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My Easy Ratatouille Recipe Is A Spiral Of Fresh French Flavor
If you think French food is all baguettes and croissants, let me introduce you to my ratatouille recipe. This classic French dish looks fancy, but it’s actually so simple and packed with fresh summer veggies. I first enjoyed it in the South of France, and here’s why I made this version the way I did:
- Layers upon layers of tender vegetables over herby tomato sauce – Many ratatouille recipes chop them small and saute in lots of sauce like a stew, but this layered spiral is by far my favorite way to make it. It’s just like my favorite one I had in France (and I later learned, it’s like the kind in the movie, too). Having this velvety, flavorful sauce on the bottom lets the veggies caramelize a little on top without giving up flavor.
- Fresh, simple ingredients – This ratatouille dish is a burst of fresh produce! Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions are the best of summer, but also a little cozy when we head into fall.
- So pretty, but so easy – I’m partial to beautiful food, but only if it’s simple! This is the best of both worlds.
This photo is from one of our strolls in the South of France. If you want to feel like you’re there, grab your veggies and make this easy ratatouille recipe with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my ratatouille recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Vegetables – I used sliced Roma tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and onions. You can also add or swap in yellow squash or patty pan squash. Some ratatouille recipes also use bell peppers, but these are primarily for the stew version.
- Canned Tomatoes – I usually use diced tomatoes, but crushed ones or even tomato sauce works fine. See my tips below to help you decide.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Adds a little tang and sweetness to this ratatouille. You can try a splash of lemon juice or red wine vinegar instead, but they’re not quite the same because they aren’t sweet.
- Herbs de Provence – I use this French spice blend and it takes me back to Nice, France! It has thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory, and lavender flowers. If you can’t find it, Italian seasoning will work.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced garlic, but you can substitute 1/2 tablespoon of jarred garlic or 3/8 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Olive Oil, Sea Salt, & Black Pepper – For roasting. Toss in some red pepper flakes if you want some heat.
- Fresh Basil – I use some in the sauce and extra on top of the ratatouille dish. If you don’t have any, add an extra 2 teaspoons of Herbs de Provence — but I don’t recommend it on top.
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How To Make Ratatouille
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Make the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients in a blender, and puree until smooth. Spread sauce in a thin layer in a medium casserole dish.
- Assemble the ratatouille recipe. Arrange the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and onions in a spiral, alternating them. Start on the outer edge of the dish and work inward. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
- Bake until tender and bubbly. I like to garnish with fresh basil, but feel free to use any fresh herbs you’ve got.
My Recipe Tips
- Choose vegetables similar in size, and cut as needed. This means medium-large tomatoes (I used Romas because they’re the perfect size), small onions, and small eggplants (which are sweeter and less bitter anyway). You’ll still want to cut the eggplant into quarters.
- Cut the veggies to the same thickness, too. I recommend thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick, for fast and even cooking. Uniform size and thickness will ensure that the vegetables all cook at the same rate.
- A mandoline like this makes slicing faster and easier. I’ve made this ratatouille dish with just a sharp knife before, but it’s much faster with my mandoline! Highly recommend.
- If your eggplant is larger, you may need to salt it. Again, I recommend a smaller size anyway, but if you only have a big one, sprinkle it with salt and let it sit for 20 minutes to remove any bitterness. Rinse and pat dry before layering it in.
- If you don’t have a blender, use tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes and just stir the sauce together. This will get you closer to that smooth sauce texture, although it’s not quite as silky as blended.
- To make the vegetables easier to arrange, set up the alternating rows on a cutting board first. I just transfer them in stacks to the pan, fanning them out as I go.
- My ratatouille recipe is ideal in a medium baking dish, not too big or too small. I use this one (shown in my pictures here) and it’s the perfect size. Plus, there’s an option for a lid for easy storage! If your pan is too big, it won’t feel like enough sauce and the vegetables can dry out.
