Norwood CSA Food Co-op: Ratatouille 2: Electric Boogaloo by Nadeen M. Thomas

Ratatouille 2: Electric Boogaloo

By Nadeen M. Thomas

A few times a season, the stars align, and the CSA provides all the ingredients to make ratatouille. This summer we've been lucky for two weeks in a row.


Bowl containing white onions, yellow bell pepper, purple eggplant, yellow summer squash, and a plastic container of cherry tomatoes. Photo by author.

If you've never made ratatouille before, my tutorial from last year might help you.

If you're like me, and you're on your second batch of ratatouille for the summer, you might be wondering about different ways to eat this dish, especially if you are just one person faced with a giant Dutch oven of vegetable stew.

So, here are some tips for using up your ratatouille:

1) Freeze some. It freezes pretty well since mushy vegetables are part of the French tradition. Plus, you can get a taste of summer in the middle of winter when a hearty stew really hits the spot.

2) Serve it on polenta. I usually eat some of the first batch on polenta that I have cooked in chicken or vegetable broth and finished with a generous dollop of butter and grated cheese.

3) Add sardines. Want to feel extra Mediterranean? Add canned fish. I'm partial to sardines in olive oil (drained), but any canned fish will work.

4) Serve it on couscous. Tired of cooking (ratatouille is labor-intensive after all)? Those boxes of 5-minute instant couscous are your friend here.

5) Eggs is eggs. Ratatouille and eggs are really good friends. Last night I topped toad-in-the-holes (eggs-in-a-baskets) with grated cheese and leftover ratatouille for dinner. Very simple, but it feels very fancy.