Sheet Pan Ratatouille
The perfect recipe for using up end-of-summer vegetables, this sheet pan ratatouille is a spin on the classic French stew. Topped with creamy feta, briny olives, and a balsamic drizzle, the dish is flavorful and pairs perfectly with roasted fish or chicken.
You'll love this recipe because its vegetarian, easy to make with just 15 minutes of prep, and super flavorful from the caramelized roasted veggies.
Amazing for meal prep - make up a batch on Sunday and enjoy all week - over pasta, with toasted bread, as a side dish or over a bed of lettuce as a salad.
Ratatouille is a traditional Provençal vegetable stew that originates from the southern region of France. It's known for its colorful and flavorful combination of various vegetables, herbs, and aromatic ingredients.
What is Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a classic dish from Southern France of stewed vegetables. There’s no formalized recipe or method, but it typically includes eggplant, tomato, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. It’s a humble stew and lo and behold, it's not anything like the ratatouille you see in the Pixar movie.
There are many techniques for cooking ratatouille. The most important in my opinion is to keep the integrity of each individual vegetable so that you can taste them in the dish. Many ratatouille recipes end up a soupy mess of veggies.
In this recipe, you'll roast all the vegetables on two sheet pans until golden and caramelized, then combine in the end with fresh burst tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic that brings the liquid to the dish.
We add briny olives and tangy feta along with a depth of flavor from balsamic vinegar plus brightness from fresh lemon juice to this version.
While feta, olives, and balsamic are not traditional to a French ratatouille, the combination makes the dish unique and memorable. It's all about the Mediterranean fusion here, trust me it works!
The dish reminds me of the Greek Briam, a dish of roasted vegetables, then stewed with tomatoes. Using fresh tomatoes and caramelizing the vegetables with a higher heat gives you a fantastic depth of flavor not found in a classic ratatouille or briam.
Sheet Pan Roasted Ratatouille Ingredients
- eggplant- Choose eggplants that are firm, smooth, and shiny, with no visible blemishes or soft spots. Eggplants are low in calories and carbohydrates, making them a suitable choice for those watching their calorie intake or managing their blood sugar levels.
- zucchini and squash - is low in calories and carbohydrates, making it a popular choice for those looking to maintain a healthy weight or control their carbohydrate intake. When roasted at high heat, it becomes caramelized and has a slightly smoky flavor.
- yellow and red bell peppers - add sweetness and gorgeous color to the dish.
- yellow onion - adds delicious sweetness when roasted. A red onion could also be used here if preferred.
- garlic - flavor the veggies with whole roasted garlic cloves
- fresh herbs - we use rosemary and thyme to impart an earthy flavor to the roasted ratatouille vegetables and basil for finishing the ratatouille with freshness.
- extra virgin olive oil - is used to drizzle the vegetables before roasting and also after they are plated to keep everything moist and glossy.
- cherry tomatoes - use a variety of tomatoes. While they are slightly acidic raw, they sweeten and turn jammy when roasted.
- balsamic vinegar - adds sweetness and complexity to the ratatouille
- feta cheese - crumbled feta is added to the top of the ratatouille, making it a complete side dish
- green olives - briny olives add complexity and delicious flavor to this ratatouille. I used pitted Castelvetrano olive from Spain.
- lemon - used for garnish and adds brightness to the ratatouille
How to Make Ratatouille
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Combine eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, garlic cloves, and onion on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 4 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary.
On a separate sheet pan, combine the zucchini and yellow squash. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 4 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary.
Place the sheet pans in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Stir the vegetables a few times while roasting and transfer the bottom pan to the top rack and the top pan to the bottom rack once during the cooking process for more even cooking.
Add the cherry tomatoes to the baking sheet with the bell peppers and eggplant and continue to roast for 20 minutes until the tomatoes burst and the squash and zucchini are fully golden and caramelized.
Combine the zucchini and squash on the baking sheet with the tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Toss with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with feta cheese and add the green olives. Roast for another 5 minutes until the olives are warm and the feta cheese is golden and melted.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh basil.
How to Enjoy Ratatouille
Ratatouille is incredibly versatile. It can be eaten as an appetizer over a crusty grilled or toasted baguette
Serve it over pasta to make a delicious meal with some parmesan or extra feta
Serve it as a side dish alongside grilled fish or chicken.
You can even serve it for breakfast with a hearty slice of bread and jammy eggs.
What to Serve With Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a versatile dish that can be adapted to your taste. Feel free to use other vegetables like yellow squash or mushrooms, and adjust the seasonings to create your own version of this classic French comfort food.
A simple seared salmon, oven-roasted cod, pan-seared or grilled chicken, or a steak pairs beautifully with this ratatouille dish.
Mediterranean Chicken With Olives, Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts
Skillet Chicken With Creamy Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Sheet Pan Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 red bell pepper cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 large yellow onion cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 1 zucchini cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 yellow squash cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 8 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 6 thyme sprigs
- salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil divided
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- ¼ cup green olives
- lemon for garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
Instructions
- Combine eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, garlic cloves, and onion on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 4 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary.
- On a separate sheet pan, combine the zucchini and yellow squash. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 4 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary.
- Place the sheet pans in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Stir the vegetables a few times while roasting and transfer the bottom pan to the top rack and the top pan to the bottom rack once during the cooking process for more even cooking.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the baking sheet with the bell peppers and eggplant and continue to roast for 20 minutes until the tomatoes burst and the squash and zucchini are fully golden and caramelized.
- Combine the zucchini and squash on the baking sheet with the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Toss with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with feta cheese and add the green olives. Roast for another 5 minutes until the olives are warm and the feta cheese is golden and melted.
- Transfer to a serving platter and serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh basil.
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