Ratatouille nicoise is a summer stew of aubergine, courgette, tomato, peppers, onion and garlic in olive oil, the vegetables browned separately first.

Wikipedia places ratatouille in rural Provençal cooking, a way to use surplus summer vegetables, and links it closely to Nice. The City of Nice recipe is for summer and autumn, July to October: peppers, long courgettes, aubergines, onions and ripe tomatoes, each browned separately in olive oil, then simmered together for 40 to 45 minutes, with basil added at the end. Lou Balico lists a gluten-free ratatouille among its starters.

Where to eat Ratatouille in Nice

1 editor pick for Ratatouille in Nice, ranked by editorial score. All Nice signature dishes · Ratatouille across every city.

  • Lou Balico

    Order Raviolis à la daube, then the sweet chard pie for dessert.

    Lou Balico is a family restaurant at 20 Avenue Saint Jean Baptiste in Nice, open since 1979, labelled Niçoise cuisine and run by three generations.

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Make it at home

Serves 41 hr 15 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 300g red and yellow peppers
  • 600g long courgettes
  • 600g aubergines
  • 200g onions
  • 600g ripe tomatoes
  • 15g garlic, crushed
  • 5 basil leaves
  • 125ml olive oil
  • 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley stalks, celery leaves)
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Cut the deseeded peppers, courgettes and aubergines into 2 to 3cm dice and slice the onions.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the vegetables one kind at a time, draining each in a colander and tipping it into a casserole.
  3. Peel, seed and crush the tomatoes and add them with the garlic, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Cover with baking paper and the lid.
  4. Simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, preferably in the oven at 120 to 150C, and stir in chopped basil before serving.

Editor tip. Brown each vegetable separately, as the City of Nice recipe does, so the pieces keep their shape in the stew.