Ratatouille over Creamy Polenta
The cozy turn-to-fall dish, and it happens to be vegan. Summer's last eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes cooked down glossy and rich, over creamy polenta. Rustic, warm, and one of those wait-that-is-vegan plates.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Method
- Skillet
Cook the eggplant and the zucchini on their own until browned before anything else goes in. Crowd them all together at once and they steam into gray mush; brown each first and they hold their shape and deepen, so the ratatouille has real texture, not baby food.
What actually matters here
- Brown the eggplant and zucchini separately for texture, not mush.
- Cook the tomatoes down until jammy.
- Season the polenta boldly - bland polenta sinks it.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
Veg
- 1eggplant
- 2zucchini
- 2bell peppers
- 1onion
- 4garlic cloves
Sauce
- 1can crushed tomatoes (or 4 fresh)
- fresh basil and thyme
Polenta
- 1 cuppolenta or cornmeal
- olive oil
- salt
Before you start
- Cube the eggplant, toss with salt in a colander, and let it sit 15 minutes, then pat dry. Salting pulls out moisture so it browns instead of steaming. Cube the zucchini, slice the peppers and onion, and mince the garlic.
Method
- Brown the vegetables separately: heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high and brown the eggplant until golden, 5 to 6 minutes, then set aside. Do the same with the zucchini. Crowding them all in at once steams them into gray mush; browning each first gives real texture.
- In the same pan, soften the onion, peppers and garlic about 5 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and thyme and cook down 10 to 12 minutes, until jammy and thick.
- Fold the browned eggplant and zucchini back in and simmer a few minutes until glossy and combined. Season with salt and finish with torn basil.
- Cook the polenta: bring about 4 cups of water or broth to a boil with a big pinch of salt, then whisk in the polenta in a slow steady stream to keep it from clumping. Drop to low and cook, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes (or per the package for quick-cook), until thick and creamy. Stir in a little olive oil and season well, bland polenta sinks the whole dish.
- Spoon the creamy polenta into bowls and pile the ratatouille over the top.
How you know it is right
- The vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, the sauce glossy, the polenta creamy.
How to serve it
Crusty bread; the polenta is the base.
If you want it simpler
- Jarred roasted peppers; instant polenta.
Brown the veg separately, cook the tomatoes down, season the polenta. Summer's last vegetables, fall's first bowl.
This dish came from the SEASON plan for September 7 - 13, 2026, alongside nine other dinners and one shopping list.
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Written and tested by Chef Michael Rossi, who has spent thirty years in professional kitchens including Napa Rose, THE RANCH, The Masters at Augusta National, and The Beach Club. Every SEASON recipe is one he has cooked on a real line before it reaches a home kitchen.