How to Make Ratatouille with Tomato Sauce

Ratatouille is a wonderful dish that features beautifully layered vegetables, like eggplant, tomato and zucchini baked on top of a delicious tomato sauce and topped with seasoned olive oil!

Ratatouille never ceases to amaze me. We’re talking about both the movie and the dish. Okay seriously, how great is the movie though?

Ahem, let’s get back on track. We’re talking all about ratatouille today; the dish. It is an inviting and sophisticated dish. It’s vibrant, beautifully presented, and looks much harder to make than it actually is.

I remember the first time I even thought about making ratatouille. Oy, I was so overwhelmed. There was no way these evenly sliced veggies, arranged in such a neat way, were easy to make. I wasn’t buying it. But then I mustered up enough courage, took the plunge, and bought the ingredients I needed. And boy was I surprised.

What is ratatouille made of?

Ratatouille is commonly made with tomato, garlic, eggplant, onions, bell peppers and herbs. You will find a wide variety of different ingredients that people use to make this elegant vegan dish. I use the basic vegetables that most people know very well and easy to find.

Vegetables: Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper.
Herbs: Garlic cloves, fresh parsley.
Oil: Extra virgin olive oil.
and salt and pepper for taste. 

that’s it.

Here’s the good news:

This ratatouille dish is impressive, but it’s quite simple to make!

The bad news:

This dish probably won’t last long. For some humble veggies, they do come together to make an incredible dish. Take a bow guys, you did well. Yes, I talk to my veggies. Don’t we all?

The eggplant, zucchini, and tomato, arranged in a circular pattern and topped with seasoned olive oil are pretty great in itself. But when you bake that on top of a delicious tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, onions, red pepper, garlic, and parsley, it becomes out of this world. Need more recipes for the new year? This dish is one you can add to your personal cookbook of accomplishments!

All you need is a thick, crusty piece of bread and you’ve got the ultimate veggie dish to cozy up to! Bon appetit!

How do you make ratatouille?

Ratatouille is a southern French vegetable stew made with, you guessed it- vegetables.

Turn on the oven to 350F.

Prep: Wash and slice eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes.

Sauce: Boiled and peeled 7 medium tomatoes then chopped or put through a food processor. Also a chopped onion and red bell pepper. In a pan, heat up extra virgin olive oil, add in onions, red bell pepper and 1 minced garlic clove simmer for 2-3 minutes before adding in the chopped tomatoes then add fresh chopped parsley leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange: On the bottom of  a round casserole oven safe dish put in the tomato sauce. On top of it, arrange the sliced vegetables in a circular pattern.

Topping: In a small bowl whisk together 2-3 garlic cloves, fresh parsley leaves from 2 stems, 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 Tablespoons of oil. Then pour on top of the vegetables.

Bake: Cover the dish with a lid or parchment paper, bake for 1 hours.

Tips to make the sauce for ratatouille ?

Instead of boiling and peeling 7 tomatoes, you can use a can of 14oz organic whole tomatoes in sauce.

You can substitute the fresh tomatoes with a can of organic 14oz tomatoes in sauce. 

Looking for some appetizers to have with this dish? Here are some easy ones to put together:

This Super Easy Tomato and Cheese Appetizer with Garlic is a great choice when you’re short on time and have simple ingredients at home.

This fun Black Caviar Appetizer with Cream Cheese and Dill is one we like to enjoy on special occasions.