OVEN ROASTED RATATOUILLE

What happens when thinly sliced vegetables are layered in a dish and then topped with a rich red sauce, lots of herbs, and a cheesy topping? This is Oven Roasted Ratatouille. It’s a delicious and irresistible vegetable dish. It reminds me of a lot of pizza but made with beautiful vegetables. (It certainly made my house smell like pizza).

WHAT IS RATATOUILLE?

Ratatouille, a French classic, is made from stewed vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, onions, bell peppers, and zucchini. This rich and comforting dish is perfect for eating with a slice of crusty bread or a bowl of polenta. There are many ways to make ratatouille. I chose my version, as there are so many.

Instead of stewing the vegetables in a large pot, I made an oven-roasted ratatouille. This is a popular alternative to the stewed one. Oven roasting the vegetables is beautiful to make them look more delicate than boiling them in a pot. I also like that it requires less effort than cooking them in a pot. I also added marinara to my casserole dish. This allows the juices of the vegetables to mix with the sauce and creates the best sauce. Make sure you have some bread on hand for a dip! Finally, I added cheese to the top. This is not a common ratatouille topping, but it was delicious. It gave it that pizza-like taste.

HOW BIG ARE THE VEGETABLES YOU SHOULD USE?

This recipe can be modified in many ways. Below are approximate weights for the vegetables. However, you can use any size and whatever in your baking dishes. A word of caution: once the vegetables are sliced, the volume is greater than you expected. So, err on the smaller side.

You don’t need to arrange the vegetables in a perfect arrangement. You can just put the slices in there, and it will be delicious! It will still taste delicious, even if it isn’t perfect. 😉

What kind of baking dish should I use?

You will need a dish that is approximately 9x11x11x1x1x2. Or a 3-quart round dish. A dish can be glass, ceramic, metal, or both.

HOW TO SERVE OVEN-ROASTED RATATOUILLE

Oven-roasted Ratatouille is a great side dish to grilled or roasted meats like Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Garlic Butter Baked Cod or Herb Roasted Chicken breast. This can also be served as a vegetarian side dish paired with a creamy risotto or topped with polenta.

OVEN ROASTED RATATOUILLE

Oven-roasted Ratatouille combines all summer’s favourite vegetables into one delicious side dish.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: Each 3/4 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup marinara sauce ($0.50)
• 1 yellow onion ($0.25)
• 1 eggplant (approximately 1 lb. ($1.49)
• 1 zucchini (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.71)
• 1 yellow squash (approximately 1/2 lb. ($0.55)
• 3 Roma tomatoes ($0.87)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
• 1/2 tsp dried Basil ($0.05)
• 1/2 tsp dried Oregano ($0.05).
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
• 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($0.94)
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional) ($0.09)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400°F Slice the yellow onion thinly. Slice the tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and zucchini into thin slices of 1/8-inch. Any pieces larger than 1/8 inch should be cut into half-rounds.
• Place the marinara into a large casserole dish. Add the sliced onions to the top.
• Start by placing the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, eggplant and tomatoes in a dish. Keep moving until you have used all the pieces. Sprinkle the olive oil on the vegetables, and then add the Basil, oregano salt, and pepper.
• Place the dish in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven and add the shredded mozzarella to the top. Bake the casserole dish for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top of the roast, and then serve.

NOTES

To make layering easier, purchase vegetables of similar size.