All the delicious flavours of ratatouille are sneaked into this simple pasta dish. Hidden Vegetable Ratatouille Pasta is perfect for getting vitamins into little fusspots or for when you fancy a more flavoursome tomato pasta sauce.
So this year our family holiday was to the South of France, to Aix-en-Provence to be precise. 30 minutes north of Marseille, this gorgeous little town is known as the Paris of the South of France and well and truly deserves this reputation…It’s old town is beautiful, terribly chic and is an amazing place just to potter and soak up the atmosphere, eat in amazing restaurants and generally enjoy the fountains (there are reputed to be 100 of them), the architecture, the culture (the likes of Cezanne and Zola used to live here) and the people watching. Plus Aix is a great town to use as a base to discover Provence – we made several day trips to places such as Arles, Marseilles and Bandol.
One of the things Aix is particularly known for is its markets – they are incredible – so much gorgeous Provencal produce taking up large chunks of the town centre on most days of the week. For a foodie like me it was heaven.
We were self-catering in Aix (in a gorgeous, bijoux, little apartment right in the old town) and although we ate out in restaurants most days, either for lunch or dinner, I usually cooked at least one meal a day while we were there. Well, I say cooked, quite a few of the meals were of the cheese/ham/salad/bread variety – I just love those type of meals – especially with delicious fresh produce! But probably our most memorable meal (of our ‘eat in’ meals, at least!) was the day I cooked entirely from our market finds.
I made a fantastic ratatouille served with gorgeous little roast new potatoes and super fresh sea bass – all from the market – it was all good, but the ratatouille was incredible…can you imagine ratatouille made with sunshine-filled, Provencal produce and actual real Herbes de Provence from Provence? Unbelievable!! And we had it on the roof terrace of our little apartment – perfect. Total foodie (and Francophile!) heaven 🙂
Well, I may one day recreate that meal on the blog, but while I was eating that delicious ratatouille, a lovely idea entered my head – ratatouille would make a great hidden vegetable pasta sauce…the flavours are totally delicious and cramming all that delicious veg in, makes for a very nutritious pasta sauce.
You will notice from the pictures and the recipe below that I choose to cook the aubergine and courgette in a separate pan first, before adding it in with the rest of the sauce, this is partly for speed, but mostly for flavour. Almost every recipe I read for ratatouille on holiday insisted that all the veg was cooked separately first before being combined in the sauce. (Yes I am the sad sort who sneakily reads cookery books in shops on holiday.) And that is exactly what I did for that rather memorable meal on holiday and it really did make a massive difference. The recipe here is a sort of compromise on that idea – maximising flavour, but without the faff of cooking absolutely everything separately.
Of course you don’t have to whizz up the veggies into a puree, if you don’t want to – you could absolutely keep this chunky, but if you are cooking for little (or big!) fusspots or you just fancy a more flavoursome and nutritious take on tomato pasta sauce – this recipe is a winner!
What’s more, this is a fab sauce to make a double or even triple batch of and freeze the rest – whizzing the sauce up first means it takes up less freezer space and you can freeze it in single portions – perfect for if you need a quick supper or fabulous as a basis for a super speedy bolognese – either with beef or Quorn mince.
I can’t think of a more perfect partner for this wine than a Cotes de Provence Rose, but if red is more your thing, then I suggest a Coteaux d’Aix Red would be perfect or failing that a Grenache/Syrah blend from the South of France – a Cotes du Rhone or Cotes du Roussillon would be lovely.
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Hidden Vegetable Ratatouille Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 aubergine chopped into 1cm cubes
- 1 courgette chopped into 1cm cubes
- 1 onion diced
- 1 pepper chopped into bitesize chunks
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- 300 g pasta (I used penne)
- 50 g grated cheddar (or emmental or gruyere)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the aubergine and courgette. Fry on a high heat for 3-5 minutes until brown all over, stirring frequently.
- In a wide, deep sauce pan place the other tablespoon of olive oil along with the onion and red pepper and fry on a gentle heat for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
- Add the aubergines and courgette to the onions/peppers pan and add the garlic. Fry for 1 more minute on a gentle heat.
- Add the tins of tomatoes, salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence, and bring to the boil. Turn down low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile cook your pasta according to packet instructions / your own preferences.
- When the sauce is ready, use a stick blender to whizz the sauce up to a smooth consistency (or transfer to a regular blender).
- Transfer half the sauce into a box (or boxes) to keep in the fridge or freezer until needed. Tip the pasta into the rest of the sauce and bring back to the boil.
- Serve the pasta in bowls with a little grated cheese.
Notes
- This recipe makes a double quantity of sauce, which can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Why not freeze in individual portions for ultimate flexibility - and a super quick and nutritious meal when you just don't feel like cooking?!
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Wow just check out all of those fabulous vegeetables in the market square. I bet it was amazing cooking with those veg which have had the sun beating down on their backs – I bet the smell was amazing. Love the sound of the ratatouiile Eb, it’s something Mr E and I have regularly, it’s so packed with flavour. We’ve never tried it blended down though, but my thought was that it’d make a great to make a little extra to put some aside for a pizza or savoury tart rather than using just the usual tomato based sauce.
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Angela 🙂 Yes the markets in Aix were amazing! And the produce was just wonderful – so much better than we usually get in the UK. I would well recommend blending a bit extra and whizzing it up when you are next making ratatouille – it makes a fabulous pasta sauce and I love your idea of using it on a pizza. Might have to try that myself next time! Eb x
Mandy says
This looks delicious. I make a similar sauce on a weekly basis which I use for pasta, pizza sauce, in sausage casserole and any other way I can think of! My preferred way is to roast the vegetables first then add to the tomato sauce – but that’s partly because I’m lazy!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mandy – it makes for such a flavoursome tomato sauce doesn’t it – I am definitely going to get experimenting with what else I can do with it! Eb x
Honest Mum says
So yummy! When can I move in again 😉
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Vicki. Anytime sweetie – spare room’s ready and waiting for you 😉 Xx
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I love how I can sneak veg into the kids by blending it up. I’ll have to try this one. I love all of your market pictures from France they are so picturesque. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Me too! Actually my kids are generally OK with veg – I mean they will actually eat it, though they do often moan about it! This they wolfed down without a whimper – it’s a good one for a day when you can’t take the stress!! The markets in Aix were very photogenic – I only wish I had taken my good camera!! Phone pictures aren’t quite the same quality 🙁 Thanks for your lovely comments. Eb x
Jsbm says
Might be nice with 1tsp herbs instead of 2tbsp. The flavour from the herbs overpowered all the fresh veg. Kids wouldn’t eat it.
Eb Gargano says
I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this one. Hmmm – I guess herbs are quite a personal taste. Personally I love them, and so do my kids (who happily wolf down this pasta sauce) but I totally get that not everyone has the same tastebuds! At least it’s an easy fix. I hope you and the kids enjoy it better next time round (with less herbs!) In fact, I’m going to amend the quantities in my recipe – on the basis that it is easier to add more herbs than take them out! I’ll put it at 2 teaspoons (we’ll meet in the middle 😉 ) Thanks so much for this useful feedback. Eb 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Such a clever and simple way to sneak lots of veg in!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kat! 🙂
Michelle Rolfe says
Aix was my favourite when we visited France last year. It was the one town we entered and my first words were “I could live here!” Those vegetables such colours and yes even with teens I still hide them as they are fussy! 🙂 Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle x
Eb Gargano says
It’s amazing, isn’t it? I could definitely live in Aix too! Eb x