Ratatouille
Learn how to make the best French ratatouille with this foolproof recipe! The trick is to roast the vegetables, then add them to a simmering tomato sauce.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
It’s ratatouille season! Ratatouille is a classic end-of-summer French stew that’s fun to say (rat-tuh-TOO-ee) and fun to make. It’s packed with fresh produce: tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash, and bell pepper.
This summer, we sampled authentic French ratatouille in Provence. I liked some ratatouille more than others, so I vowed to come up with my own favorite ratatouille recipe when I came home. Today is the day!
In Provence, ratatouille is typically cooked on the stove. Each vegetable is cooked in olive oil until it’s properly tender. In the end, all of the ingredients are combined and simmered to meld the flavors.
The French know how to cook, and this concept is definitely one to follow. Ratatouille combines a large volume of late-summer vegetables that have different cook times. If you tried to throw them all into a pot at once, none of the veggies would have a chance to caramelize, the eggplant would fall apart by the time the zucchini is tender, and your ratatouille would probably never meet its full potential.
This recipe is a little different. We’re going to roast the vegetables until they’re deliciously caramelized on the edges and a little dehydrated (no squeaky or mushy zucchini here). Then, we’ll add those perfectly roasted veggies to a simmering fresh tomato sauce.
This method yields amazing ratatouille. My husband says it’s the best he’s ever had. It’s also easier to make than proper stovetop ratatouille, since it requires less time standing over the stove. Hooray!
5 Reasons to Love Ratatouille
- It’s a great way to use up a surplus of late-summer veggies. If you come home from the farmers’ market with too much, make ratatouille.
- Ratatouille turns basic vegetables into magic. Even if you don’t typically love eggplant or summer squash, I bet you’ll enjoy this ratatouille.
- It’s vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy. Just choose your accompaniments accordingly.
- Ratatouille is a great make-ahead recipe. It tastes even better the next day and reheats beautifully. (You can also freeze extra ratatouille for later.)
- Make it a movie night and watch Disney’s Ratatouille!
Ratatouille Ingredients
This recipe features traditional ratatouille ingredients, which are:
Fresh Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes are key for making ratatouille that tastes fresh and lively, not dull and heavy. We’ll grate the tomatoes (or blitz the in the food processor) and cook them with onion and garlic to make an irresistible tomato sauce.
I tried this recipe with canned tomatoes and it didn’t taste nearly as nice. You can do it if you have to (use one large 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes), but fresh tomatoes really are best.
Eggplant
Eggplant is known for being difficult to prepare, but it’s easy to roast! No salting necessary. The oven takes care of everything.
Zucchini & Yellow Squash
I love the visual combination of green zucchini and yellow squash. If you want to use two of one type instead of both, no problem.
Bell Pepper
Take your pick from red, orange or yellow bell pepper.
Olive Oil
Extra-virgin olive oil deserves a shout-out. We’re only using as much as necessary, so this ratatouille is not greasy like some can be.
Tossing the vegetables lightly in oil raises their surface temperature, which helps us achieve those delicious caramelized edges. Finally, stirring a teaspoon of olive oil into the pot offers some extra richness and herbal flavor. Don’t skip it!
Fresh Basil & Seasonings
We’ll finish off our ratatouille with a handful of chopped basil, which livens up our stew with fresh flavor. We’ll also add a sprinkle of dried oregano—crumble it between your fingers as you add it to wake up the flavor. Then, add salt and pepper until your ratatouille tastes completely wonderful.
How to Make Ratatouille
You’ll find the full rundown in the recipe below. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe—it’s not hard. Here’s the gist:
- Prep your veggies and preheat the oven.
- Toss the eggplant with olive oil and salt on one baking sheet, and the squash and bell pepper on another baking sheet. Arrange the vegetables in an even layer. (Using two pans gives the vegetables room to breathe and lets us split the veggies by cook times.)
- Bake both pans in the oven at once, stirring halfway. The eggplant will finish sooner than the other pan.
