Ratatouille Skewers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Apart from the cute mouse in the Disney movie, ratatouille is a spectacular peasant dish comprised of inexpensive, humble vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini, but treated with such care and respect that the dish has developed an almost cult following.

Tim and I were fortunate enough to visit the "City of Love" several years ago, so of course I had my list of things I wanted to check off as I strolled the streets of Paris. Crepes by the Eiffel Tower.  Check.  Walking along the Seine.  Check.  Window shopping along the Champs Elysees.  Check.  The idea of dining on authentic ratatouille however came to a screeching halt as none of the establishments we ate at in Paris had this iconic dish on their menu.  It was only until we were driven by a sudden heavy rain shower while leaving the artsy village of Montmartre and forced to duck for cover into an Irish Pub style restaurant for dinner that oddly enough had ratatouille on their menu that my hope was rekindled.

CALL ME CRAZY BUT I THINK VEGGIES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL□

Success.  It was so incredibly delicious.  The combination of eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and squash somehow melded magically together to provide divine bite after bite.  The garden bounty was soft and stew like and there were hints of garlic meandering throughout.

OUR PROGRESSIVE DINNER GROUP. LOVE GOOD TIMES WITH GOOD FRIENDS.

When our "progressive dinner" crew of friends picked Parisian as our theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to incorporate to the appetizer portion of the meal, which was my task for that evening.

THE ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE IS SOOOO EASY. 3 INGREDEINTS.

Ratatouille in skewer form sounded quite fun and I whipped up a speedy roasted red pepper sauce to dip or drizzle over.


I chose eggplant, zucchini and small grape tomatoes for the skewers and when those veggies are grilled, they become slightly soft and have a lovely char on them.  The tomatoes especially pop with sweetness once grilled. 

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THE SKEWERS ARE ALSO QUITE SIMPLE & EASY TO ASSEMBLE

The simple sauce made from a pantry staple jar of roasted red peppers, needed only a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt and good olive oil to bring it all together.  Drizzled over the skewers was only one way I ended up using this sauce is it is so versatile.  I wanted to put it on everything.

​I ended up mixing the leftover sauce with a bit of mayo and used it for Greek chicken bowls the following night (along with 2 other sauces, but that's for another time).

Imagine that sauce over a simple grilled chicken breast or drizzled over a seared piece of fish.  Ideal.  And these skewers can be a phenomenal side dish as well as an appetizer.

Bon Appetit!

Ratatouille Skewers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Makes 12 skewers


1/2 medium eggplant (or 2 Japanese eggplant)
1 medium zucchini
12 Campari or larger grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (I like course sea salt)
1 teaspoon pepper (Freshly ground is best)

12 skewers (smaller sized for appetizers) (make sure you've soaked in water if using wooden skewers)

Cut eggplant into bite sized chunks (I cut the larger sized eggplant into 1/2 inch disks and then into quarters and cut zucchini into half moon shapes.  

Place a piece of eggplant, then zucchini on each skewer and top with a tomato.

Drizzle over the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill over medium high heat on a grill pan or on an outdoor grill.  It will just take a couple minutes per side to get nice char marks.  Remove to a serving platter.


The great thing about the skewers is that they can be served at room temperature so you can make them a bit in advance.  Serve with the gorgeous roasted red pepper sauce.






Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 8 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained very well
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt 

Blitz all together in a blender or small food processor until very smooth.