Ratatouille Sans Homegrown Tomatoes

In 2022 I published a recipe for authentic ratatouille from France that could be made from from vegetables in your own garden. You should try it!

Unfortunately the summer of 2026 was very hot, day after day, and many tomato plants did not set any fruit.

I created this version of my past recipe for those years when the garden has no tomatoes to harvest. Fortunately, onions, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and basil usually thrive. The result was this tomato-light version, which turned out exceptionally well.

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Ingredients

Base Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1–2 large onions, chopped
• 1–2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can Cento Organic San Marzano tomatoes in puree*
• Fresh basil, chopped

Vegetables

Select roughly equal quantities (by weight) of the following vegetables. I found that 1,000 grams (about 2 pounds) of each worked well with one 28-ounce can of tomatoes.

Cut all vegetables into uniform ½-inch cubes. Prepare all vegetables before you begin cooking.

• Sweet peppers
• Eggplant (peel if the skin is tough; leave unpeeled if the skin is tender)
• Zucchini

Directions

Cook everything slowly over medium-low heat.

1. Sauté the onions in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic near the end of cooking, just before Step 2.
2. Add the peppers and cook for 15 minutes, stirring as needed.
3. Add the eggplant and cook for 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Add more olive oil if necessary.
4. Add the zucchini and cook for 15 minutes, stirring as needed.
5. Remove the whole tomatoes from the can and chop them into pieces about the same size as the vegetables. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, and basil to the pot, and stir to combine.
6. Continue cooking slowly until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. The vegetables should remain distinct and retain some texture.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving Suggestions

Allow the mixture to cool before serving. It can be served lukewarm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Storage

• Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Freeze in usable portions.

Ball pint-size freezer jars work well for storage. Leave 1 inch of headspace when freezing.

If frozen, thaw slowly in the refrigerator before serving.

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* No endorsement is intended, however this kind worked well for me and is easily available.