Roasted Ratatouille

Roasted ratatouille is a mainly hand-off affair made in the oven instead of on the stove-top.

I start with most of the usual suspects: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and zucchini, but instead of cooking them on the stove-top I let the oven do all the work for me.  Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and intensifies their flavor.  What you end up with are vegetables that are shrunken and softened and infused with lots of garlic, olive oil and spice.  The eggplant is smooth and silky, the tomatoes sweet and juicy, the zucchini tender and creamy and the peppers soft and slightly charred at the edges. 

You can serve roasted ratatouille either hot or cold and the flavors only improve with an overnight stint in the fridge.  I like to serve it with cauliflower couscous but you can also eat it by itself.  The cauliflower couscous comes together in a flash and cooks right in the oven as well so it’s really quite easy to make. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Zucchini – Choose medium sized zucchinis.
• Bell Peppers – I’m using red bell peppers but you can also use yellow or orange.
• Eggplant – You’ll need 1 medium eggplant.
• Tomatoes – Use cherry tomatoes.
• Olive Oil – Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil.
• Garlic – You’ll need 2-3 cloves of garlic.
• Herbs - You’ll need both dried herbes de provence and some freshly chopped parsley for serving.
• Cauliflower Couscous (For Serving) – To make the cauliflower couscous you’ll need a head of cauliflower, coconut oil, and turmeric powder.

How to Make Roasted Ratatouille:

(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe.  Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. Place the zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of the olive oil on a baking sheet and toss to combine. Place the tomatoes with the remaining half of the olive oil in a separate bowl and set aside.
2. If you’re making the cauliflower couscous pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until finely chopped and toss with the coconut oil, turmeric powder in a large bowl.
3. Spread the couscous onto a baking sheet and place in oven until light, fluffy and lightly toasted.
4. Now place the sheet of vegetables in the oven and add the halved cherry halfway through cooking.
5. Remove both sheet pans from the oven and serve the roasted vegetables over the couscous sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Hearty and healthy and filled with vegetables, the whole dish comes together in less than an hour, making this a great weeknight option.