This homemade baked ratatouille recipe has tons of flavor! Roasted garlic sauce is covered in paper-thin spiced vegetables. This would be perfect for an impressive summer dinner or appetizer! Originally posted June 24, 2015.

Ratatouille of sliced vegetables in iron pan on wooden table.
Table of Contents
  1. Why this recipe for Ratatouille is the best
  2. Why is it called Ratatouille?
  3. Baked Ratatouille ingredients
  4. How to make Ratatouille
  5. What to eat with this Ratatouille Dish
  6. Tools to Use for the Best Ratatouille Recipe
  7. How to store this Ratatouille Recipe
  8. Ratatouille Dish FAQs
  9. Best Ratatouille Recipe Recipe

Yesterday afternoon my sisters and I were hanging out eating cold pizza that was at LEAST 4 days old. And not just any 4-day old pizza: hot-dog stuffed-crust 4-day old pizza.

I thought we had reached the depths of trashiness, when Nikki turns from where she was standing at the counter: “I have to say, putting butter on your cold pizza is the way to go.”

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Extreme close up of sliced vegetables in ratatouille sprinkled with grated parmesan.

And there you have it my friends: What’s Wrong With America.

When I was little I used to be grossed out by how much butter my mom put on her rolls, but these days I’m the one slathering it on. Nikki was just telling me yesterday that when her friends comment on the yummy-looking food on my blog, she tells them, well yeah, if I started every recipe with a stick of butter, my food would be that good too. (Butter is where it’s at guys.)

layering sliced vegetables to make ratatouille with sauce.

Well, if butter-slathered cold hot dog pizza is what’s wrong with America, here’s what’s right about France: Ratatouille. More specifically, Roasted Garlic Ratatouille. Full of vegetables, and no butter in sight.

Why this recipe for Ratatouille is the best

The first time I had Ratatouille I was not exactly overwhelmed with joy. The vegetables were cooked right, they just didn’t have anything special about them. Then I added MORE: more roasted garlic, more seasoning in the form of a ranch dressing packet, and more flavors and textures by serving it on top of a slice of crusty, toasted French bread slathered generously in goat cheese. If you’re not drooling I don’t know what to tell you. I guess make this as soon as possible so you, too, can start craving veggies!

Why is it called Ratatouille?

Ratatouille comes from a French word meaning “to stir up.” Basically it was any kind of coarse stew where the ingredients were cooked just enough, not too much, so that they held together and retained their shape. Now it’s a dish of zucchini, squash, bell pepper, and eggplant, made beloved by that famous Pixar film we all love.

Baked Ratatouille ingredients

Here’s a quick shopping list so you can grab what you need at the store. Scroll down to the recipe card below for a complete list. 

  • Garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Heavy cream
  • White wine
  • Onion
  • Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning packet
  • Parmesan (fresh!)
  • Fresh thyme (optional)
  • Red bell pepper
  • Zucchini
  • Yellow squash
  • Eggplant (Italian or American)
  • Goat cheese
  • Crusty French bread

How to make Ratatouille

Have you ever had Ratatouille? I first heard of it from the movie, of course, and I tried my first traditional version just a couple months ago. Honestly? Kind of bland! After all that hype and rat endorsement, I was like really, this is it?

Sprinkling dip spice mixture over sliced vegetables for ratatouille.

Enter ranch dressing, king of flavor! I sprinkled a packet of ranch dressing mix into some of the roasted garlic sauce and on top of the veggies, and it was pretty magical. I made this here at my sister Nikki’s house and she LOVED it. I didn’t use an entire packet in the original version, and she kept going back to sprinkle more on top, even after it was baked. (No, she didn’t add butter this time.)

baked ratatouille in cast iron pan with sprinkled parmesan.

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this Ratatouille. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for complete instructions!