- Meanwhile, make a simple tomato sauce on the stovetop. Stir the roasted vegetables into the simmering tomato sauce as they’re ready.
- Lastly, add fresh basil and seasonings. Serve immediately, or let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating for later.
Watch How to Make Ratatouille
Ratatouille Serving Suggestions
Ok, one more reason to love ratatouille—you can serve it so many different ways! Here are a few ideas:
- Serve ratatouille as a stew, with crusty bread on the side. Toasted if you wish.
- Serve it over freshly cooked pasta. So good.
- Leftovers make a great breakfast. Just add cooked eggs: fried, scrambled or poached.
- Turn it into an appetizer by piling spoonfuls onto toasted baguette.
You might enjoy a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or mozzarella over any of the above.
Suggested Equipment
You probably have the proper equipment in your kitchen already. Here’s what you’ll need (these are affiliate links):
- Two large, rimmed baking sheets for roasting your vegetables. These pans (called “half-sheet pans”) are the perfect size for roasting one pound of diced eggplant without overlap. They are what all professional recipe developers use, they’re inexpensive, and I swear by them.
- Cheese grater or food processor for breaking down the fresh tomatoes.
- Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot for the stovetop.
Please let me know how your ratatouille turns out in the comments! It’s a little labor intensive, as all good ratatouilles are, but I hope it proves 100 percent worth the effort.
Looking for more delicious late-summer recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Caponata
- Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
- Heirloom Caprese Salad
- Layered Panzanella Salad
- Vegetable Paella
Ratatouille
Learn how to make the best French ratatouille with this foolproof recipe! The trick is to roast the vegetables, then add them to a simmering tomato sauce. Recipe yields 4 generous or 6 more modest servings.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes (6 medium or 4 large)
- 1 medium eggplant (1 pound), diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (about 8 ounces), cut into ¾-inch squares
- 1 medium-to-large zucchini (about 8 ounces), diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow squash (about 8 ounces), diced into ½-inch cubes
- 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, more to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
- To prepare your tomatoes, remove any woody cores with a paring knife. Then, grate them on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl (this is easiest if you hold the tomato at a diagonal), and chop any remaining tomato skin. Or, blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.
- On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.
- On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Once 15 minutes are up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.
- Bake until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges, about 10 more minutes (the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest). Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.
- Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake until the peppers are caramelized, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon olive oil, the fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more) and black pepper.
- Serve in bowls, perhaps with a little drizzle of olive oil, additional chopped basil, or black pepper on top (all optional). Like all stews, this ratatouille’s flavor improves as it cools. It’s even better reheated the next day. Ratatouille keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 days, or for several months in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Absolutely amazing! I made it exactly the way you wrote it and love it! I particularly like it room temp over crusty bread. My new go to summer recipe!
I just made this recipe for my sister and I and we loved it. My sister commented that this would make a wonderful thanksgiving side dish. Absolutely delicious .
Thank you for your review, Anita! I appreciate your review.
This recipe took a lot of effort for the results. I thought the roasting of the vegetables didn’t add anything but time and effort. It all came out a little bit mushy.
I learned to make mine In a restaurant on top of the stove. No toasting involved
Yes same here, followed the recipe exactly and yet then end result was mushy.
When I made this recipe the first time (my first ratatouille) hubby and I fell in love with it. The cubing and roasting allows great control over cook times, and the caramelized flavors on the veggies adds a great depth. But the sauce!! Whoa…it’s so simple: grated Roma tomatoes and seasonings that I doubted it, but it came through beautifully. I’ve made ratatouille dishes since, layering 16th-inch slices, and a different tomato sauce, but a third ratatouille later…I came back to this. Easy to make, economical and great flavors. A keeper.
It took me almost 2 hours to make, but it tasted wonderful. Everyone enjoyed it, even the picky eaters.
I’m glad you loved it, Mari!
