Quinoa Ratatouille
What do you think of when you hear ratatouille?
That cute Pixar movie with the musical rat? He was musical, right?
I’m not going to lie, that’s what pops into my head first but when I think about ratatouille a little more in-depth, my imagination begins to drift to Provence. Cobblestone streets lined with shops full of art and antiques. Open air markets flourishing with fresh produce, olives, spices, and lavender. Colorful buildings perched alongside the bright blue Mediterranean Sea. Everything about it just seems so romantic.
If you’re not familiar with ratatouille, it’s a traditional Provençal vegetable stew made with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and a mixture of fresh herbs known as herbs de Provence.
You can buy the herbs dried in the spice section of the grocery store and it’s usually a combination of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano. However, several of the brands I came across included other ingredients such as fennel which I’m personally not a fan of so I decided to make my own blend using the ones listed above with the addition of fresh basil because my basil plant is growing out of control.
Feel free to use whatever fresh or dry herbs that suit your preferences, just make sure you use plenty of them. That is where the majority of the flavor comes from in this dish so don’t be shy!
I know ratatouille doesn’t fit in with football food or a back-to-school snack (which I planned to share today but unfortunately I had a fig bar failure over the weekend), but it is a comforting and nourishing meal that’s perfect for the summer to fall transition. You can use up all of the leftover vegetables and still keep warm as the cool fall air starts to roll in.
Our days here have been pretty warm still but as soon as the sun starts to set, it drops into the low 60’s (Fahrenheit) and feels incredible.
Hopefully that cool air starts to roll in for you soon too so that you get a chance warm up with a hearty bowl of ratatouille!
Ingredients
1 cup dry quinoa, cooked*
1 large eggplant or 2 small, diced
4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 red bell peppers, cored and diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
herbs de Provence to taste**
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until fragrant. Toss in the eggplant and continue to cook for about five more minutes.
- Next add the red pepper, zucchini and tomatoes along with the herbs and salt & pepper to taste. Lower heat to a simmer and then cover and cook for about 30 minutes.
- Serve over hot over a bed of quinoa and enjoy!
Notes
*Click here for instructions on how to cook quinoa
**you can buy dried herbs de Provence or make your own combination using fresh and dried. I recommend smelling and tasting as you go to determine if you prefer more or less herbs. I used at least 1 tablespoon of dried and 3-4 tablespoons fresh herbs.
I’m not going back to school (and though it’s been 5 years since I’ve gone back to school, I’m still pretty sad about it), so I way more appreciate this comforting dish. Also, Ratatouille wasn’t a musical mouse — he was a little mouse chef that controlled a man by tugging his hair. Wayyyy more believable ;-)
Haha I dooooo think of the cute lil rat movie which I’ve actually never seen, buuuuut I remember the commercials for it. This looks deeeeelish, and your photos are gorgeous!
This looks like my mum’s ratatouille minus the quinoa (that is not popular in Italy). A beautiful dish to look at, healthy and – I bet – super tasty. Great pictures.
Can you believe I’ve never seen Ratatouille? I feel like it’s one of the most quoted pixar movies among adults, so I should prooooobably get on this! I’m now having visions of myself this coming Friday on the couch with a glass of wine, watching Ratatouille, ha!
So the food. I loves it! I could probably eat ratatouille eeee’ery week. BEAUTIFUL!
Ratatouille is one of the cutest movies, ever. :) I’ve never had the dish before, and I’m a fan of quinoa, so I’ll have to get moving and make this sometime! You always make your food look so delicious! Great pictures.
Yup, I do think of the movie when I think of ratatouille! It really is a cute movie!
I’ve never made ratatouille before, but always wanted to try it out. This sounds delicious!
those heirlooms are beautiful! i can’t get enough of them lately.
i love that movie! i hate rats, but the rat in that movie is absolutely charming and adorable :) I havent seen it in ages though and now that you mention it, i cant remember if hes musical- sounds right though :) This looks soo yummy!!
I’ve actually never seen the movie ratatouille! So I only think of the food :)
This looks awesome! Saving this for once the weather gets a bit cooler here! Hopefully after the weekend … or so they say. Crossing my fingers!
I’ve never even seen that movie and I think about it when I hear ratatouille. Ha! Love the added heartiness with quinoa!
Oh how I’d love to be roaming the romantic streets of Provence right now! I was trying to incorporate French wine country into my Euro trip last year but it didn’t work out… but one day I’ll get there! ;-)
This looks so yummy and healthy at the same time! :)
I too think of the movie Ratatouille every time I hear that word. Ha
This dish looks like a perfect way to welcome in the cooler weather.
Wow such a brilliant idea to use quinoa in ratatouille!!
The first thing I thought of was the movie Ratatouille! Anyways, this looks amazing. I think quinoa tastes so good, and this is the perfect balance of healthy! x
Gorgeous photos, my dear! And this looks like the perfect warm, satisfying meal for when the weather starts to cool down. Pinning and making for sure!
I have to admit, I always think of the cute little rat when I think of ratatouille! Which isn’t a bad thing at all! My sister studied in France for a year in high school and would always make ratatouille when she came home. It was so good and is a perfect way to use up vegetables. This looks amazing :)
I don’t think I’ve ever had ratatouille. I enjoyed the movie though ;) Made me damn hungry when watching it in theaters. Mmm, some wine…cheese, bread, perfect. The photos of the dish look lovely :)
Pingback: Whole 30 Dinner Recipes
Pingback: 25 Vegetarian Kosher for Passovers Meals - C it Nutritionally