Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew that typically includes zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and sometimes bell pepper. Vegetables may vary from recipe to recipe. It may be served as a side dish, appetizer, or as part of a main dish.

Do you need to peel the vegetables for ratatouille?

Because they're sliced so thinly, it's not necessary to peel the vegetables for this ratatouille recipe.

Is ratatouille eaten hot or cold?

That's up to personal preference. I prefer to serve ratatouille hot, but I can see it being good at room temperature as well. I've never tried it cold.

Can I add meat to ratatouille?

Sure! While this version is vegetarian, you can crumble ground sausage or beef into the sauce before topping with the vegetables before baking.

Remy’s Ratatouille with Tomato Cream Sauce

Name: Remy's Ratatouille
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 cup crushed tomatoes; 1 small onion or 1/2 medium; 2 cloves garlic; 1 small bunch of fresh thyme; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons flour; 1 cup warm milk; 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 medium zucchini; 1 medium eggplant; 1 medium yellow squash; 4 medium tomatoes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup grate Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Description

This recipe for Remy’s Ratatouille is inspired by the film Ratatouille and puts a modern twist on the traditional French vegetable stew. In this version, thin slices of zucchini, eggplant, summer squash, and tomato are layered over a tomato cream sauce and baked until melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 small onion or 1/2 medium
2 cloves garlic
1 small bunch of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium zucchini
1 medium eggplant
1 medium yellow squash
4 medium tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grate Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

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Instructions

Prep the ratatouille sauce. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the tomato sauce over the bottom of a baking sheet, casserole dish, or large cast-iron pan. Chop the onion and garlic and spread them over the sauce. Strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs and sprinkle half over the sauce.
Make the béchamel. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. When melted, stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two until lightly browned. Slowly whisk in the milk. When smooth, bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from the heat and season with the nutmeg, a few grinds of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir the béchamel sauce into the tomato sauce in the bottom of your pan or dish.
Slice the veg. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, and tomato. If you have one, a mandolin also works well for all but the tomato, for which you may want to carefully use a sharp knife.
Assemble. Arrange several slices of the vegetables in your hand, then place them into your pan over the sauce. Repeat this process with the same vegetable order until they’re tightly packed and the pan is full. You can go in rows or try a circular pattern. If you still have leftover vegetable slices, fill them in where needed or toss together in an extra baking dish.
Bake. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt and the remaining thyme over the vegetables. Drizzle over the olive oil. Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper and bake in the oven for 50 – 60 minutes. Remove the parchment, sprinkle with Parmesan, and cook for 5-10 more minutes until golden.

Notes

When layering the vegetable slices in the pan, I like to layer several pieces together in my hand and then place them into the dish together. (See step 7 above.) Then repeat with the next sequence of vegetable slices, creating a circular pattern (if using a round pan or rows if using a square or rectangle) and adjusting as I go to keep things neat.

Don't skip the parchment. It helps to trap some of the steam and cook the vegetables without drying them out.

Leftover vegetables? Toss them together in a small baking dish and bake along with the arranged ratatouille. Serve them as needed or save for another meal.

Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 60
Category: Dinner
Method: Baking
Cuisine: French