No need to heat up the kitchen when making Easy Slow Cooker Ratatouille. The delicious entree or side dish is loaded with a bounty of fresh vegetables.
Slow Cooker Summer Ratatouille is on my mind lately. With the farmers’ markets that full of with fruits and vegetables, I’m anxious to use them in my cooking any way I can.
What’s ratatouille? It is a French dish brimming with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, red peppers, onions, and garlic. A touch of seasoning is from a blend of spices including thyme, marjoram, oregano, and basil in herbes de Provence.
the ingredients for ratatouille
- eggplant
- zucchini
- tomatoes
- red pepper
- onion
- garlic
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- herbes de Provence
- tomato sauce
- fresh basil
- Parmesan cheese
cooking tips for making slow cooker ratatouille
Prepare ratatouille in a number of ways. It can be a a simple sauté or a layering of the vegetables in a casserole dish and baking it in the oven. My personal preference is in a slow cooker. I use the slow cooker setting on my Instant Pot. The flavors of the vegetables and spices blend and mellow while cooking without becoming mushy. With a little chopping and measuring, the slow cooker does most of the work for this dish.
- Summer vegetables are the best for making Slow Cooker Ratatouille. But this is a very forgiving recipe and even winter vegetables are fabulous in the dish.
- Cut all the vegetables in the same size pieces. This helps them all cook at an even rate.
- This is a great make ahead dish. Slow Cooker Ratatouille tastes even better on day 2 or even 3!
- Reheat this tasty side dish over medium low heat and stir occasionally. Or heat in the microwave on 70% power for 1 minute. Continue heating at 30 second intervals. Or heat covered in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve as a side with grilled chicken or fish. Top creamy Parmesan polenta, pasta, or rice with the vegetable medley for a filling, satisfying, and healthy dinner. Any leftovers can become a filling for omelets, tossed with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for a cold vegetable salad. Use as a topping on crostini for an appetizer too.
blast from the past video
If you make this slow cooker ratatouille, I’d love hearing from you all. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
Try some other summer time recipes…
- Cider Honey Chicken Skewers
- Grilled Lime Chile Chicken with Avocado Tomato Salsa
- Zucchini Pie with Fresh Herbs
- Pan Fried Chicken with Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Saute
Slow Cooker Ratatouille
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
There is no need to heat up the kitchen when making Easy Slow Cooker Ratatouille. It is delicious as an entree or side dish and is loaded with a bounty of fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
- 4 cups eggplant, about 1 1/2 lbs (large dice)
- 3 cups zucchini (large dice)
- 2 cups tomatoes (large dice)
- 1 1/2 cups red pepper (large dice)
- 1 cup onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 can (8-ounce tomato sauce)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil (finely chopped)
- shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, combine eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Pour tomato sauce over vegetables, stir to combine, and cover with the lid.
- Set slow cooker on low heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 hours or on high heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- Serve as a side dish or as an entrée over rice, pasta, or polenta topped with basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Summer vegetables are the best for making Slow Cooker Ratatouille. But this is a very forgiving recipe and even winter vegetables are fabulous in the dish.
- Cut all the vegetables in the same size pieces. This helps them all cook at an even rate.
- This is a great make ahead dish. Slow Cooker Ratatouille tastes even better on day 2 or even 3!
- Reheat this tasty side dish over medium low heat and stir occasionally. Or heat in the microwave on 70% power for 1 minute. Continue heating at 30 second intervals. Or heat covered in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Category: Entree
- Method: Slow cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: ratatouille, slow cooker ratatouille, slow cooker recipe, easy dinner recipe, vegan, vegetarian
This recipe was originally posted in March 2012. Many updates include photos, recipe detail and descriptions.
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