Italian Ratatouille Recipe Caramelized In The Oven (2024)

Published: Jun 3, 2019 · Modified: Oct 8, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This is an Italian version of the French ratatouille, quicker and healthier to make than a traditional one and you are not compromising in taste and creaminess. All vegetables are baked in the oven at once. Perfect dish for vegan vegetarian or regula meal.

Traditional ratatouille recipe

Traditionally the ratatouille is prepared by frying all the summer vegetables (peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomatoes) with herbs and spices typical from the South of France, like basil, garlic or Provencal herbs.

Instead, this recipe bakes all the vegetables in the oven for a couple of hours until they caramelize.

Not only is it much faster to make but the final result is creamier and tastier than the original one.

What vegetables for the ratatouille

Usually, the vegetables used for the ratatouille are eggplants, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. It is a typical summer dish.

To ensure eggplants and zucchini are not full of seeds, buy small to medium sizes and as thin as possible.

I never buy those giant zucchini you often find at the supermarket.

You can use red, green, or yellow peppers; I like to use all red for color.

In this recipe, I use tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. You can use either.

The tomato sauce makes it creamier, while the fresh tomatoes give them a lighter taste which I prefer if I serve it with seafood or fish.

Making the ratatouille

1. Prepare all the ingredients, wash, peel the eggplants, and cut all the vegetables into cubes
2. Grease with olive oil a large baking tray
3. Add all the vegetables, basil, and garlic season and stir. If you use tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes, leave it for later.
4. Bake in the oven at 180 C - 350 F for 30 minutes
5. Stir all the vegetables and put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes
6. Add the tomato sauce, stir, and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes
7. The ratatouille can be served immediately or the next day

What to serve with ratatouille

This Italian vegetable stew is versatile and can be served for a vegan, vegetarian, or regular meal.

It is perfect for dinner parties as you can make it ahead of time and warm it up just before serving.

A great solution for a weekday dinner, make a large quantity and will keep in the fridg for 4 days. Each day the flavor gets better.

Here are 30 dishes you can serve with ratatouille:

Vegan meal

For a vegan meal, you can serve it with potatoes, rice, pasta or polenta. Here are some ideas:

1. Pilaf rice
2. Pasta cooked the Italian way
3. Fried polenta cakes (in oil instead of butter)
4. Italian vegan: regular gnocchi, fluffy gnocchi, gnocchi with sweet, purple potatoes or chestnuts
5. Baked potatoes microwave and oven
6. Bruschetta
7. Farinata

In this recipe I serve it with boiled black rice, so healhy.

Vegetarian meal

Besides pasta, potatoes and rice, cheese and eggs are a perfect side options for this ratatouille:

1. Gnocchi alla Romana
2. Gnocchi a la Parisienne
3. Italian Cheese Bread
4. Vegetarian rice timbal
5. Baked pasta Anelletti
6. Grilled scamorza cheese
7. Fresh homemade pasta

Regular meal

This Italian ratatouille is the perfect side dish for any barbecue or roasted meat:

1. Arrosticini lamb or mutton
2. Brazilian picanha
3. Sicilian beef braciole
4. Homemade roast beef
5. Baked chicken cutlets
6. Chicken spiedini
7. Roasted chicken

You can also serve it with a boiled chicken you used to make chicken stock.

Fish:

1. Cod with potatoes
2. Baked salmon
3. Baked swordfish braciole
4. Baked swordfish wheel
5. Stuffed calamari in white wine sauce
6. Italian canned tuna loaf
7. Sea bream cooked in salt

Recipes with eggplants you might also like

For more eggplant recipes, check out the category: Vegetables

Also check the recipes below:

• Grilled zucchini eggplants and peppers
• Baked Eggplant Pasta Anelletti
• Aubergine caviar
• Deep Fried Eggplant Balls
• Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
• Pasta with Swordfish Ragu and Eggplants
• Vegetarian Rice Timbale with Grilled Eggplants Recipe
• Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
• Traditional Pasta Alla Norma with Eggplants

For more appetizers with eggplants, check out the story: 15 Authentic Italian Eggplant Recipes

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