I've made large batches of roasted ratatouille twice this summer and really love it! I've eaten it hot as a side dish, cold for lunch, and over pasta as a main vegetarian entree. It's one dish that will last a few days in the fridge just fine, so it's better to make a lot at one go. I think it would be good chopped finer and put on a pizza or in a pressed sandwich or as a bruschetta topping. To serve over pasta, I added a couple of spoons of tomato sauce when reheating the ratatouille.

And I feel so smug knowing I'm getting my veggies! I like eggplant, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, tomato and garlic in my ratatouille. Last time I even added an opened half jar of roasted red peppers to the mix toward the end of the roasting time.

Teresa

Do you two make the traditional tossed ratatouille or the sliced-and-layered version popularized in the Pixar movie of the same name?

This is a dish I have never made, not that I am hostile to vegetables or anything, but I would like to. Someday. If you have a good recipe . . .

IMHO, ratatouille is not a dish that should require a recipe. An elaborate layered version is lovely serving, but it's not necessarily what the dish was originally, which is a combination of the ingredients, each cooked properly on its own. This is one of those things that doesn't need a recipe, just some enthusiasm. Sure, read a couple of (classic) recipes to get the hang of it and then just go for it. ;-)

I've done the traditional recipe of cooking all the vegetables separately and it was good. But I am a lazy cook, so I chop everything very quickly, put it all in a bowl, drizzle on some olive oil, add some dried herbs, s&p, toss well and put in an oiled baking dish bake. I like the garlic oil finish with this recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

This roasted vegetable ratatouille recipe takes a traditional garden stew and elevates it by caramelizing the vegetables. Tossed with a simple roasted garlic oil, this ratatouille is simple and quick; it can be done in less than one hour.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes (4 cups)
* 2 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch slices
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
* 5 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
* 2 cloves garlic
* 2 sprigs rosemary
* 2 sprigs thyme
* 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss the prepared eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and thyme with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer in a large oven-proof baking dish and roast the vegetables for 25 minutes.

Once the garlic has browned, remove it and set it aside. Continue cooking the remaining vegetables for an additional 15 minutes or until they have all turned golden brown around the edges. Transfer the vegetables a large bowl.

Smash the reserved garlic with a fork until it forms a smooth paste and mix it into the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the roasted ratatouille with the garlic dressing, salt, and pepper. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

This roasted vegetable ratatouille recipes makes 8 servings.
Source: French Food About.com

I like it best cooked like Teresa does. In slices, it's called a Tian. Equally delicious but a very different texture.

I make it as a tasty way to use leftover grilled veggies. When I do a tri tip on the grill, I like to make the whole meal out there, so I'll grill zucchini & yellow squash halves, peppers, onions, eggplant, asparagus, mushrooms,wedges of potato etc. As long as I'm doing that, I grill extra for the next day's ratatouille. Just saute some garlic in olive oil and add a handful of small cherry tomatoes from the garden at the last minute so they cook, but don't turn into mush and toss this into the veggies with some fresh herbs.

I enjoy it as is, or in a sandwich. I also like to top it with cheese in a casserole and broil quickly to melt. Minced, combined with a can of white beans or pasta and stock it makes a delicious quick soup.

I had not thought about soup from ratatouille! Thanks, Rachelellen! I'm waiting impatiently for soup weather here in my corner of the South! Today is cool-er and slightly drizzly at times, but still too humid for hot soup.

Teresa

I've never made Ratatouille because I am not a fan of eggplant. But I WANT to like eggplant, so maybe it's time to give it a shot in this dish.

It always looks wonderful, but I just have to get past the eggplant....

Linda

I make my ratatouille on the saucy side and poach the eggs right in the ratatouille and serve it with a crusty Italian bread. My ratatouille veg mix is eggplant, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, red and green bell peppers (sometimes hot banana peppers as well, if I have them on hand), tomatoes and green beans. I add a can of tomato sauce and season with garlic and lots of fresh basil.

Linda, just leave out the eggplant, and enjoy. As I say, this isn't so much a 'recipe' dish as a dish to make with enthusiasm.

Linda, I learned to like eggplant by starting with some of the Asian varieties rather than the big globe ones. They are more firm, and the seeds are smaller. I think it was the texture that bothered me more than the flavor. Now I can enjoy any type, but still really prefer the Asian varieties.

The way I cook my eggplant is to slice it and salt it for 15 min. before sauteeing it, then rinse away the bitter juices and pat dry. Also, I will peel it if it has tough old peel. Eggplant benefits from a slow sautee like is done for ratatouille, its spongelike texture absorbs the flavor of the olive oil, basil, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Ratatouille is best made by sauteeing each vegetable separately to it's maximum flavor potential (well, actually just under) and then alowing the flavors to mingle as the tomato sauce thickens.

Ratatouille is probably my favorite dish. Being vegetarian I often eat it as a main course, with garbanzo beans and topped with feta cheese, over brown rice. If you're watching calories, skip the feta and just a thin garnish of grated parmesean.

I'll often serve ratatouille at room temp. with quiche. You could add maybe sauteed chicken to it if you really felt the need. I wouldn't add sausage, that would bring in other flavors.

I've only ever had a vague idea of what ratatouille actually was, formed mostly by the movie! Never had it as a kid, and never ordered it in a restaurant.

After reading this thread, it turns out I make it (or a variation of it) all the time! I love oven roasted eggplant with just a spray of olive oil and a dash of my own herb mix, which is mostly basil. I pair it with whatever other roasted veg I have on hand, usually yellow and green squash, carrots and a bit of onion.

At home I top it over mixed greens for a dinner salad. If we are going to a friends I layer it in a trifle bowl with spinach greens and top it with chick peas and goat cheese. When it's neatly layered it's really lovely.....and now I know what to call it!

AM

This is funny that it should come up now. My DH loves to make Ratatouille, this is one of his signature dishes. It is not necessarily the classic way of doing it but the spirit of the dish.
Now that we have moved to more tropical place, he did a new local version of it and boy, it was the best one I have ever had. He added plantains and yucca to the mix. The addition of sweetness off plantains and yuccas ability to pick up the delicious sauce made all the difference for me. Below is the link where I share the recipe, photos and directions as he gave them to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Central American Ratatouille

I do as lpink does. Saute the veggies individually. That way, nothing is overcooked and mushy.

punamytsike, I went to check out your DH's Central American Ratatouille but noticed there are no individual spices listed.

For those of us who CAN get yucca and plaintain quite easily, what is your DH using so we can figure out what alternative spices are needed?

Many thanks, we are eager to try this recipe!

Sorry jkom51 for not getting back sooner, I have not been behind computer.
I asked DH about the spices and he said he mostly used the McCormick stake spice mix but any combination of salt and pepper and anything else you like to add to your vegetables will do. He did not use anything exotic there.
I will go and update the blog too, to make it more clear. Thanks for pointing out this deficiency.

I love ratatouille and usually do eat it as an entree. I'm not a big carnivore so eating veggie based dishes for dinner is not unusual. I eat it over rice. I don't roast my veggies. I like it more as just a simple veggie stew type recipe. Eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic and lots of basil are my basics. I often add celery and carrots or other veggies that are around, some parsley is good. I like it pretty brothy to go with my rice. I like brown rice with it best but white is fine too and jasmine is perfect.