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Baked Ratatouille

Baked ratatouille (confit byaldi-style) made as a vegetable tian with thin-sliced zucchini, tomato, eggplant, and yellow squash baked until tender and caramelized. Layered in tight concentric circles over a quick herbed crushed-tomato sauce, then finished with olive oil, thyme, and parmesan.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: French
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vegetables
  • 1 eggplant Thinly sliced, about 1/8 inch.
  • 2 zucchini Thinly sliced, about 1/8 inch.
  • 2 yellow squash Thinly sliced, about 1/8 inch.
  • 4 roma tomatoes Thinly sliced.
Sauce
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 shallot Finely diced.
  • 4 cloves garlic Minced.
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme Fresh thyme leaves.
  • 0.5 tsp herbes de Provence
  • salt To taste.
  • pepper To taste.
Topping
  • extra olive oil For drizzling.
  • fresh thyme Extra thyme leaves for topping.
  • parmesan Optional topping to serve.
Serving
  • crusty bread Serve with, or substitute with polenta.
  • polenta Serve with or instead of bread.

Equipment

  • 1 Cast iron skillet

Method
 

Preheat and make the sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat and sauté diced shallot and minced garlic for 3 minutes.
  3. Add crushed tomatoes, fresh thyme, and herbes de Provence, then simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and spread the sauce on the bottom of the large oven-safe skillet or baking dish.
Slice and assemble the vegetable tian
  1. Slice all vegetables very thin (about 1/8 inch), using a mandoline if available.
  2. Arrange overlapping slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and roma tomatoes in tight concentric circles over the sauce, alternating colors.
  3. Drizzle generously with extra olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves.
Bake until tender and caramelized
  1. Cover with parchment and bake for 45 minutes at 375°F.
  2. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes at 375°F until vegetables are tender and edges are caramelized.
Serve
  1. Serve baked ratatouille with crusty bread or over polenta.

Notes

For best caramelization, slice all vegetables consistently thin (around 1/8 inch) and keep the circles tight so they steam less and brown more at the edges. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because the vegetables soften further after thawing. For a lighter option, use a reduced amount of olive oil for both the sauce and drizzle, while keeping the topping parmesan optional.