Simple, Rustic & French: Roasted Ratatouille

An easy French peasant dish that transforms abundant garden vegetables into a lovely vegetarian main dish or delectable side. This roasted version of ratatouille uses the oven to soften the texture and take away the bite of onion and garlic, yet intensify the flavor of the tomatoes and peppers. Tossed with fresh herbs at the end, the dish is inviting and lovely.

Historical French tradition would ask you to make this chunky stew on a stovetop. It’s a peasant dish, after all, and they were often cooking over a fire.

The movie Ratatouille elevated this peasant dish to fancy restaurant quality by thinly slicing and layering the vegetables like a tian or, more precisely, confit byaldi, the Turkish dish actually used as a model for “ratatouille” in the movie. That’s not what true ratatouille really looks like, though. Ratatouille is, at its heart, a chunky vegetable stew that peasants ate as their main meal. Today we often serve it as a side dish alongside fish or other main dishes.

French chefs today might insist that we cook the vegetables separately, then meld them together. The thought there is to preserve the integrity of each ingredient. But if we think back to the roots of the dish, I’m guessing that the peasants really didn’t have time for that. They were simply trying to make the most of every ingredient available to them. Tossing them all into a pot together would have been the simplest solution.

What’s different about this Ratatouille recipe?

In this recipe, I diverged from the stovetop to a simple oven roasted method that I have been meaning to share with you for years. Because oven roasting is SO easy. And it really brings out the best in veggies. Plus, you can rescue the “ugly” veggies that often get neglected or tossed. Simply cut away any bad parts and chop up the rest. The other nice thing is you don’t need to worry about size here. Little tiny tomatoes can co-mingle with any of the big ones that need using. Zucchini and eggplant of any size are welcome.

My roasted ratatouille holds true to the name of the dish, though. Ratatouille derives its name from the French word “rata” meaning a stew with whole pieces and the verb “touiller” which means to stir, toss, or mix.

While I see Ratatouille recipes that insist all proportions must be equal (and it’s certainly delicious that way!), I don’t necessarily think that’s true. Think again about the French peasant with remnants from the garden. They used what they had. So why wouldn’t the same hold true today? Just use what you have. Or use what you love, if you have that luxury. It’s quite all right to throw in more peppers and less zucchini. Or forego the eggplant altogether, if that is your preference. If you have other garden veggies that need using, you can certainly toss them in as well. Let it be your own beautiful creation.

Looking for more ratatouille inspiration? Try my Ratatouille pasta sauce or Ratatouille with Ravioli.

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