This ratatouille is divine. Hot or cold. A real hit in our family
Just made this and it was delicious. Worth roasting the vegetables. I added some chickpeas that I had left over from another dish and served over basmati rice. Will definitely make again!
Really love recipe and worth a bit of messing roasting all the veg seperate, will defo make it again, thanks
Oh my goodness is this ever delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except for the yellow squash, which I didn’t have. When it was done cooking I sampled the flavors (which did not need any adjustments), intending to refrigerate and eat tomorrow. Instead, I just finished my second bowl. I love to top with some parm and/or mozzarella. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Rebecca.
How long do you cook the tomatoes before adding anything else?
Hi Dena! All that is in the instructions. See step 6 and 7. I hope this helps!
Made this for a special family dinner last year. Everyone loved it. Such deep, beautiful flavors. This recipe is a real winner.
Great recipe. I peeled, cored and desceeded tomatoes and roasted and peeled and desceeded peppers, but did everything else exactly. Was fantastic.Everything was from my nieces garden. Fresh delicious.
I made this today! It was so good! We had it on crusty bread with goat cheese and it was fantastic!
Loved this! It was very flavorful. I was pleasantly surprised that the veggies did not get mushy!! I had a patty pan squash I added and used crushed tomatoes for the sauce. I know that olive oil is a healthy fat, but I only used it to sauté the onion and added a little to the end. I used spray to roast my veggies. Thank you for a recipe that used all my summer veggies!
I made this with mostly homegrown veggies exactly as written. It was delicious! I’m loving exploring your recipes!
Fresh from the garden! That makes it even better. Thank you for sharing, Kathleen.
I’ve made ratatouille and used it as you suggest; but I’ve also encountered nice thick flavorful ratatouille as “rat sauce” on burgers in a restaurant somewhere in the Midwest. It was delicious!
Went to the farmers market last week and brought home beautiful veggies hoping to bbq them. Was missing our trip to France last year and decided to try to recreate the great ratatouille that we ate in Provence. Kids helped to chop the veggies, I baked (thanks to learning how to bake bread..) and made this phenomenal recipe. I will admit, I was a bit nervous that my 8 year old would complain. Not only did the kids love it, but I did not make enough apparently. :-). They are going to the farmers market with me this week to ensure that I get enough to double the recipe! Love this!! Yum!!
This was so delicious and the perfect way to use many of our fresh farm share veggies. My only regret is not doubling the recipe!
I used a 28 oz can or whole peeled tomatoes instead of fresh ones and it worked perfectly.
I just want to say I made this last week and it was DELICIOUS! I have never prepared ratatouille myself, and this recipe was so easy and so flavorful! We served it over bow tie pasta and it was perfect :-) didn’t change anything about this recipe at all! My boyfriend’s dad is coming over for dinner tonight and we loved this recipe so much I am making it again! Serving over bow tie pasta again and some crusty bread on the side! This is going to be a regular for us for sure :-) thank you SO MUCH!
Delicious! I used 4 tomatoes and had a small amount of canned diced tomatoes that I added. I thought this was the easiest way to cook and the flavors of the roasted vegetables made this very tasty. I made it again the following week it was soo good!. Thanks for sharing!
I make ratatouille a lot. Just tried your recipe and loved it. I will use this one from now on. I did not have tomotoes at time, so I used fire roasted canned diced tomotoes.
Thanks for sharing that it works well for you, Karla!
Absolutely wonderful!We loved it. Will make it again. Thank you
I’m happy you loved it, Diane! Thank you for sharing.
Made this last night and it was sooo delicious. My husband said this was the best ratatouille I have ever made. Thanks Kate for sharing this recipe.
I’m excited to make this. I just picked squash, tomatoes and eggplant from my garden. Did I miss how long to roast the veggies and at what temp?
Hi Amy! See step 1. 425 degrees. I hope you love it!
This is delicious. My mother always made Ratatouille growing up. She never roasted the vegetables. The roasting is so worth the effort. I was skeptical but I think the roasting makes a huge difference.
