One-Pot Ratatouille Pasta
Published June 3, 2024
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 small globe eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 medium plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 pound short pasta, such as rotini
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium orange bell pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 basil sprigs
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
70 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 440 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 753 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 10 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pour ¼ cup oil into a large, wide pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the tomato paste and gently fry, stirring occasionally, until slightly caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes. (The oil will become a bright shade of orange.) Add the Italian seasoning and stir until combined.
- Step 2
To the pot, add the eggplant, onion, half the tomatoes, all the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss until vegetables are coated with the tomato-infused oil. The eggplant will absorb most if not all the oil. Add 3 cups water, the pasta and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook the pasta for half the time listed for al dente on the package directions, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Step 3
Remove the lid and stir well to combine pasta with the sauce. Add the zucchini, peppers, remaining tomatoes and a few grinds of black pepper. Fold to combine, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente and peppers are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove lid, and turn off heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve in shallow bowls and top with torn basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
Threw in a can of cannellini beans to give it some protein. Delicious.
Add capers and crushed olives to add more acidity. If you're not vegetarian, crush an anchovy or two for more umami.
I made this as written except I did add more Italian Seasoning and pepper. I thought the 1 inch veggies and amounts of pasta and water were perfect, although it did take a bit more than 2 minutes for the pasta to finish cooking. That said, when I make it again I will double the tomato paste, Italian Seasoning, garlic, and black pepper. As many suggested, Kalamata olives would be a great addition.
I couldn’t agree more with what everyone said. My first clue that this recipe needed adjusting was the one pound of pasta. Eight ounces is what they should have said and, for sure, cook to al dente separately. Next, the writer who said to pre-prepare the eggplant by sweating it first is correct and par cooking it in the air cooker was brilliant! The addition of something pickled, such as capers, or Kalamata olives, also brilliant. All that, along with, as mentioned, twice the tomato paste and, I used twice the garden grown tomatoes, some red pepper flakes, and it was fabulous! As others said, this recipe was, disappointingly, not anywhere near as well-vetted as most of this app’s recipes are but once the community adjusted it, it’s delicious.
TLDR: use chicken broth instead of water to cook the pasta for added flavor. Needs more salt. Add white beans at the end for protein. Add feta cheese at the end for creaminess. I made this and it turned out pretty well! I added the white beans for protein like I saw some people in the comments doing and that turned out very well! I just added those at the end and stirred them in. The recipe needed significantly more salt than advertised. And I used chicken broth to cook the pasta instead of water which I thought added great flavor. I also added feta crumbles at the end once it had cooled a little bit so the crumbles remained intact. Definitely the best add!!
Made this as directed ingredientswise, but cooked the noodles seperate as I find I am uniquely adept at messing up one pot pastas. used the bounty from my farmers market box, and added a little lemon juice at the end. really nice!