  1. Preheat your oven and roast your garlic.
  2. Mash the roasted garlic and add cream, wine, onion, and a small amount of the dip package. Add the Parmesan and stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Add fresh thyme to taste. Pour the sauce into a cast iron skillet and set aside.
  3. Slice the zucchini, squash, peppers, and eggplant. Layer the vegetables in the skillet with the sauce, starting on the outside edge. Sprinkle the remainder of the ranch packet over the vegetables.
  4. Bake the ratatouille, then serve with crusty French bread and goat cheese.

What to eat with this Ratatouille Dish

You could eat ratatouille with potatoes, polenta, couscous, pretty much any grain you can think of. I spread softened goat cheese on a slice of toasted French bread and put the veggies on top, like in this photo. SO GOOD. We ate nearly the whole pan, and then tonight I had a ratatouille taco with the leftovers.

bite of ratatouille on top of toasted baguette slice.

How to store this Ratatouille Recipe

Ratatouille can be kept covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for 2-3 months, as an entire dish or in individual portions. Make sure that they’re tightly sealed so they don’t get freezer burned.

Ratatouille Dish FAQs

Does Ratatouille have meat?

Ratatouille doesn’t traditionally involve meat, but I love meat and I give you permission to add it. Some Genoa salami or prosciutto would be nice tucked in here and there among the veggies. And just imagine when you get all that goodness on a piece of French bread spread with goat cheese, yummmm.

What’s the secret of a good ratatouille?

Having a little French rat hide under your chef’s hat, duh! If you can’t make that work, I recommend choosing high quality ingredients. I’m talking about fresh vegetables, fresh Parmesan, a nice bottle of olive oil, and seasoning everything with Ranch dressing mix. Of course the whole thing is ten times more amazing when you add some soft goat cheese and crusty French bread!

Why is my ratatouille watery?

The vegetables in your ratatouille are going to release moisture. As the ratatouille cooks, the moisture will release, and then the heat of the oven will evaporate the moisture. Your ratatouille may need a little longer in the oven if it’s still watery.

More summer dishes like this Baked Ratatouille

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Best Ratatouille Recipe

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
A ratatouille with tons of flavor! Roasted garlic sauce is covered in paper-thin spiced vegetables. This would be perfect for an impressive summer dinner or appetizer!

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup cream
  • 1 teaspoon white wine
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning packet, not made, divided
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan, fresh
  • thyme, fresh, optional
  • 1 long red bell pepper
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1 large yellow squash
  • 1 eggplant, *
  • Parmesan, grated, to garnish
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, softened, for spreading
  • French bread, crusty

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top of the head of garlic so that the inner flesh is revealed. Remove the papery layers on the outside that come off easily (don’t take them all off though, you want the head to remain intact.)
  • Place the head of garlic on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Wrap the foil around the garlic, place on a baking sheet, and roast for about 25 minutes.
  • When cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft cloves of garlic into a small saucepan. Mash with a fork. Turn the heat to medium and add cream, wine, onion, and 1 tablespoon of the dip package. When is starts to bubble slightly, add the Parmesan. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Add fresh thyme to taste, if you want.
  • Pour the sauce into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Set aside.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut out the top of the red bell pepper. Remove as much of the core as you can, leaving the pepper in it’s original shape. Use a sharp knife or mandoline to slice the pepper into rings.
  • Use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to slice the zucchini, squash, and eggplant.*
  • Layer the vegetables in the skillet with the sauce. Start on the outside edge. Layer them in whatever order you want, I did eggplant, zucchini, squash, then pepper. Continue layering until you run out of vegetables.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Sprinkle the remainder of the ranch packet over the vegetables. You don’t have to use all of it.
  • Cut out a circle of parchment paper that is about the size of your skillet and lay it on top of the vegetables. This keeps it from getting brown and dried out.
  • Bake at 375 for about 38-40 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  • Toast a slice of bread, spread it with goat cheese, and spoon some of the ratatouille on top. Enjoy!

