This Slow Cooker Ratatouille is a simple, colorful way to enjoy fresh summer vegetables. Everything cooks together into a rich, flavorful stew that’s hearty enough to serve on its own, or as a side. The slow cooker does all the work, turning basic ingredients into something cozy and satisfying. It’s an easy, hands-off recipe that brings out the best in garden produce! Even if you don’t have a garden yourself, these classic summer veggies are in season right now, which means they should be at low prices in stores as well.
Traditional ratatouille, cooked uncovered in the oven, relies on evaporation to get rid of the large amounts of moisture contained in the vegetables. If you just tossed all of the vegetables in a slow-cooker, a device designed to trap and contain heat and moisture, you’d get a watery mess. That’s what has turned me away from slow-cooker ratatouille recipes in the past, and what made me so excited to see a solution in a recent issue of Cook’s Country.
Broiling the vegetables before popping them in the slow-cooker not only evaporates a lot of the excess liquid, but it adds flavor through caramelization. The result is an amazingly flavorful, thick vegetable stew. It may not be the prettiest dish (okay who am I kidding, it’s not pretty at all) but I will tell you… I could NOT stop eating this stuff. It was so perfect with a yummy loaf of crusty bread, and it made the perfect light summer meal.
A lot of people only pull out their slow-cookers in the fall and winter, but it’s actually one of my favorite cooking methods when the temperatures rise and it’s even too miserably hot to venture outside to the bbq to grill. It doesn’t put out a lot of heat in your house, and it’s super low maintenance.
Ingredients Needed
- eggplant
- zucchini
- red bell peppers
- onions
- olive oil
- sugar
- garlic cloves
- Herbs de Provence – A signature flavor in this dish, and lots of French cooking, is herbs de Provence (Provence is a region in France). You can find it with the rest of the spices in the grocery store. It’s one of my favorite seasonings, a mix of yummy things like rosemary, savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and most uniquely, lavender. If you don’t have any herbs de Provence, you can sub 1 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and dried thyme.
- canned tomatoes
- all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese
- basil – I whole-heartedly recommend fresh for this recipe
How to Make Slow Cooker Ratatouille
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Broil chopped eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and onions with olive oil, garlic, sugar, and herbs until lightly browned. If you have heat setting options on your broiler, I’d recommend using a medium heat so they can broil for a good 10 minutes or so. This step gets rid of lots of liquid and adds great color and flavor. You’ll want to spread your vegetables over two baking sheets.
- Transfer roasted vegetables to the slow cooker and add canned tomatoes.
- Stir in a little flour, salt, pepper, and then cook on low until tender (about 4 hours).
- Finish with balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and fresh basil.
- Adjust seasoning and serve warm, with a big chunk of crusty bread.
Storage & Other Tips
- Refrigeration: let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a clean airtight container. It can be stored in the fridge for 4 – 5 days.
- Freezing: For longer storage, freeze in 1 – 1 1/2 cup portions freezer-safe bags. It holds up well for 2 – 3 months.
- Reheat: gently warm it back up on the stovetop over medium-low, so the vegetables hold their shape. You can also microwave it in short bursts, with a quick stir in between.
- Adding flavor: after storage, this dish will absolutely lose some flavor. You’ll probably want to add more balsamic vinegar and seasonings when you reheat.
- Serving accompaniments: a big chunk of crusty bread is a must. If you want to make it a more substantial meal, pair it with grilled cheese, a ham & cheese sandwich, and a salad. It also goes great with grilled chicken, fish, or steak. Or pasta. Okay, pretty much anything. And as one reader noted after eating it in France, it’s great served over something like couscous, rice, or pasta as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes. But I whole-heartedly do not recommend it. Broiling helps concentrate the flavors, caramelize the vegetables, and reduce excess moisture. Without it, the final stew may be more watery and less deeply flavored.
Using what you have works great too. A mix of dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, or basil will work.
Yes! However, we have never tried it this way so we can’t guarantee the results. Let us know how it goes in the comments.
Keep them in roughly 1 – 1 1/2 inch chunks so they hold their shape during cooking and don’t turn to mush.
Honestly, just about anything! Crusty bread, grilled chicken, fish, steak, or over couscous, quinoa, pasta, or rice are all great ideas.
Slow Cooker Ratatouille {Summer Vegetable Stew}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 zucchini, medium about 8 oz each, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 red bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence If you don’t have any herbs de Provance, you can sub 1 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and dried thyme.
- 1 28 ounce can tomatoes, diced, drained
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup basil, fresh chopped
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. If you have different heat settings available on your broiler, set it to medium. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil. In a very large bowl, combine egg plant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and herbs de Provence. Toss until combined.
- Divide vegetables evenly between prepared sheets and spread into a single layer. Broil, 1 sheet at a time, until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes (or faster, if your broiler has only one heat setting and it’s super hot!) While the veggies are broiling, turn them a couple times during the cooking process to evenly cook them. Transfer broiled vegetables to slow cooker and add tomatoes.
- Stir flour, 2 ½ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper into vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 4 hours on low. Stir in balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
- If you want to make this a more substantial meal, pair it with grilled cheese panini, or a ham and cheese sandwich and a salad. It also goes great with grilled chicken, fish, or steak, or try it served over something like couscous, rice, or pasta.
Questions & Reviews
This is one of my favorite dishes! The best way to eat it is served over this recipe for cheesy polenta-http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-polenta/ the only difference I do is use mozzarella cheese for the polenta. Try it, I promise it is amazing!!!
This is wonderful! I have been slowly cooking my way through this website and with each endeavor finding recipes that are truly delicious. This one was no exception! I tried this with a huge (can you say cantaloupe?! Yeah, that’s how big) fresh tomato from a friends garden and it was fantastic!!! This will be a staple in our home from now on. Thanks for the great recipes!
I’ve got this in the crockpot right now and it smells so good! I’m excited to try a new recipe that’s chocked full of healthy veggies!
Wow. I made it twice in one month. That was amazing. Thank you!
I just wanted to say I made this recently when I had some girls over for dinner, and it was delicious. Holy yum. So much so that the other girls asked for the recipe and I passed along the link. This is definitely one of my new summer favourites!
Making this tonight for tomorrow’s dinner. Someone asked about good, crusty bread in Utah. Harmon’s grocery store has the best bread. I am an Italian girl from New Jersey and we are very picky about our bread!
Trying to figure out if I can make this work on a weeknight after getting home from work….think it would work in a crockpot on high for 2 hours?
You know, since everything is so soft, I bet it would work. Give it a shot and let us know 🙂
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! Now I need to find a friend with some excess eggplant!
I have made a similar version before but I would put some browned ground beef in to get a little bit of protein in it. This is one of my favorite early fall recipes to have and it freezes really well to have later on in the winter time when you can’t find the summer squash.
Way delicious!! My husband and I are big fans, my kids picked at the chunked veegetables but loved the saucy part. Kids…. So good though, I can’t wait to make it throughout the summer!