Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille

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Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille is a classic french vegetable stew made with the pressure cooker in under 30 minutes!

I’m always torn during the month of September.  I don’t mind the cooler temperatures or the color of the leaves telling me that fall is right around the corner because fall is my favorite season.

What’s difficult is the transition from summer food to fall.  One minute I crave soups and chili, and the next minute I want salad.

Needless to say, soup and salad has been on the menu a lot. 🙂

There’s one dish in particular that I think of every September because tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini and basil are all in peak season.

You guessed it!  That dish is ratatouille.

Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille

If the only exposure you’ve had to ratatouille is the animated movie, don’t worry because I’m going to give you a little background on one of my favorite dishes.

Ratatouille is a classic french vegetable stew that’s rustic and soul warming.  A traditional ratatouille recipe normally includes tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and zucchini and is finished with fresh basil.

The first time I ever experienced ratatouille was in cooking school, and I posted an adaptation of that recipe here.

Normally ratatouille takes a considerable amount of time to cook in order to bring the vegetables to a tender, unctuous state, but this Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille will enable you to get it on your table in under 30 minutes.

In cooking school we used red wine in our ratatouille, but I discovered while testing the recipe for this Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille that it’s just not needed.

I decided to use some tomato paste to give this dish more pronounced tomato flavor instead.  The pressure cooker worked it’s magic and concentrated the flavors of the vegetables, herbs and tomato paste even more, making this the best ratatouille recipe I’ve made.

Making ratatouille is very easy, and the Instant Pot makes it even easier!  Prep your veggies and give the onion and garlic a quick sauté, then add the eggplant and sauté for 4 minutes more.

Add the bell peppers and zucchini, and sauté 1 minute longer, then stir in the tomatoes, paste, herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

The cooking time for the ratatouille is only 2 minutes, and the result is a melt in your mouth vegetable stew. 🙂

Recipe Tips

If you have an abundance of tomatoes in your summer garden, consider substituting the canned diced tomatoes with 2-3 chopped fresh tomatoes.

While you can certainly use dried thyme and rosemary, fresh herbs really make a difference in this recipe.

Ratatouille is a great meal prep recipe!  It will keep for about 5 days stored in an air tight container in the fridge and it also freezes very well.

Serve the ratatouille with crusty bread, or over pasta, quinoa or polenta.

More Ratatouille inspiration:

Ratatouille

Ratatouille Lasagna 

Ratatouille Smoked Mozzarella Baked Quinoa

Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time:20 minutes

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:7-10 minutes

Easy Instant Pot Ratatouille is a classic french vegetable stew made with the pressure cooker in under 30 minutes!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced along the lines
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant or (3) small Japanese eggplant, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1″ chunks
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped in 1″ chunks
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1″ pieces
• 14 ounces low sodium diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil

Directions:

1. Select the Sauté option on the Instant Pot and set it for 7 minutes, then add one tablespoon of the olive oil.  Once the olive oil has heated, sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onions are slightly softened.
2. Add two more tablespoons of olive oil and the eggplant, and sauté 4 minutes more.
3. Add the last remaining tablespoon of olive oil along with the bell pepper and zucchini, and sauté 1 minute longer.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, herbs, salt and black pepper to taste and stir until well combined.
5. Place the lid on the Instant Pot securely and set to cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes.  When the ratatouille is done cooking, quick release the pressure and remove the lid when the pressure has been released.
6. Remove the bay leaf and herb sprigs, then stir in the capers, fresh basil and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
7. Serve with crusty bread or over pasta, quinoa or polenta.  Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Nutrition information was calculated using My Fitness Pal and is meant to be an estimate only.  The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made.
• 2 large fresh tomatoes may be used in place of the canned tomatoes if desired.
• While you can certainly use dried thyme and rosemary, fresh herbs really make a difference in this recipe.
• Ratatouille is a great meal prep recipe!  It will keep for about 5 days stored in an air tight container in the fridge and also freezes well.

 

Recipe source:  Flavor the Moments

// All images and text ©Flavor the Moments.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 1/6th

• Amount Per Serving:
• Calories: 166
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Sodium: 1100mg
• Carbohydrates: 19g
• Fiber: 7g
• Sugar: 11g
• Protein: 4g

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