Notes

*My grocery store sells Italian eggplants, which are long and skinny. They are perfect for ratatouille. If you can’t find one, buy a regular eggplant, half or quarter it lengthwise, then slice thin.
You can do a make-ahead version of this if you want. Make the sauce, store covered in the fridge. Slice all the veggies except the eggplant (it will get brown) and store in ziplocks or tupperware in the fridge. You can do this 2 days in advance. Assemble on the day of and bake a usual. Voila!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 774mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2568IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Calories: 348
Keyword: ratatouille, roasted garlic
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Not only is the presentation of this beautiful!, but when I walked into the party the smell of it turned noses! It was delicious! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Isn’t that the best feeling Stacey!! So glad it turned out well, thank you for coming back to comment and review! Super helpful!

  2. I made this for our Lent dinner at church. It was casserole night. Since I’m a vegetarian I always make something so I will have a meal I can eat. So far everyone loves the dishes I bring. But this dish was the hit of the night!! Comments are still coming to me. Plus everyone wants the recipe. Love it!!

    1. So happy to hear that Marki!! It’s definitely an impressive dish to bring to a get together :) Thanks for the review!!

  3. Am anxious to try this recipe!!  Sounds like it would taste fabulous!!!  The new Hidden Valley Ranch dressing that i would try first is the Avacado…….just love those green miracles!  But the Roasted Garlic and Cucumber also sound terrific too.  Any Hidden Valley Ranch dressing will be used up quickly in our house……..our most favorite brand!!

  4. My husband and I hosted our first Thanksgiving two years ago and made this recipe as a pre-meal snack (we eat consistently, all day long on Thanksgiving). This was such a hit that it’s been a holiday staple since. I’m back checking the recipe for Thanksgiving this year!!
    So beautiful and so full of flavor, definitely a hit with both of our families. It is the perfect side dish to bring if you don’t want to accidentally bring the same thing as someone else, too. Thank you for sharing. :)
    Happy Holidays!!

    1. That is so much fun Jenna! I never would have thought to make this for Thanksgiving! But yes, total show stopper. What a great idea! You can always be sure you’re not bringing the same thing as someone else, you are so right :) Happy Thanksgiving!

  5. The photos are beautiful and your description was so convincing I had to try it. Sadly it was not very good.

    First off, ratatouille does not have cream sauce, so the name should be something else altogether. Secondly, the visual appeal of this is really tied to finding eggplant, peppers and squash the same diameter (good luck). Assembling this was so tedious to even come close to the intended results. Lastly, after all that effort it was pale, milky, and very bland at best. Really not worth the effort. Perhaps skip the sauce and slice in some vine ripened tomato for a more authentic ratatouille.

    I can’t even understand a food writer recommending use of junk like powdered salad dressing. A fully sad and disappointing meal if it weren’t for bread and goat cheese to shine on their own merits without this dreadful excuse of a dish. Sorry but that’s how my entire family ranked this never to be made again mess.

    1. Wow Patricia! That was really harsh. My family and I liked it a lot, I’m sorry yours didn’t. If you don’t like “junk” powdered salad dressing, I recommend finding a recipe that doesn’t use it. Also, next time you comment on a food blog, try to remember that you’re talking to a person, not a computer.

  6. Can’t help but ask and I’m too impatient to read through these comments. Your pic sure looks like more than one zucchini and squash to fill that pan. And did you steam them or micro them first to get them to bend like that in the middle? I’m just trying to see what I’ll be up against once I start!

    1. Hey Hannah! No, that’s exactly the amount I used actually. When you slice them that thin, there is a lot to go around. :) And no, I didn’t microwave them, when you slice them thin enough, they become flexible. I highly recommend a manodline for this project! I hope it goes well!

  7. Bahaha when I saw an advertisement for that hot dog stuffed pizza, I said to Lucas, “this is what’s wrong with America” – but then…BUTTER! Haha. You are my hero.

    Also – could this ratatouille be ANY prettier?! Seriously – that takes some talent and dedication. And that first photo = <3 <3 <3.

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