I just made this! I’ve never made ratatouille before – this was so easy and tastes amazing! Will definitely be making it again!
This is so delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. I can’t even imagine how it could be any better tomorrow.
With a frost warning signaling the end of this year’s garden, I found myself with an abundance of eggplants, all needing to be harvested at once!
Many years ago, I had spent a high school year abroad, living with a family in Provence, France. & so it was that Ratatouille came first to my mind☺️
Garlic, onions, various peppers, basil & lots of heirloom tomatoes filled my baskets… but no summer squashes. They had long since quit.
So, I substituted a very large butternut squash, which I cubed and roasted in the oven with the peppers… FANTASTIC!!!!
I made a 3X batch & I absolutely agree that roasting in the oven was worth the extra effort. Thank you so much for posting your recipe!
Yes, a great way to use your eggplant! I’m happy you liked it with changing up your vegetables. Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight as an antidote for a heavy smoked meal yesterday. I added a little balsamic to the sauce, which really enhanced it. This one’s a keeper! Y’all are a go-to on Sunday mornings for light and heavy recipes.
Just made my first pot. Can’t wait to try it. Waiting for it to cool and mellow a bit, but so much easier roasting the vegetables.. I did make a sauce using a variety of tomatoes from the garden, just cored them and squeezed the seeds out them added them to the onions and garlic. When the tomatoes had broken down, I purées them with my immersion blender. Used all fresh herbs including Parsley,thyme and marjoram. It smells and looks amazing! Thanks for the easier approach.
That looks delicious!
Phenomenal. I pinned this earlier in the summer and waited patiently for all the veggies to be in season. Totally worth it. Can’t wait to make it again. Served as stew the first day, reheated over chickpea pasta for lunch the next day. So good!
I made this for the second time tonight–lots of tomatoes, zucchini and basil in the garden! This is soooo delicious. One of my new favourites. Roasting the veg was NBD. Easy. Thank you!
This is the best ratatouille I have ever made. I thought I would have left overs but there was none.
I’m glad you loved it, Linda! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this perfect recipe! I have never been able to pull off an “authentic” ratatouille, it was frequently mushy or soupy. This recipe redeemed me! The smaller sized squash, pepper, and eggplant and the ROASTING was the key. Will make this many times the rest of the summer!
Yes same here, followed the recipe exactly and yet then end result was mushy, BUT the flavor was awesome! I will try again and tweak it, maybe I will do the salt and compress method on the aubergine before I put it in the oven
Made this recipe tonight and it was amazing. Seriously, so good. Thank you!
Added roasted baby portabello mushrooms for added earthiness…some goat cheese.
Honestly,simply delicious. My husband hates eggplant, but he couldn’t get enough of this recipe. There were several taste highlights, but I especially liked how all of the different vegetables stood apart from each other, and yet were seamlessly integrated into a final dish where they all complimented each other. Very interesting.
Wow, this ratatouille is a party in my mouth! Worth the bit of effort; a delicious way to use up all the fresh garden veggies. Mmmm! Thanks again Kate (and Cookie)
Miss Kate,
I adore your recipes and your writing. I love hearing about Cookie and your adventures with her, I’m inspired by your attention to detail and your description of your methods.
May I ask a small favour? I would love it if you could include metric measurements in your recipes- pretty please. I find myself googling up a storm before shopping to try and work out how much I need of things
Love from Australia
Lee
Hi Lee! I’m happy to hear you are loving my recipes. Sorry to disappoint, adding metric conversions isn’t that simple(it would take a lot of time on my end at the moment, meaning less recipes to share!) and I haven’t found just the right plug in that I think works well. Hopefully some day!
This recipe was easy enough for a weeknight dinner and yummy enough to please a crowd!
I used fresh summer veggies from a local farm and I believe it added so much flavor.
Will definitely be making again and again. Thank you!
This recipe is awesome! I’m 22 and finally starting to learn how to cook healthy things instead of just like mac n cheese and basic chicken recipes. This was really easy for me to make and it turned out delicious. I don’t even really like tomatoes and I loved this!
