Where do I even start with this delicious side dish? Ratatouille is rustic, cozy, and tastes like home! It is a blend of thinly sliced summer vegetables over a pool of flavorful tomato sauce. Other than how tasty ratatouille is, I love how versatile it is. It can be made up into an elegant side dish or simply served from a family-style baking dish. This hearty yet healthy side dish will be your new favorite!

My eyes were opened to the dish ratatouille in the popular Disney film. When it melted the heart of a prestigious food critic and transported him back to his childhood dinner table, I knew I needed to try it. Ratatouille originated in France and was widely known as a peasants dish. When all the farmers needed to use all the harvest of summer vegetables, they would whip up ratatouille. It can be made in a stew or in the more contemporary version; it is layered in a baking dish. I hope this ratatouille gives you heartwarming happiness the way it did Anton Ego.

Rustic Ratatouille

Emma Essence

Rustic, homey ratatouille that is made with layered thinly sliced summer vegetables over a pool of flavorful tomato sauce.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

Blender or immersion blender
8-inch baking dish

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper chopped
½ of a yellow onion chopped
14 ounce can tomato puree
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Ratatouille

2 zucchini sliced into 1/10 inch rounds
1 Japanese eggplant sliced into 1/10 inch rounds
2 yellow squash sliced into 1/10 inch rounds
4 roma tomatoes sliced into 1/10 inch rounds
3 Yukon Gold potatoes optional, sliced into 1/10 inch rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Instructions

Prepare the sauce

In a medium pan, over low-medium heat, add the olive oil.
Once heated, add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until softened. Then add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the tomato puree and balsamic vinegar. Stir it, and then add the bundle of thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and then cover the pan. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
In a blender or large bowl using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
Pour into an 8-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Construct the ratatouille

Preheat the oven to 375F.
In the baking dish, over the sauce, arrange alternating slices of the vegetables (I did tomato, yellow squash, potato, zucchini, eggplant).
Drizzle the olive oil on top of the vegetables—season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the fresh thyme on top.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove the aluminum and allow the dish to bake uncovered.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Keyword Ratatouille, Rustic