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This French-inspired ratatouille recipe is a classic summer dish with sliced eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes baked over a bright, tangy stewed tomato sauce.
Veggie lovers, ratatouille has your name all over it. And if you’re sitting with an abundance of garden vegetables, definitely check out my roasted eggplant stacks and caponata recipe, too.
Get in, we’re going to the South of France! OK, not really (a girl can dream), but one bite of this French-inspired ratatouille recipe and I’m as close as I’ll get to the Riviera without leaving the kitchen. Ratatouille, pronounced “ra-tuh-too-ee”, is a classic stew of summer garden vegetables, including sliced eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. This layered, spiraled ratatouille is the perfect centerpiece for a summer meal, and it’s surprisingly simple to make. You’ll see.
Reasons to Love This Ratatouille Recipe
- Eat with your eyes. Not only is this homemade ratatouille filled with fresh summer veggies, but it looks amazing on a dinner table, too. Between the variety of colors and the spiral presentation, if there was ever a vegetarian dish for a special occasion, this is it.
- Easy to make. The longest step is slicing all those delicious veggies. Afterward, it’s all about embracing your inner “artiste” to arrange the colorful slices over a bed of juicy, sautéed tomatoes.
- Versatile. Ratatouille works great as a main or a side. Serve it as-is with garlic bread or crostini and a green salad, or pair it with your favorite summer mains, like grilled pork tenderloin or French bouillabaisse.
What You’ll Need
Listed below are all the simple and fresh ingredients that go into this ratatouille recipe to make something seriously delicious. I’ve also added notes and easy swaps to help you make it your own! Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full details and instructions, followed by a step-by-step with photos showing how easy it is to make.
- Onion and Carrot – The base of the tomato sauce starts with chopped onion and shredded carrot, sautéed with olive oil. You can use yellow onion or another kind, like shallot.
- Garlic – Please use freshly minced garlic! You’ll taste the difference.
- Canned Tomatoes – You’ll need a can of chopped or diced tomatoes for the sauce. Choose your favorite brand. I always look for San Marzano tomatoes as they’re sweeter.
- Herbs – Dried basil and thyme. You can substitute fresh versions if you’d like; you’ll need about 3x the amount of fresh herbs to dried.
- Zucchini – Choose medium-sized zucchini that are firm and vibrant green.
- Eggplant – Try to find vegetables that are a similar width (I use medium-sized eggplant here as well). The eggplant should have firm, deep purple skin without any soft spots or blemishes.
- Fresh Tomatoes – I recommend Roma tomatoes since they’re narrower than other varieties, which makes them the perfect width once sliced.
Tips and Variations
- Choose vegetables that are similar in size. Especially when it comes to width. This way, when you slice and stack them, the edges will line up evenly.
- A note about slicing: A mandolin slicer is the easiest to use, but it’s not always the best for slicing eggplant. If you find that your mandolin is tearing the eggplant (or otherwise struggling to make clean slices), switch to a sharp knife instead.
- Add more color. Sometimes, I’ll swap one of the zucchini for yellow squash for a pop of color.
- For easy stacking, layer the veggies in your hand, alternating the tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant, and then gently arrange the stack inside the baking dish. Stacking the layers can take a bit of practice, and it’s fine if your ratatouille doesn’t look perfect. It’ll still taste delicious!
What to Serve With Ratatouille
Ratatouille makes a perfect vegetarian main dish. I’ll often serve it with crusty bread slices toasted with garlic butter or a basket of grissini breadsticks for the table. For a light summer meal, add a Mediterranean salad or lemon rice on the side and a Campari spritz to rinse it down! In cozier weather, ratatouille is delicious served over risotto or mashed potatoes. It also makes a great side to meaty mains, like steak or roast chicken.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Store the ratatouille covered airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. The vegetables tend to release water over time, so enjoy your leftovers sooner rather than later. Sometimes, I’ll use leftover ratatouille as the filling for a veggie omelette.
- Reheat. Warm up leftovers in the oven under foil or uncovered in a microwave-safe dish.
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Ratatouille Recipe
Ingredients
For the tomato base:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 small carrot, shredded
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the vegetables:
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 medium eggplants
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
- Sauté. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and carrot, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds or until fragrant.
- Make the tomato base. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Season the tomato base with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Transfer the tomato mixture into a 9-inch round baking dish. Set aside.
- Slice the vegetables. Trim the ends with a knife, and then slice the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes with a mandolin slicer or a knife to 1/8-inch-thick slices.
- Arrange the veggies. Arrange the slices of zucchini, eggplant, and Roma tomatoes on top of the tomato sauce in a concentric circle, alternating and overlapping the vegetables. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and season them with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake the vegetables for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Finish and serve. Remove the ratatouille from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Slicing the veggies. Although the mandolin slicer is the easiest to use, some of them do not slice eggplant well. Switch to a sharp knife if the slicer is tearing the skin of the eggplant. Also, make sure you are using vegetables of the same width.
- Vegetable options. You can swap one zucchini with a summer squash for more color.
- Stacking. For easy stacking, stack the veggies in your hand, alternating layers, and then place the stack into the baking dish.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Ratatouille
Who else remembers Remy the rat from the 2007 Disney movie Ratatouille? Luckily, you don’t need a little rodent helper in your chef’s hat to make a beautiful, layered ratatouille like the one pictured. Just follow these steps:
- Make the tomato base. Start by sautéeing the onion and shredded carrot in a large skillet with olive oil. After 5 minutes, add the garlic, followed by canned tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
- Slice the vegetables. Meanwhile, trim the stems from the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes using a sharp knife. Next, using the same knife or a mandolin, slice the veggies to create ⅛” thick rounds.
- Arrange the veggies. Spread the tomato base into the bottom of a round baking dish. Then, arrange the veggie slices in a concentric circle on top of the sauce. Alternate the zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant, starting at the outer edge and working inward. I find it’s easiest to layer the slices in my hand before placing them into the dish.
- Prep for the oven. Once you’ve assembled the ratatouille, drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake. Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the ratatouille rest on the counter for 5 minutes, then serve.
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