Ratatouille Recipe (Fresh, Easy Side Dish)
By
Make my easy ratatouille recipe with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and onions layered in herby tomato sauce. A fresh, flavorful side dish!
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Ratatouille Sauce:
Vegetables:
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
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Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. If needed, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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Spread the sauce in a thin layer in a medium round or oval casserole dish (this one is the perfect size).
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Arrange the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and onion in a spiral, alternating them. (You'll want the eggplant slices cut into quarters so that they are similar size to the tomato, zucchini and onion slices.) Drizzle with olive oil on top, and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
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Bake ratatouille for about 30-35 minutes, until veggies are tender and sauce is bubbly at the edges.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to to help your ratatouille cook evenly, avoid bitter eggplant, arrange the spiral more easily, and more.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. If it’s only a day or two, I just cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Meal prep: You can chop the veggies ahead of time and stash them in airtight containers in the fridge. The eggplant is the exception — I recommend slicing it right before cooking, or it will brown.
- Reheat: Pop the dish in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or microwave individual portions.
- Freeze: This ratatouille recipe freezes great for up to 3 months. If I’m making it to freeze, I undercook it a bit, so the veggies are less mushy later. (Don’t freeze it raw, either, or the texture will be even worse.) Thaw before reheating.
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Ratatouille Recipe
Serving Ideas
Ratatouille makes an amazing side for any of my French main dishes, or just a simple protein to let the veggie dish shine:
- Every day French dishes – My most recent French dinner favorites are chicken paillard and salmon en papillote, but I’ve also enjoyed ratatouille with French onion chicken and chicken Florentine (yes, it’s French, not Italian!).
- Fancy French dishes – For a special occasion, try my Chilean sea bass with beurre blanc, lobster thermidor, or coq au vin. Start the meal with my chicken liver pate!
- Simple dishes – If you just want a simple weeknight dinner, you can’t go wrong with crispy baked chicken thighs, juicy baked chicken breasts, flaky baked salmon, or a tender petite sirloin steak.
- Potatoes – If you want to add a heartier side, my Greek lemon potatoes work surprisingly well alongside the flavors here.
77 Comments
Jenn
2This was so good! I made this as a side for dinner with smoked chicken, but it really stole the show. It was so fun to serve and eat, and a great way to cook zucchini!
Stacy
2This is one of my favorite recipes on the website and have made it many times. I like to crumble goat cheese on top the last 10 minutes or so. My oldest daughter suggested adding pepperonies in between the veggies for a one-dish meal and sometimes I do that too – we love it.
Rhonda
1We snack on Hormel turkey Pepperoni all the time. Love the idea of adding Pepperoni to this dish! Thanks for the idea! I was thinking about thin sliced ham…but pepperoni…Yum! R
Judy Kalas
1Yummy and easy to make! Thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1I’m so glad you liked this ratatouille, Judy! Enjoy!
Joddie
1First time making Ratatouille, thought I would like it more than I did, the sauce was thin, wish I made it with a cream sauce. The eggplant went hard when I made leftovers.
A meal made for someone else; not my kind of food.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Hi Joddie, Sorry to hear this dish wasn’t what you were expecting. The sauce shouldn’t be too thin, did you by chance forget to drain the tomatoes? Traditional ratatouille is made with a tomato sauce, not a cream sauce, but of course you can experiment with whatever you like. I’ve never had eggplant turn hard after cooking unless it wasn’t cooked long enough to begin with, was it hard when the recipe was fresh? Always happy to help troubleshoot.
Shana B
1This is a great way to get veggies in! I’ve never made ratatouille before, I appreciate your instructions and simple recipe. It was delicious and I’ll be making it again. We paired it with baked salmon. Winner recipe!
Asli
1I tried this a couple days ago and loved it. The only change I made was to bake for 40 minutes total and it was perfect.
Devyn
1Great!
