Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable stew from Provence made with eggplant, red bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil and herbs- a summer celebration in one dish! Video.

Ratatouille is a classic French dish from Provence made with eggplant, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil and herbs- a celebration of summer in one dish! Video.

Summertime. It was a song. It was a season. I wondered if that season would ever live inside me.

Benjamin Alire SAenz

Here is one of our favorite recipes for Ratatouille. During the summer months when eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini are in season, the flavor of each vegetable is elevated-you really don’t need to do too much to them! Making Ratatouille is a beautiful way to highlight your garden veggies and truly captures the essence of summer!

Easy Ratatouille Recipe | 60-sec video! 

WhY You Will Love This recipe!

  • The best flavor and texture! Roasting the veggies instead of stewing them intensifies their flavor, caramelizes them a bit, and gives them a better texture.
  • Fast and easy! It only takes about 15 minutes to prep the veggies, and then they go into the oven to roast.
  • Versatile! Serve it over pasta, rice or polenta, or pile on toast. Get creative! Ratatouille can be served warm or cold.
  • Nutritious & Healthy! This recipe is all about the veggies and it is totally vegan!
  • Perfect for meal prep! Make a big batch of Ratatouille on a Sunday, then serve it up in various ways during the workweek (see below for ideas). You can also freeze Ratatouille for winter- a little summer treasure when we need it most!

ingredient Notes

  • Eggplant– Globe or Japanese are great, but any variety will work here.
  • Bell Peppers– Red, yellow, orange or green. Nice opportunity to get colorful!
  • Summer Squash– Zucchini, yellow summer squash, patty pan whatever is fresh and available.
  • Tomatoes- Any variety will work here!
  • Herbs– Thyme, oregano, or rosemary or a combination! Or make Herbs de Provence!
  • Olive oil – use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil, for the best flavor.
  • Vinegar– Just a splash. Balsamic or Red wine vinegar both work.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.     

prepping the ratatouille ingredients on a sheet pan.

How To Make Ratatouille

  1. Prep the veggies: Cut all the veggies into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Toss! Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on 2 sheet pans.
  3. Bake! Stirring every 20 minutes.
  4. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of vinegar.
  5. Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to use.
Ratatouille -served over creamy polenta, with herbs.

What is ratatouille Eaten with?

  • It makes a delicious appetizer with French bread or baguette slices to mop up all the juices.
  • Spoon warm ratatouille over creamy polenta for a delicious vegetarian meal– comfort food in a bowl It’s probably my favorite way to eat it.
  • Create a pasta dish out of it! Toss ratatouille with pasta along with capers and grated pecorino for a punch of flavor!
  • Turn Ratatouille into breakfast, serving it over toast and topping it with an egg.
  • Serve it as a healthy vegetable side dish to grilled fish or meat.
Ratatouille tossed with pasta.

And here’s how to serve ratatouille for breakfast or brunch; warm and spoon over toast, and top with an egg if you like!  So yummy.

Ratatouille served over toast with egg for breakfast.

faqs

What is ratatouille supposed to be?

Ratatouille originated in Provence France in the 1700’s, traditionally made as a stew with summer ripe vegetables. The combination of eggplant, bell peppers, summer squash, herbs and olive oil with just a touch of vinegar is what creates the beautiful flavors.

What do the French eat with ratatouille?

In France, ratatouille is typically served with baguette, crusty French bread, polenta, pasta and rice.

What does ratatouille translate to?

Ratatouille, in essence, means a stirred, chunky stew. “Rata” translates to ‘stew’ in French, while “toiler” is a verb meaning to ‘stir and mix’.

More Recipes You May Enjoy

I hope this easy, delicious Ratatouille Recipe inspires you to try something new and different this summer! Let us know how you like it…. it is one of our favorite meals!

Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.

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how to make the best ratatouille!

Ratatouille Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 70 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 56 cups 1x
  • Category: dinner, vegetarian dinner, appetizer, side dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: French
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Ratatouille is a classic French dish from Provence made with eggplant, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil and herbs- a celebration of summer in one dish! Serve with crusty bread or baguette as an appetizer, serve over creamy polenta, rice, or pasta for a delicious vegetarian meal, or serve as a side dish or for breakfast over sourdough toast with an egg. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups eggplant- 3 Japanese eggplant or one large globe eggplant
  • 12 red bell pepper – or use yellow bell pepper or green bell pepper
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 2 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
  • 1 onion
  • 814 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
  • 23 tablespoons fresh herbs – fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary or any combination.
  • olive oil for drizzling
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • splash balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

Optional Garnishes: Italian parsley or fresh basil ribbons, red chili flakes, olive oil


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F and line two sheet pans with parchment
  2. Prep the veggies: Using a vegetable peeler, peel eggplant if you want – or remove some of the skin in long strips. (Or if you prefer, leave the skin on.) Cut into ½-inch thick bite-sized pieces.  Slice the bell pepper into ½-inch wide strips. Cut the tomatoes into 3/4-inch wedges. Slice the zucchini the long way and then slice into ½ inch thick half-moons. Slice the onion into ¼-½ inch thick half-moons.
  3. Spread out the veggies on the sheet pan in a single layer (this is why you most likely need two sheet pans). 
  4. Drizzle with olive oil and toss, using enough oil to coat generously. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Toss well.
  5. Roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes; then scatter the whole garlic cloves (peeled) and herbs and mix the veggies. Roast for 20 more minutes, mix again. Turn heat down to 300F and roast for 10-20 more minutes, or until tender and edges begin to caramelize- watch closely here. 
  6. Remove from oven, taste, adjust salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little splash of vinegar, carefully mixing. 
  7. Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to use.