Would this freeze well? I don’t know much about freezing and water content, but this is a dish I would love to eat in fall and winter.
Hi Jess! I’m glad you loved it. I haven’t tried freezing all my recipes. But, you could try freezing this one! I don’t see why not. Let me know if you try it.
My boyfriend made this last night. After 6 years together, this is the best thing he has ever made. For a vegan recipe, the flavors were full of depth and the olive oil provided satisfying fatty goodness. Thank you for this recipe!
Delicious, thank you Kate. We ate it with bread dumplings and tomorrow I will make some polenta to accompany the leftovers.
I’ve been eying this recipe for a few weeks now. I received a surplus of squash, zucchini, peppers and eggplant and was needing a way to use them all in a unique dish. My girlfriend and I feed hungry folks in Cleveland, Ohio and boy is this recipe perfect! The reason you roast the veggies (for all the critics) is not for crunchiness but earthiness and fullness of flavor! I invite others to taste the veggies raw… then roast them in the olive oil and salt… yummmm… then put all the ingredients together in the pot and OMG… zowie! It’s delicious and the roasting just deepens the flavors and brings out the deliciousness in a moving way! No regrets… lots of chopping and cooking going on for 50 hungry people in Cleveland but every step is worth it!
Really enjoyed this meal! So fresh and delicious using some of summer’s best produce. Highly recommend serving it with crusty bread as you suggest.
This was so delicious – although I’ve made ratatouille, I’ve never made it by roasting the vegetables. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow for breakfast!
Super delish! Initially I thought the recipe was daunting but quickly realized it was not! I even enjoyed it chilled. I will definitely be making this again (and again)
Absolutely delicious. Let it sit and cool for about 2 1/2 hours. Served over gluten free pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan.
This recipe turned out great! I followed the all the directions using all veggies grown in my garden. My husband and I put it over some pasta and sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on it and it was a delicious dinner.
My Father in Law asked me to make Ratatouille for him, a year ago, after my Mother in Law passed, but we could not find her recipe.
I found one online, but it was like a casserole, with the veggies sliced and stacked like dominoes and mozzarella cheese on top. That recipe called for Herbes de Provence spice, which gave it excellent flavor.
Question, when you were experimenting with your recipe, did you try Herbes de Provence? If so, what were your thoughts?
Can’t wait to try your version!
Hi Laura, I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I really liked the combination of these herbs to let the true nature of the vegetables shine. Please be sure to let me know what you think! I hope it provides comfort.
Made this tonight with my boyfriend and it was delicious!!! My boyfriend (who’s from France) told me that this is probably the best ratatouille that he’s had in his life. I added a bit of sugar to the tomato sauce since my tomatoes weren’t as sweet as I’d like them and I added a bit of thyme as well.
Roasting the veggies makes all the difference. I’m definitely looking forward to making this again :)
That’s wonderful to hear, Maria! Thank you for your feedback and excited you both loved my version.
Loved this! Added to our bookmarks! I used your parchment paper tip and, whoa what a game changer!! Why have I been forgetting about the existence of parchment paper…never again! Followed recipe for the most part but I added a touch of butter at the end instead of olive oil. We served with crispy chicken thighs ( bone in-skin on in cast iron), drizzled just a touch of the chicken renderings before serving. Fresh chopped basil from the garden was a nice touch. Amazing. Would serve to guests! Thank you!! :)
Yes! I love that. I’m so happy you loved my method. Thank you for your review, Ariel.
I was skeptical, I was scared to end up with a boring mush, but I already had all the ingredients in my fridge and gave it a try. Very tasty, great texture, very pleasantly surprised! Ate it with good, toasted bread and old cheddar. Perfect for this cool fall evening with the local and seasonal vegetables!
Love this dish last night. My skeptical husband even loved it too! The fresh tomatoes really made the difference. Thanks for a lovely recipe. And this is coming from a person who never comments!