Dinner / French
Ratatouille with Creamy Polenta
Provencal stewed vegetables spooned over soft vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese polenta for a comforting vegetarian supper.
By Vegetarian Recipes Kitchen · Updated
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 35 minutes
- Total
- 55 minutes
- Serves
- 4
Gather your ingredients
Everything you need.
Allergen notes
- Contains milk. Check dairy and cheese product labels.
- Yeast extracts, stocks, seasoning blends and fermented sauces can contain additional allergens such as cereals, celery or sulphites; check the actual product labels.
- Check all packaged ingredients and substitutions for allergens; vegetarian or vegan labels do not establish allergen safety.
Check product labels and any substitutions; packaged ingredients can introduce additional allergens.
Let's cook
Step by delicious step.
Tap a step number to mark it complete as you cook.
Heat olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium heat, add onion and cook 3 minutes until softened.
Add eggplant, zucchini, and pepper with a pinch of salt, cooking 8 minutes until lightly browned. Brown vegetables in batches if the pan is full; large amounts of released liquid prevent caramelisation.
Stir in garlic, herbes de Provence, and crushed tomatoes; simmer 15 minutes until vegetables collapse and sauce thickens, then finish with basil and pepper.
Meanwhile bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan, whisk in polenta, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often.
Stir butter, vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, and remaining salt into the polenta until creamy.
Spoon polenta into bowls and top with generous ladles of ratatouille.
0 of 6 steps complete
A little kitchen know-how
- Salt the eggplant ahead for 15 minutes to remove extra moisture if it is very seedy.
- Keep polenta covered over the lowest heat if it thickens before serving; add splashes of broth to loosen.
Make it yours & keep it well
Use olive oil instead of butter and omit cheese for a dairy-free polenta.
Storage: Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate covered. Eat within 48 hours or freeze suitable extras promptly. Reheat cooked leftovers only once until steaming hot throughout. Store ratatouille and polenta separately. Reheat polenta with broth until spoonable or brown chilled slices.
For cooling and reheating, follow the Food Standards Agency’s leftover guidance. Rice has a shorter refrigerated storage limit, as described in its recipe notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
390 kcal · Protein 14 g · Carbohydrates 52 g · Fat 14 g
Approximate figures; brands, portions and substitutions change the result.
Good things to know
Can I make the polenta dairy-free?
Swap butter for olive oil and vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese for nutritional yeast.
How long does the ratatouille keep?
for up to 48 hours refrigerated—it tastes even better after a night of melding.
Why is the ratatouille watery?
Vegetables need space and enough simmering to reduce their juices. Finish uncovered until the sauce coats them.
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