Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable dish made with eggplant, zucchini, squash and tomatoes usually layered in a beautiful pattern over a flavorful tomato sauce base.
It is a colorful, healthy and flavorful and a gorgeous addition to any dinner table.
Let’s get started…
This dish may look high maintenance, but it is actually quite simple to bring together. The most important step is choosing similarly sized eggplant, zucchini, squash and tomatoes so they can be stacked in alternating patterns and look aesthetically pleasing. While this is purely cosmetic, it is an important step in achieving that beautiful traditional ratatouille look.
The next step is thinly slicing all of them and while this could be done by hand, a mandoline will help make the process so much easier.
Now that everything is thinly sliced, it is time to make a flavorful tomato sauce base for the vegetables to be nestled into.
Begin by placing a 10″ oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add some olive oil, 5 cloves of finely minced garlic, a finely minced shallot and a finely minced sweet bell pepper into the skillet and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring consistently.
Once everything has softened and smells beautifully fragrant, add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a teaspoon of dried basil, a teaspoon of dried parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and black pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer the tomato sauce for about 5 minutes and then transfer it off of the heat. Do a quick taste test to see if additional salt or red pepper flakes are needed.
Begin arranging your thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, squash and tomatoes in random order and nestle them down into the sauce. The sauce will help keep the stacks upright while you continue adding more.
You can arrange the vegetables in a spiral like I am doing today or stack simple lines across the skillet.
Once all of the slices have been arranged, brush them with olive oil and cover the skillet with foil.
Bake the ratatouille covered with foil in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and continue to bake until everything is tender and bubbly.
When the ratatouille is ready to come out of the oven, I like to brush some of that bubbly tomato sauce over the tops of the vegetables and garnish everything with some fresh parsley, sea salt and shredded parmesan….
Ratatouille is one of those simple, rustic dishes that is comforting and hearty, but light enough to be served as a side dish or the main course on a hot summer day.
If you are serving ratatouille as a side dish, it pairs wonderfully with poached fish, baked chicken or a tender filet.
Now if ratatouille is the main course, crusty bread is a must have. You need something to scoop up every last bit of the tomato sauce and any leftover pieces of vegetables and bread is the perfect way to get the job done.
Ratatouille is a French classic that should be on your go to list for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals, summertime dinners or any party that you want to impress your guests with an eye catching and equally delicious dish.
à votre santé…
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- 1 sweet bell pepper, finely minced
- 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon of dried basil
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper
- 2 narrow eggplants
- 4 zucchini
- 6 roma tomatoes
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- parmesan, finely shredded (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Slice the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes into 1/8” slices and set aside for now
- Place a 10” oven proof skillet over medium heat
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 5 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 large finely minced shallot and 1 finely minced sweet bell pepper and cook until the sauce is fragrant and the peppers are tender (6-8 minutes)
- Add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and black pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes
- Taste to see if additional salt or black pepper is needed and then transfer the skillet off of the heat
- Stack the thinly sliced vegetables in an alternating pattern over the tomato sauce and brush with olive oil
- Cover the skillet with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes
- Remove the foil and continue baking until tender and bubbly
- Garnish with fresh parsley, a light sprinkle of salt and shredded parmesan
