini coming out the ying-yang!”

Every. Summer.

Then winter comes and I forget about zucchini, only to be shocked the following year when the overabundance of green squash returns.

Every. Summer.

I call it Amnesiatic Zucchini Syndrome (AZS). One of the only antidotes for AZS is preparing this Easy Skillet Ratatouille.

Not only is this one-pan ratatouille a great way to use up zucchini, but it also incorporates all the other summer veggies that I usually have on hand: eggplant, yellow squash, tomatoes, and peppers.

It’s fresh. It’s clean. It’s oh so tasty.

Ingredients

For this recipe you’ll need:

• eggplant: I generally prefer to use Chinese eggplant for this recipe because it has tender skin and fewer seeds which makes it ideal for skillet cooking. You can use standard eggplant, I would suggest peeling it before dicing.
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• yellow onion
• red bell pepper
• Roma tomatoes: I love the sweetness Roma aka plum tomatoes provide, but any ripe tomatoes will work.
• garlic
• fresh thyme
• fresh basil
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

Fresh is best: I can’t overstate this enough–the fresher your veggies are, the better this Easy Skillet Ratatouille is going to taste.

How to Make Skillet Ratatouille

Start by dicing up all the vegetables. You want to try to cut the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash into uniformly sized cubes.

In my opinion, this is the hardest part of this recipe. If nothing else, at least it’s a great way to keep your knife skills sharp (pun intended).

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed eggplant to the skillet along with a small pinch of salt.

Sauté the eggplant until it is tender, then transfer it to a large bowl.

Pour another tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet, then add the zucchini and squash.

Sauté everything for 5-6 minutes until the squash just starts to soften, then transfer it to the bowl with the eggplant.

Add one last tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, then add the diced onion and red bell pepper.

Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5-6 minutes, then add a few minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add about a pound of chopped tomatoes to the skillet along with some fresh thyme and a large pinch of salt.

Cook the tomatoes down until their juices are released, about 8-10 minutes.

Toss the eggplant and squash back into the skillet and cook for a few more minutes until everything is incorporated.

Stir in some fresh basil leaves and season with more sea salt and black pepper to taste before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This ratatouille makes a great base or compliment to a variety of meals.

A few suggestions are:

• Serve it as a side to grilled or roasted chicken
• Place a poached egg on top for a tasty, veggie filled breakfast
• Add some baked or poached whitefish for a super light and healthy meal

More Easy Skillet Recipes

• Shrimp Stir-Fry with Cabbage and Parsnips
• Sautéed Chicken of the Woods
• Braised Kohlrabi Greens
• Pan Fried Oyster Mushrooms

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