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Roasted Veggie Ratatouille: A French Fall Classic

The French classic ratatouille is a fantastic fall side dish! Filled with in-season veggies like zucchini, squash, eggplant, and tomato, ratatouille pairs well with fattier meats and fish (like tuna). For a meatless entree, serve it with some creamy polenta, pasta, or crusty bread.

This roasted veggie ratatouille is my favorite – the roasting of all the vegetables individually before combining, allows the flavors to remain distinct. Roasting also helps the dish from becoming too watery, a common complaint with ratatouille.

Roasted Veggie Ratatouille

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When we belonged to Fresh Fork Market, a local CSA, the owner put out this recipe for ratatouille in one of the deliveries. He later came up with a second variation and I’ve noted those items below. The original is my preferred of the two and even those who would normally never touch eggplant have enjoyed a helping or two of that version!

Roasted Veggie Ratatouille Recipe

  • 2 cups chopped zucchini (1-2 small/medium)
  • 2 cups chopped yellow squash (1-2 small/medium)
  • 2-4 cups chopped eggplant (1 medium/large, can peel it or not, the peel adds an additional nice color)
  • 2-3 whole cloves of garlic, still in their paper
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 5-6 cups roughly chopped tomato (5-6 large tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, squash) by cutting into half-inch to one-inch cubes. Keeping the veggies separate, toss with olive oil and salt then place on an oiled or parchment-lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Add the garlic (in skins) as well. Roast in a 400-425 degree oven, turning once or twice until they start to have color, and a lot of the water is baked out. Remove each ingredient as it finishes (they won’t be at the same time).

Meanwhile, prep the tomatoes. To skin them (optional), bring a pot of water to a boil. Slice a small ‘x’ in the bottom of each tomato and drop into boiling water for about one minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes and set in a bowl of ice water. Peel back and discard the skin. Roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the roasted vegetables as well as the garlic (pressed from the skins after roasting). Saute a few minutes then add the tomatoes and stir regularly, until the veggies start to take on one character (20-30 minutes). Add basil towards the end of cooking time.

Saute onions and optional bell pepper.
Add roasted veggies and tomatoes and let simmer.

Season to taste with salt and pepper as well as a tablespoon or two of honey. The honey is another secret to this recipe as it helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes and makes for a very smooth tasting ratatouille.

Variation: Add 1 roughly chopped bell pepper (any color) and saute along with the onions. For a thinner ratatouille, add tomato sauce along with the chopped tomatoes until you reach the desired consistency.

NOTE: I personally prefer ratatouille a bit chunkier and with less liquid. The second variation, with bell pepper and tomato sauce, is shown in this post.

Roasted Veggie Ratatouille

Serve as a side dish or as a stand-alone meatless meal! It works well with polenta, pasta, rice or crusty bread.

Roasted Veggie Ratatouille

Check out some of my other tried & true recipes HERE.


Roasting the vegetables and a dash of honey are the unique twists in this recipe's take on a classic French ratatouille.

One thought on “Roasted Veggie Ratatouille: A French Fall Classic”

  1. This looks so delicious, Betsy! I must confess, I never knew what Ratatouille was. I think I first heard the name in a children’s book, but never knew what it was. We have all the fresh vegetables in the recipe, here in Chiatura. I’ll be sure and try making it when we move in our house and have an oven. Thanks so much for sharing!

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