Gordon Ramsay’s ratatouille is aubergine, courgette, peppers and cherry tomatoes sautéed with thyme and garlic, simmered in canned tomatoes and finished with torn basil. The recipe comes from Cooking for Friends and takes about 20 minutes.
The detail that makes this version different is the double tomato. Ramsay uses both canned chopped tomatoes for body and vine-ripened cherry tomatoes for sweetness and bursts of fresh flavour. Most ratatouille recipes use one or the other.
The other key is cooking the vegetables in sequence rather than tossing them in together. Each one goes in at a different time so they all finish together. Get the order wrong and you end up with mush next to raw.
Gordon Ramsay’s Ratatouille
Course: Side DishCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy4
10
minutes12
minutes230
kcal22
minutesA quick Provençal ratatouille from Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking for Friends. Each vegetable added in order so everything finishes together, with both canned and cherry tomatoes for a richer sauce. Ramsay has four different ratatouille recipes across his cookbooks, and this is the simplest at 230 kcal per serving.
Ingredients
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
1 small aubergine, trimmed and chopped
1 red pepper, halved, cored, deseeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, halved, cored, deseeded and chopped
1 large courgette, trimmed and chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Few thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and smashed
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
225g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
Small handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
Directions
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onion, aubergine, peppers and courgette, keeping them separate so you can add them in order.
- Start with the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion with the thyme sprigs and a little seasoning. Sauté over a high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add peppers and garlic: Tip in the red and yellow peppers and the smashed garlic. Sauté for another minute.
- Add courgette: Add the courgette and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add both tomatoes: Tip in the canned tomatoes with a splash of water, then add the cherry tomatoes whole. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer: Cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are just tender but still holding their shape.
- Finish: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter with torn basil and serve.
FAQs
Why does Gordon Ramsay use two types of tomato?
The canned tomatoes break down into a rich sauce that coats the vegetables. The cherry tomatoes hold their shape and burst with fresh sweetness when you bite into them. Using both gives you depth and brightness in the same dish.
In Make It Easy, Ramsay uses fresh beef tomatoes instead of canned, which gives a lighter, chunkier result. The Cooking for Friends version with both types has more body and is better as a standalone side dish rather than a base for fish.
Why does the vegetable order matter?
Onions need the longest time to soften so they go in first, followed by peppers and garlic which need a couple of minutes. Courgette goes in last because it cooks fastest and turns mushy if overdone. Adding everything at once means the onion stays raw while the courgette falls apart.
Ramsay smashes the garlic rather than chopping it in this version. Smashing releases the oils slowly and gives a gentler flavour than chopped garlic, which can burn quickly in a hot pan with the peppers.
Can you bake eggs in ratatouille?
In the same cookbook, Ramsay has a Baked Eggs with Ratatouille recipe. He divides the ratatouille into individual ovenproof dishes and makes a well with a spoon. He cracks an egg into each one and bakes at 200C for 10-12 minutes until set but still runny.
That version also adds ground cumin, sweet paprika and mild chilli powder to the ratatouille base, which turns it into something closer to shakshuka. Serve it with wholemeal toast for a weekend brunch. Or top with a poached egg instead if you do not want to turn the oven on.
What does Gordon Ramsay serve ratatouille with?
In Cooking for Friends, it is listed as a vegetarian main course on its own. In Make It Easy and Secrets, he serves it under pan-fried red mullet, which is the classic Provençal pairing. The fish sits on top of the warm ratatouille with the crispy skin facing up.
It also works as a side dish alongside roast chicken, grilled lamb or simply with crusty bread and goat’s cheese. His roast chicken from the same era of cookbooks is a natural match, or try it alongside his roast leg of lamb for a Sunday lunch.
Does ratatouille store well?
It stores brilliantly, like his venison stew, and tastes even better the next day as the flavours develop. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a pan or eat it cold as a salad with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The Make It Easy version adds a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end. Try it if you plan to eat the ratatouille cold because the vinegar keeps the flavours sharp. You can also freeze ratatouille for up to 3 months, which makes it one of the best batch-cooking dishes in Ramsay’s books.
