Baked Brie
Melissa Clark
770 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
770
1 hour
Ratatouille
Updated Nov. 20, 2023
- Total Time
- 3 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 4garlic cloves
- 2medium white onions
- 3medium zucchini
- 2medium eggplant
- 3sweet red peppers, such as bell peppers, red cubanelle or any other sweet variety
- 3sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6sprigs fresh thyme
- 1cup olive oil, more as needed
- 2large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes
- 2small bay leaves, ripped in half
- 1½teaspoons fine sea salt, more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
260 calories; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 361 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
Prepare the vegetables: Smash and peel 3 garlic cloves, reserving the 4th. Halve onions through their roots, and slice halves into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Slice zucchini into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes or spears. Seed peppers, and cut them into ¼-inch-thick strips.
- Step 3
Spread each vegetable on a separate rimmed baking sheet (use extra sheets as necessary). Add the 3 cloves of smashed garlic to the onion pan. Add 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme to each of the pepper, eggplant and zucchini pans. Sprinkle salt lightly over vegetables. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on each of the pans.
- Step 4
Place all the pans in the oven (or work in batches if they don’t fit at once). Cook until vegetables are very tender and lightly browned at the edges. This will take about 35 to 40 minutes for the peppers (their skins should shrivel), 40 to 45 minutes for the eggplant and zucchini (the eggplant should crisp slightly and the zucchini should be well cooked, so let them go 3 to 5 minutes longer than you normally might), and 60 to 65 minutes for the onions. Don’t worry about the vegetables being pretty; they will meld into the ratatouille. Shake or stir the pans every 15 to 20 minutes or so, especially the onions.
- Step 5
In the meantime, prepare the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and blanch until the skins split, about 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water.
- Step 6
Using a paring knife, peel the cooled tomatoes (the skins should slip right off). Halve tomatoes across their equators. Set a sieve over a bowl. Working over the bowl, use your fingers to seed the tomatoes, letting the seeds catch in the sieve and the juice run into the bowl. Discard seeds but save juices. Dice tomatoes and add to the reserved juices in bowl.
- Step 7
Finely grate or mince remaining garlic clove. Add garlic to tomatoes along with bay leaves and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Step 8
Once vegetables are done cooking, combine them on one baking sheet or a large shallow baking dish and add ingredients from tomato bowl. Toss well. Vegetables will be stacked, and that’s O.K. Cover generously with olive oil, using remaining ¼ cup oil or more, and sprinkle with salt. Everything should have a good coat of oil, but should not be drowning in it. Cook at least 1 hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are very tender and imbued with juices and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm, or let cool.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Odette B.
I'm sorry, but this is the most hilarious rats I've ever seen. It takes at least 15 to 20 times longer to make than it needs to, has far too much olive oil, and far too little tomato. Everything is chopped far too small and ends up being close to mush! Please find a Provencal/Marseilles recipe and learn.
Susan
Peppers done at 35 minutes Onions ready at 40-45 minutes Eggplant needed about 48 minutes Zucchini ready at about 42 minutes
Claire
This recipe calls for a cup of olive oil - I made it with far less (less than a quarter of a cup using an oil sprayer, including on the eggplant) and it was delicious - the best ratatouille I have ever had. This recipe, as part of a series on traditional French cooking, probably didn't have healthy cooking as an objective, but I do, as do all my family and friends. Fortunately this was easily adaptable.
Kathleen
I followed the recipe pretty exactly. I love ratatouille and have made Julia Child's recipe many times. The ingredient list in this recipe was quite similar to Julia Child's. The main difference seemed to be the roasting of all the vegetables separately in shallow baking sheet pans to concentrate their flavor, which I've seen that Melissa often does. It is quite effective. This was delicious, with all the rich flavors melding together unctuously. I will make this recipe again.
somethin' out of nuthin'
Unless you own an olive oil operation you may want to mix each stage of vegetables in a big bowl to evenly distribute the oil. I always do this when roasting vegetables. You use less and it coats far more evenly than pouring. And always, for the rest of your life, remove and discard bay leaf stems. Watch the delightful, but underrated, movie ‘Ratatouille’ while cooking. The scene where he remembered his mother baking Ratatouille was powerful and deserved a few more seconds of screen time.
Anne
Maybe this is a silly question, but nowhere does it say to remove all those stems of rosemary and thyme. Do you remove them?
Kriste
I forgot to add that this is wonderful with Alice Waters polenta. Leftovers can be layered with pesto and cheese for a lasagne like polenta torta.
vinaigrette
This is very time-consuming but worth the effort; I've made it twice with excellent results. Both times I roasted assorted heirloom tomatoes before seeding and chopping them. Roasting them brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the juice that is released adds extra flavor to the Ratatouille. I cut back on the olive oil, using about half a cup in total. Remember to take out the broken bay leaves and herbs before serving. Great recipe!
Cass
Ignore the first comment. This was the best ratatouille I ever made by far! I used less olive oil per other comments and because I am weight conscious. I will never use another recipe.
GregK
Another recipe which lets the ingredients shine. As the purpose of the roasting step is caramelization, roast at 425° F or so for a shorter time. Also, don't crush/mince the garlic before roasting; leave the cloves intact and extract the sweet garlic after roasting is complete.
Janet
Delicious! Roasting the veggies before combining and baking really intensifies the flavors. However, as others have commented, the recipe as written has much too much oil and the vegetable pieces are much too tiny. We prefer more texture in the finished ratatouille and so roasted larger pieces at a higher temperature (400) for a shorter period of time. Btw, no need to be so fussy about the tomatoes — just slice into chunks and roast. Everything will meld together beautifully.
