Roasted Ratatouille

Roasted Ratatouille

Roasted Ratatouille is a healthy and delicious French-inspired vegetarian dish! This easy ratatouille recipe is completely plant-based and a great way to use up fresh summer veggies from the farmer’s market or your own vegetable garden harvest!

I have to say, eating this roasted ratatouille was a fun family experience for us. My daughter was so excited because we got to eat ratatouille while we watched the Disney cartoon “Ratatouille”! Yes, my daughter was excited to eat a bunch of vegetables! I used the this Roasted Ratatouille to create my Creamy Ratatouille Pasta and it was a delight!

What is Ratatouille?

Traditional Ratatouille is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice, France. Ratatouille is packed with fresh produce like tomatoes, garlic, eggplant, squash, bell pepper and herbs. It is beautifully vibrant, like a yummy rainbow of colors and flavors! You can serve it as a side dish or you can serve it as the main course with some crusty bread!

Roasting the vegetables, instead of stewing them, may be different from classic ratatouille recipes. However, I personally prefer roasted veggies to all other cooking methods. Roasting vegetables really brings out their flavor and it is also quicker and easier!

Note: The printable recipe is located at the end of this post. Please visit The Scoop for my latest posts or you can search or browse my Recipe Index to find more yummy recipes.

Ratatouille Ingredients

Authentic French Ratatouille ingredients include fresh summer vegetables, herbs, garlic and olive oil. Actually, most of these ingredients are technically fruit since they contains seeds. Although botanically they are fruit, in the culinary world they are often referred to as a vegetables. Fun stuff!

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half, work best.  Notice how these tomatoes have fruity names?

Eggplant

Did you know that eggplant is actually a fruit? Just like the tomatoes! 

Summer Squash

A combination of zucchini and yellow squash. Yes, fruit as well!

Bell Pepper

I used red bell pepper, but you could also use yellow or orange… Make sure that you scrape out those fruit seeds!

Olive Oil

I used organic extra virgin olive oil. Olives are a fruit too!

Garlic

I used organic minced garlic. Garlic is definitely NOT a fruit!

note: You can also add diced onions to your veggie mix. I am not a big fan of onions, so I left them out. I do, however, LOVE garlic!

Basil and Seasoning

I garnished my ratatouille with fresh chopped basil. For seasoning the veggies while roasting, you can use a combination of dry basil and thyme or a seasoning mix like “Herbes de Provence”. I also seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

How to make Roasted Ratatouille

Making sheet pan roasted ratatouille in the oven is so quick and easy! It is faster and easier than stewing and stirring vegetables over a hot stove.

First, wash and chop your vegetables/fruit. While you chop your veggies, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with 2 racks in the center slots. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, toss the halved tomatoes and minced garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the chopped eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and diced bell pepper with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Pour the vegetables/fruit, except for the tomatoes, onto the prepared baking sheets. Fill one entire baking sheet with the veggies in and use half of the 2nd baking sheet for the rest. You need to leave half of the 2nd sheet pan open for the tomatoes that will be added later. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs.

Place the 2 sheet pans into your preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, carefully remove both baking sheets from the oven and stir the vegetables and arrange in a single layer.

Pour the tomatoes and garlic onto the prepared baking sheet that is half empty, spread in a single layer. Put both baking sheets back into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 more minutes, or until they are roasted to your liking.

Once everything has finished cooking, carefully remove from the oven and transfer to a large serving dish. Stir to combine everything. Garnish with fresh basil. Do a taste test and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. You can also sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan if you would like. Enjoy!