Notes

Ratatouille will keep up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container or can be frozen for up to 6 months. It can be eaten warm or chilled. 

Garlic: I really love garlic, so I add a lot here; feel free to cut back if you like!

To serve with pasta: cook pasta according to directions. Heat Ratatouille in a large skillet adding a little more olive oil and capers (optional). Stir in the cooked pasta, adjust salt. Sprinkle with grated pecorino (optional) and fresh herbs.

To serve over toast: Toast the bread, heat up the Ratatouille and poach an egg. Drizzle toast with a little olive oil, top with warm Ratatouille and poached egg. Season with salt and pepper and top with fresh herbs.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 147
  • Sugar: 7.1 g
  • Sodium: 202.8 mg
  • Fat: 9.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 15.1 g
  • Fiber: 4.2 g
  • Protein: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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Comments

  1. I made this tonight and it was a hit! Even my picky eater was impressed! I crushed some white northern beans and incorporated it into the polenta for some extra protein. Delish!!






  2. This is one of my favorite recipes to make to get a big serving of veggies! I eat it with toasted french bread and topped with over easy eggs. Delicious!






  3. I made this as double batch last night and it was amazing! Had the leftovers with a fried egg on top this morning.






  4. Haven’t finished, so poor rating. Not really sure why it says to have cheese and then the recipe never clarified? Same with the creamy sauce…. uhhhh…. hello

  5. I am looking forward to trying this recipe this week, but am concerned the zucchini will get super mushy with the amount of roasting time (I usually roast mine 7-10 min max). What is the texture of the veggies in the end?

    1. They are tender but with a caramelized texture. You can always put them on one side( or separate pan) and remove when they are cooked to your preference?

  6. Sylvia, I am going to make this for dinner tonight. When do you put in the herbs? During roasting or after? Thanks, Ginger

  7. Lovely! Thanks, so much! The sheet pan roasting method was perfect. We used our fresh garden produce and herbs. Nothing like it! So delicious! You’re blog is my new favourite food site. 🙂






  8. I made this tonight, and it was delicious! I used a whole head of garlic, and it wasn’t overpowering at all, as the garlic gets nice and sweet. I made the polenta as well – it was SO easy to make. What a fabulous, healthy, fall harvest meal!






  9. Made this dish last night with polenta. I really like it, although my husband said it had too many garlic. I have some leftover for lunch..yaay!






  10. I am vegan. For the creamy polenta, what vegan cheese would you recommend for this recipe? Also, I have polenta already can i use that instead of the corn meal version you mentioned in your recipe?

    I plan on making this tonight! I am so excited.

    1. Yes, you can use absolutely use polenta and because the grain is courser, it may take a bit longer to cook. Any meltable vegan cheese should work here. Or honestly, I’ve made the creamy polenta vegan, with just a good drizzle olive oil mixed in. The nice thing you can do this “to taste” at the end. Try it with just the olive oil, and if you want more richness add some vegan cheese or even a teaspoon or two of nutritional yeast. I find it does need a little fat but olive oil can suffice.

  11. This is a great recipe and so versatile. I put it in a wrap with fresh hummus one day and today I added it to my Indian Frankies instead of spinach. The flavor of the Frankie blends so well with the brightness of the ratatouille and the mint cilantro chutney is great with it. I’m excited to try it with the spaghetti squash I’m cooking this evening. So amazing!






  12. Magnificent. Served with wheat pasta is as good as pasta tends to get. Over toast for breakfast is just a great way to start the day.






  13. Excellent! Yummy and satisfying. Have served it over polenta, pasta and toast. Shared with friends.






  14. Just made this for dinner and put it with calamari and it’s sooo good! Thank you for posting it.






  15. I’m planning on making this recipe soon, but I’m surprised that the recipe calls for so many garlic cloves! It’s a new concept to me, and maybe I should trust the recipe. Are you suppose to eat the garlic after it’s cooked? Wouldn’t that be too powerful? What’s the garlic like after everything is done baking?

    1. Feel free to cut back. I like a lot and Yes, we eat them. 🙂 They get nice and caramelized and very sweet.

    2. Sarah, the garlic is amazing in it. I almost cut back because I thought it was a crazy to put in there, but it is the perfect balance of flavors, especially if you use the fresh rosemary and thyme. It doesn’t overpower anything.






  16. SO DELICIOUS! One question though, I baked the garlic cloves whole and was not a fan. Is there a step missing or is this intentional?






  17. Delicious! Made it for dinner tonight with the creamy polenta. Our servings were probably too big. Only have enough left over to be part of 1 more dinner. This will be a frequently used recipe. Thanks for sharing.






  18. Woa, excuse me, why does a vegan sight show a fried egg on top of ratatouille? And you’re adding cheese? What’s up with this? I just joined this vegan group. But I truly confused by this, the first recipe since I joined…I don’t get it

    1. Hi Andie, this is not a strictly vegan blog- but many of the recipes here are vegan or vegan-adaptable. The egg is optional. 😉

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