Melanie
Leftovers are great in an omelette the next day with goat chevre
Ellen
Best ratatouille recipe I've ever made. Luckily I had a free afternoon because it required nearly 6 hours to complete, rather than the 3 suggested. Not because I'm slow, but because I have an oven that takes just two sheet pans at a time. The eggplants alone took 2 sheet pans. I omitted the final dose of oil, figuring I could add it if necessary. It was not. I would suggest using the bay leaves whole, for easy removal, along with the rosemary and thyme stems.
Lena
Made this recipe for the first time, using lovely produce from my farm share box. I did this in two days: roasted vegetable on Monday evening, layered them in the baking pot, and refrigerated until next evening, when I added the tomatoes and baked (and ate!).
Fabulous. It turned out just as described.
Susan Palukaitis
While the preparation is a bit time consuming with the individual roasting of each vegetable, it paid off in flavor. I would definitely repeat this recipe. The end result was a very colorful, flavorful dish, which tastes good at any temperature. With a spouse who is not overly eager for vegetables, he couldn't stop nibbling from the final product. That...in my house....is compliment enough!
Lynn at Southern Fried French
Wonderful! I took y'all's advice, and chopped the veggies bigger, and I didn't fuss with tomato prep, just chopped and tossed them in. Great recipe, and easy.
rebeccaw
Loved the sweet summer caramelization of these veggies. Easy, quick and delightful.
Grace
This definitely doesn't need a whole cup of oil! And saute the eggplant in just a tablespoon before adding the rest of the ingredients and transferring it to the oven. Helps with the eggplant cooking time. A big crockpot would make the best outcome - leave it covered for 20 minutes of cooking time, then if things aren't ready, uncover it for 10. If you're a fast chopper, you don't have to worry about how much time is involved in that - if not, start an extra 30-40 min before hand.
Connie
So delicious!!! Took advice of other reviewers by decreasing oil, raising temperature, and roasting tomatoes. Only negative is that it doesn’t make more!
illinasia
I wait until late summer every year to make this a few weeks in a row and it never disappoints. The amount of oil thru the entire process is 1 cup, the eggplant needs it. Melissa Clark is a goddess.
UWSGRRL , NYC
It’s that time of year again! I’m a solo household resident now but still freeze a large amt to eat year round. The ex’s French aunt showed me how to make ratatouille back in the late ‘70s and I have to say Melissa was probably listening at the keyhole. Sure, she uses more olive oil than I do but that first pan held up longer in the freezer than subsequent batches; the point is the love is apparent. And if you want my secret ingredient? Add a knob of butter during the last roast.
John
I've made this recipe twice. Both times, the onions were burning well before the 60 - 65 minutes specified. Susan comments that her onions were ready at 40 - 45 minutes, which I think is more reasonable, but perhaps still high. I may try the suggestion of mixing onions with olive oil in a bowl rather than relying on my drizzling skills; or I may do the first round of onion-cooking on the stove. Other than picking out the burnt onions, we really enjoyed this.
Deirdre
Delicious! Prepared as instructed and it came out perfectly. Used a Dutch oven in the end to cook combined ingredients. I tend to be anti-fussy in the kitchen but peeling and seeding the tomatoes was a breeze and worth it. GET YOUR VEGGIES AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE! I made the entire dish with veg I bought the day before at our local farmer's market--especially the heirloom tomatoes--and you can taste every single ingredient, the sweetness of the tomatoes especially!
lucy
Wow. This is incredible! I used dried thyme because I didn’t have fresh, and I didn’t bother with the tomato rigamarole. Just smashed a bunch of cherry tomatoes and grated garlic into it. Heaven.
Christine Keeney
The end result was mush. One could not differentiate the separate ingredients. I spent a lot of time roasting all the ingredients separately. The eggplant and Zuccini were lost! I ended up toasting bread, buttering it then sprinkled garlic on it. I did about 4 slices. Cubed it, tossed it in the mush then baked for a tomato stew dish.
Miss Pam
Made this and it was delicious. Yes, I used far less oil, cut eggplant in cubes. Then the genius part is I grilled all my vegetables on my stovetop griddle, which required way less oil. I did roast peppers in oven. Followed recipe the same otherwise. Came out delicious. Served ratatouille atop some vegan-cheesy polenta.
nwyrktodd
This really hit the spot. My date also loved it. We had it at room temperature on a warm summer night in August. I made a Roast chicken with it also served warm - it was not too heavy as I sometimes feel like I’m sinking after eating. (Thanks Mounjaro) I used red onions as I couldn’t find white. I think I would like it better this way. The heirloom tomatoes really shine in the dish - especially the next day for lazy lunch. I followed the recipe almost to a T other than the onion substitution.
JW Witcher
Yes, roasting separately is worth the effort. Herbs can be a wide variety…marjoram, rosemary, fresh torn basil at the last part of cooking, fresh oregano etc, or even Herbs de Provence, though sometimes they are rather flowery. I like the purple and white striped eggplants the best, as the flesh is whiter, there are usually fewer seeds, and the skins roast to better tenderness. Haven’t tried it with Japanese eggplant - I suspect that would be very good.
JW Witcher
Some of the critics here should definitely watch the last scenes of Ratatouille!! Artrfuylness and care define the best!
Lauren
Since the onions take longest to cook, I prepped them first, started them roasting, and then did the eggplant, zucchini, and peppers in that order. I have a couple of smaller sheet pans, which were great for the onions and peppers. I also seeded the tomatoes and roasted them at 450f for 15 minutes, until the skins were loose and easy to pull off once cool. All the juices went into the bowl. Delicious!
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