Ratatouille Pasta with Orzo
This Ratatouille Pasta is the perfect end-of-summer dinner. Eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes with orzo and hearty white beans for extra protein. Bursting with flavor and ready in just one-pot! A must make.
I love a good one-pot orzo meal, and it seems you do too! I’ve posted a few of these this year– my pesto orzo with white beans and my Greek orzo pasta and both seem to be hits.
I assume you are like me and want something packed with the things we love– beans, veggies, pasta yet in an easy-to-make and easy-to-clean-up meal. Well, this Ratatouille pasta is it!
See below for tips and more details, or scroll down to the full recipe card.
Ingredient Notes
The base of this recipe is traditional ratatouille vegetables– eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. I don’t recommend subbing one of them out unless you dislike them.
Even if you think you don’t like eggplant, I urge you to try this recipe! It’s sauteed until very creamy, and it almost melts into the orzo. You can peel the eggplant for even less “eggplant flavor.”
The ratios are also pretty forgiving– you can add more of one or the other if you’d like. It doesn’t need to be exact– if you need more broth because you have more veggies, add it. If it needs more cooking time, do so.
I recommend adding the white beans for extra protein, but you can also leave them out if you serve this as a side dish.
How to Make this Ratatouille Pasta
Prep Vegetables
Prepping the veggies ahead of time makes this dish come together quickly.
Saute the Eggplant
As the eggplant takes longer to cook than the tomatoes, saute the eggplant and zucchini first in a wide saute pan. You can the eggplant to be soft and slightly jammy before adding in the rest of the veggies.
Add the tomatoes and peppers
Add the tomatoes and peppers and cook until soft, another 5-10 minutes.
Add orzo and broth
Add the orzo, white beans and broth then simmer until orzo is tender. Remove from heat and add in lemon juice, fresh basil and parmesan cheese!
Tips for Success
Taste the vegetables before adding them to the broth and orzo pasta. They should taste great on their own before adding in the pasta.
I like the eggplant to almost melt into the orzo as it cooks, so I cook it first and then add the peppers and tomatoes.
I like using a wide saute pan, which provides more surface area for browning the vegetables. A Dutch oven (affiliate) or wide stock pan would also work.
If you make this summer ratatouille pasta, make sure to come back and leave a rating and a comment. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers!
Ratatouille Pasta with Orzo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 small eggplant, cubed (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or less/more depending on spice level
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, dairy-free if desired
- 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves*
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, eggplant and salt and cook, stirring often, until eggplant and onions have softened, about 8 minutes. If the eggplant begins to stick, I add a splash of vegetable broth to help loosen.
- Add the zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic cloves and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add in the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds until just fragrant. Add in the white beans, orzo pasta and broth. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until orzo is tender, about 15-20 minutes. You shouldn't need more broth, but if your heat is too high, then you can add more broth to help the orzo cook.
- Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon juice, parm and basil. Taste, then adjust seasoning as needed.