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Remi's Ratatouille Soup

Remi's ratatouille soup is a French-American vegetable soup simmered until zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant are very tender. Made with crushed and diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and Herbs de Provence, then finished with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
salting 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 160

Ingredients
  

Vegetables and aromatics
  • 2 eggplants diced
  • 2 zucchini diced
  • 2 yellow squash diced
  • 2 red bell peppers diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
Soup base
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 4 cup vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for serving
Seasonings and herbs
  • 2 tsp herbs de Provence
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 cup fresh basil chiffonade
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 pepper to taste
Serving
  • 1 parmesan for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Salt and prep vegetables
  1. Toss the diced eggplant with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry it after the rest, so the soup won’t taste overly salted.
Sauté vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté the onion and bell peppers for 5 minutes. Cook until softened and fragrant with a slight color at the edges.
  2. Add the minced garlic and the prepared eggplant, then cook for 5 minutes. Stir frequently so the garlic turns aromatic without burning.
  3. Add the diced zucchini and yellow squash and cook for 3 minutes. Keep stirring just until they begin to soften but still hold their shape.
Simmer the ratatouille soup
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, herbs de Provence, dried basil, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
  2. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all vegetables are very tender. Let the broth reduce slightly so the flavors concentrate.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute just to wilt the basil.
  2. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil before serving. Add parmesan on top if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: After salting the eggplant, rinsing and drying helps keep the broth balanced so the herbs and tomatoes come through clearly. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—freeze cooled soup in sealed containers up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use low-sodium vegetable broth and reduce added salt to keep it lighter without changing the method.