Rachel
1It looks spectacular and I’m sure it will taste amazing when it finally cooks. I made mine in a Dutch oven (without lid) and it needs A LOT more time.
Claire
1Made this recipe for dinner last night and it was amazing. The sauce is so yummy I was licking the pan. My first time making ratatouille and this will be my go to recipe moving forward. Thanks for sharing! 10/10
Janine Smith
1This was a great recipe. We love Ratatouille! It is always a show stopper because it looks beautiful and tastes delicious. Slicing and stacking the veggies is a bit time consuming, but using a Mandoline Slicer really speeds up the process and keeps everything the same size. Sometimes I add a pie crust, or some panko bread crumbs on top for crunch.
Noémie
1Super easy and delicious !
Susie Wall
1I was looking for a dish to go with my maple salmon. I couldn’t find the amounts of all the ingredients or the instructions, so I just winged it. Turns out I did pretty well. But I undercooked it because I like some veggies more raw, (like zucchini) but I did add more oil and balsamic in the sauce. I actually had too much sauce. I would have preferred it less watery. Next time I will drain the diced tomato’s. The flavor was fantastic. I couldn’t believe how healthy this was too. What a great side dish that is easy and impressive looking as well as delicious. I think I need to use it when we have friends over. And buy the ingredients at the farmers market (It’s Feb 2021 in MN)
Wholesome Yum M
1Hi Susie, I’m glad you were inspired by the recipe! The recipe card is located about halfway down the page. Feel free to use the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the post to navigate to it quickly.
Margaret
1Hi, I am Margaret Lane, I just bought The Diet Cook Book for Beginners, the recipes on the computer, are not in the Keto Cook Book that I have, Did I buy the wrong KETO Diet Book ? Thank you, very much,, would you please let me know ?, also, I am having a very hard time with the Keto Book, the few things I did make came out terrible, I am 71 years of age, my weight is very high, It’s 187 pounds, and I am also close of getting diabetes, That Is why I got your book In the first place, my Doctor, said for me to do this, first before he has to give me something else, Is this the right book that I should have bought ?, I find that the cook book does not have amounts to eat and also how much to buy and how many spices to put In when cooking, would you please get back to me? Thank you very much.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Hi Margaret, Sorry to hear you had issues with the recipes in the book you purchased, but that is not my book. My (first) book is the Easy Keto Cookbook – you can get it here. If you need help with keto and like my recipes, you might also like Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes ad-free recipe access, dedicated support, and more.
Alysha
1My husband and I liked this recipe so much more than the popular one on tasty. This will be our go to from now on.
Sandie
1I made this yesterday and cooked for 40 mins at 350 it was not cooked properly, thank goodness I was not having a dinner party! I would recommend covering with foil and cooking a bit higher.
Margie Dickey
1You say that the serving size in the instructions but I can’t find it. I read the whole thing three times and don’t know why I can’t find it…lol. What is the serving size??
Wholesome Yum M
1Hi Margie, Sorry about that. The serving size is 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Doreen
1Really liked the recipe, the sauce was delicious and easy to follow. I did add a little more garlic, and I also added sliced red pepper with the vegetables. It looked so fancy and impressive. I will make this again.
Melissa Storms
1Thank you! I planted so much eggplant and so many tomato plants because I usually lose at least half of my plants early from dampening off. This year every.single.plant thrived and produced, and produced. I have twice dropped off six shopping bags full if veggies to my local food pantry and now the eggplant has really started producing. I think my family will love this recipe and I have everything on hand to make 1 for now and several to freeze for later.
Carol
1What a lovely recipe! It was delicious, beautiful to look at and not very hard to prepare. Thank you for posting.
Georgia Morgan
1Hi Maya,
I’ve been told that eggplant needs to be salted and let sit for about 15 to 20 minutes to allow the bitter liquid to drain out. Does this recipe require that process?
Thank you.
Wholesome Yum M
1Hi Georgia, That is not necessary with this recipe. Enjoy!