- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 3 tomatoes, cored and diced
- 1 (13.5 ounce) jar tomato and olive pasta sauce (such as Papayiannides® Tomato & Olive & Ouzo Sauce)
- 2 Japanese eggplants, diced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; stir onion and bell peppers into garlic. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Remove lid; cook and stir until all liquid has evaporated and onion begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Stir tomatoes into onion mixture; cover and simmer until tomatoes release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir tomato sauce, eggplant, zucchini, chickpeas, parsley, basil, and thyme into tomato mixture; season with salt and pepper.
- Cover pot with a lid; cook until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove lid and simmer ratatouille, uncovered, until thick, about 5 minutes; adjust salt and pepper to taste.