Ratatouille, the classic French vegetable stew, is a vibrant and flavorful dish that is perfect for a summer meal. With its medley of colorful vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes, ratatouille is a visual delight as well as a culinary treat. Paired with polenta, a creamy and versatile cornmeal dish, ratatouille creates a satisfying and balanced meal that is both hearty and refreshing. This article will guide you through selecting the freshest ingredients, preparing the vegetables, and simmering them in a flavorful tomato sauce to create a delicious ratatouille. We will also provide instructions for making polenta, ensuring that it has the perfect consistency and texture to complement the ratatouille.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
BASIL POLENTA WITH RATATOUILLE
For our wedding reception, we wanted to provide a vegan menu to our guests. Not one complained; they raved about the polenta topped with colorful ratatouille, our version of the classic French stewed vegetable dish. -Kimberly Hammond, Kingwood, Texas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h5m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large heavy saucepan, bring water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan, 15-20 minutes. Stir in basil., Spread into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate for 30 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the eggplant, onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, oregano, pepper and remaining salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes., Cut polenta into 4 squares. In another large skillet, cook polenta in remaining oil in batches until golden brown, 7-8 minutes on each side. Serve with ratatouille; garnish with basil.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 400 calories, Fat 22g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 0 cholesterol, Sodium 709mg sodium, Carbohydrate 46g carbohydrate (9g sugars, Fiber 10g fiber), Protein 6g protein.
RATATOUILLE WITH POLENTA ROUNDS
This ratatouille recipe is very easy to adjust to what's in season or what you have on hand. Hope you enjoy!
Provided by emzily23
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash Zucchini
Time 1h
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir eggplant, zucchini, onion, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and garlic until vegetables start to become tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, basil, thyme, and oregano; season with salt and black pepper. Bring ratatouille to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Pour ratatouille into prepared baking dish and arrange polenta slices and mozzarella cheese rounds over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is simmering and mozzarella cheese is melted and bubbling, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 360.5 calories, Carbohydrate 25.5 g, Cholesterol 59.5 mg, Fat 20.2 g, Fiber 5.4 g, Protein 17.9 g, SaturatedFat 11.4 g, Sodium 431.5 mg, Sugar 7.2 g
RATATOUILLE WITH POLENTA
If you only know Ratatouille as a kids' movie, you're in for a treat. Created in the Provence region of France, the dish features seasoned veggies sauteed in oil. Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 35m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, pepper and onion in 2 teaspoons oil until almost tender. Add the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender., In another skillet, cook polenta slices in remaining oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve with ratatouille; sprinkle with cheese if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 195 calories, Fat 5g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 0 cholesterol, Sodium 689mg sodium, Carbohydrate 34g carbohydrate (8g sugars, Fiber 6g fiber), Protein 6g protein. Diabetic Exchanges
RATATOUILLE POLENTA BAKE
Please pass the polenta. Love the loads of veggie topping!
Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 1h15m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook onion and bell pepper in skillet 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up with spoon; reduce heat to low. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Spray rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches, with cooking spray. Cut polenta into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices on bottom of dish, overlapping and cutting to fit where necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over top.
- Cover and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parsley. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 260, Carbohydrate 45 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Fat 1/2, Fiber 6 g, Protein 10 g, SaturatedFat 3 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 830 mg
RATATOUILLE POLENTA BAKE
From Betty Crocker. I have not tried this yet, but it looks like a wonderful way to get your veggies.
Provided by under12parsecs
Categories Onions
Time 1h
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook onion and bell pepper in skillet 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up with spoon; reduce heat to low. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Spray rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches, with cooking spray. Cut polenta into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices on bottom of dish, overlapping and cutting to fit where necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over top.
- Cover and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parsley. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
RATATOUILLE WITH POLENTA
A Better Homes and Garden recipe. My DH really liked this one, I thought it was a little bland - but I'm not a big fan of eggplant and he loves it!
Provided by packeyes
Categories Vegetable
Time 40m
Yield 4 plates, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Cut polenta into 12 slices. Prepare as desired, I prefer to cook it in a skillet in a small amount of oil. Cover and keep warm.
- In a 4 quart saucepan, heat oil. Once heated add pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for five minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the eggplant, cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in both squashes, zucchini, tomato, basil, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley.
- Put 3 slices of polenta on a plate, spoon vegetables over the polenta and sprinkle with parmesan. Continue for 3 more plates.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 91, Fat 3.8, SaturatedFat 0.6, Sodium 51.1, Carbohydrate 14.4, Fiber 4.8, Sugar 5.6, Protein 2.5
POLENTA WITH RATATOUILLE SAUCE
No need to purchase polenta to make this ratatouille sauced dish. Made with creamy wheat hot cereal and garlic, ours is a cinch to make!
Provided by My Food and Family
Categories Home
Time 1h5m
Yield Makes 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Gradually add cereal, stirring constantly until well blended. Stir in 1/2 of the garlic. Cook 1 to 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Spread cereal mixture into greased and foil-lined 8-inch square pan; sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of the cheese and 1/4 tsp. of the basil. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into 4 (4-inch) squares; cut each square diagonally in half to form a total of 8 triangles.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in large skillet. Add 4 of the polenta triangles. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat with remaining polenta triangles, cooking in 1 Tbsp. of the remaining oil.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Add eggplant, tomato, onion, green pepper and remaining garlic; cook 5 minutes or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomato juice and remaining 1/4 tsp. basil; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over polenta triangles. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 140, Fat 7 g, SaturatedFat 1.5 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 170 mg, Carbohydrate 0 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 0 g, Protein 4 g
Tips:
- Use fresh, ripe vegetables: The quality of your vegetables will greatly impact the final dish, so make sure to use the freshest, ripest produce you can find.
- Cut the vegetables evenly: This will help them cook evenly and prevent some pieces from becoming overcooked while others are still raw.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: If you overcrowd the pan, the vegetables will steam instead of sautéing, which will make them soggy.
- Season the vegetables well: Don't be afraid to use plenty of salt and pepper, as well as other herbs and spices, to taste.
- Cook the vegetables until they are tender-crisp: You don't want the vegetables to become mushy, so cook them just until they are tender but still have a little bit of bite.
- Make sure the polenta is creamy and smooth: Use equal parts polenta and liquid (water or milk), and bring the mixture to a boil before reducing the heat to low and simmering for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Serve the ratatouille and polenta hot: This dish is best enjoyed immediately after it is made.
Conclusion:
Ratatouille with polenta is a delicious and satisfying dish that is perfect for a summer meal. The fresh, flavorful vegetables and creamy polenta are a perfect combination, and the dish is sure to please everyone at the table. Give this recipe a try and see for yourself how easy and delicious it is!
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