Food Advetures: Ratatouille Omelette

Whether it is for breakfast, brunch, or dinner, an omelette is a very hearty meal. They are easy to make and extremely versatile. Ham, mushrooms, cheese, and anything in between can be used to stuff an omelette. Now, you can add ratatouille to that list.

Traditionally, ratatouille is a side dish that originated in France that can also be a nice addition to rice, pasta, and in this case, an omelette. Zucchini, eggplant, and an assortment of other fresh vegetables release their flavors and combine with one another to make a rich, but not too rich, filling for the light and fluffy eggs.

Ingredients

1 zucchini, chopped

1 small eggplant, chopped

1 onion, sliced and halved

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

8 eggs, 2 per omelette

4 tbsp milk

If you just want to use the ratatouille as a side dish, don’t chop the veggies, slice them so they are easier to put on a fork.

Process

Ratatouille

Heat 1 ½ tbsp of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender on medium-low heat.

In a medium pan, heat 1 ½ tbsp of oil. Add the zucchini and sauté until slightly browned. Add the cooked zucchini to the pan with the onions. Repeat this step with the remaining vegetables, except for the tomatoes, adding them to the large pan when they’re done cooking.

When all of the vegetables are cooked, bring the heat up to medium, cover the pan, and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Add the tomatoes and parsley and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Omelette

Break two eggs into a bowl. Pour in 1 tbsp milk and add salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs until combined but don’t over beat until the eggs become frothy.

In a greased (with either butter or vegetable oil) small pan, about 6 inches in diameter, on medium heat, pour the eggs. When the bottom starts to become firm, take a rubber spatula and lift the eggs up and allow the runny parts to sink down to the bottom, making sure not to break the eggs that have already set.

When the top is moist but not runny, place a scoop of the ratatouille onto half of the omelette and carefully fold the other half on top. Don’t break the omelette in half.

Carefully slide onto a plate and serve immediately.

Taste Test

The omelette was nice and fluffy but the real winner is the ratatouille. Cooking the vegetables separately allowed for individual flavors to appear on their own but a uniform flavor still existed. The eggplant and zucchini were fantastic but the tomatoes and basil really bring the dish together. Served with toast, or maybe even hash browns, this would be a hearty breakfast or a wonderfully light dinner. I thought about adding gruyere cheese to make it more omelette-y but I feel like it would have made it too rich.

You can make the omelette and ratatouille as separate dishes. Add ham and cheese to the omelette to make a traditional breakfast and you can use the ratatouille as a side dish for a number of meals. Remember, don’t cut the vegetables into smaller chunks if using as a side dish. Also, if you are eating the Ratatouille Omelette for breakfast, it may be best to cook the vegetables the night before so you can get the extra 45 minutes of sleep.

Leftover Quality

Omelettes just aren’t very good twenty minutes after cooking so don’t even think about eating one the next day. The ratatouille on the other hand is delicious the next day. The flavors were able to release into each other and the oil to allow for maximum taste.