Instant Pot Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a French stewed vegetable dish. Sometimes it is also called Ragout. Traditionally it
has zucchini and eggplant. Also it has things like bell peppers, onions, garlic and lots of herbs.
Usually I think of this as a “clean out the fridge” dish. Any veggie that will cook like this is a
candidate for the dish. (That means that beets are out because they would dye everything red. I
will refrain from referring to scenes from my favorite crime drama here. )
Veggie options could be: Onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, peas, corn, squash (all kinds),
eggplant (all kinds), peppers, mushrooms. You could add greens like spinach if you like, but they
tend to cook more quickly than the rest.
I usually serve this as a side dish to a fish fillet or other meat, but if you put beans in it you could
serve it with a grain for a great vegan option. It shouldn’t need to be served in a bowl. If it is too
soupy to sit on a plate, reduce the liquid a bit before serving.
Time: 1 hour
Serves 4-6
Special equipment: Instant Pot ( or just do it in a big skillet on the stove and cook it until tender)
Ingredients:
1 med Chinese eggplant, diced to 1 inch pieces
1 med zucchini, diced to 1 inch pieces
1 sm onion, diced medium
5 clv garlic, diced fine
15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 med yellow bell pepper, diced to 1 inch pieces
12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 med jalapeno(chopped fine) OPTIONAL – for a spicier dish
1 tbsp olive oil
14 oz can, red kidney beans (optional)
2 tbs dried Italian herbs (or 1 cup fresh, chopped if you have them)
1 cup veggie broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Put all the veggies on the list into a bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast them at 350° for 30-45 minutes. They should shrink and get slightly toaty on the edges.
Move them to your Instant Pot inner pot. Add the herbs, broth, wine and pepper. Taste for salt level and add if needed. Give it all a toss with a spoon and set it to cook for 10 minutes high pressure.
Let it come down naturally for 20 minutes then open the lid. If there is too much liquid, put the
pot on Sauté for a few minutes to reduce the liquid, but be careful not to burn things.
Alternate – use a large skillet with a lid. Instead of the IP, cook everything on the stove on medium heat for about an hour. Uncover if it there is too much liquid.