Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

You’ll find a similar recipe in my first cookbook, but I prefer this version now. These are my notes from recipe testing and you’ll find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Peppers: red taste best, because they’re the fully ripe version. If you prefer yellow or orange peppers, feel free to use them instead.
• Zucchini: use any type of summer squash for this, depending on what you have on hand. Just make sure to cut it into pieces about the same size as everything else.
• Tomatoes: ripe cherry tomatoes are best. If you want to use larger tomatoes, try to choose a type that’s less watery, like a roma or paste tomato.
• Onion: smaller is better for this recipe. Shallots are the best substitute for onion and are even preferable if you can get them.
• Garlic: the garlic is roasted with the skin on. Place it somewhere that you won’t forget about it when plating, as it will need to be peeled before serving.
• Oil: my preference is for extra virgin olive oil, but you can use your preferred cooking oil.
• Vinegar: a splash of balsamic vinegar cooks down into a sweet, complex sauce along with the oil and vegetable juices. There isn’t an excellent substitution but you can use apple cider vinegar if that’s all you have. I’ve also made this with dry red wine.
• Herbs: herbes de Provence or something similar. If you don’t have the blend, use dried thyme, oregano, and basil instead.

How to Make Ratatouille

The easy way! Don’t be afraid to crowd the vegetables in the baking dish – you’re not roasting to get crisp edges like with roasted potatoes, but for a bit of caramelisation and to create a sauce in the pan. The method is similar to tomato confit, but with less oil.

Step 1: add all of the ingredients to a baking dish or small baking sheet. They should be a little crowded so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate while in the oven.

Step 2: roast the vegetables until soft and starting to brown, about 50 minutes. It might be longer than you expect but because the vegetables are slightly crowded, it takes longer to caramelise without losing the natural juices from them.

Related: Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Yogurt

Expert Tips for the Best Ratatouille

• Make it in summertime: like most French dishes, this relies on excellent, in-season produce to shine. There’s no point in making it with imported greenhouse tomatoes and zucchini that tastes like water.
• Serve with a grain: try garlic bulgur, my go-to, or another grain like rice, quinoa, or spelt. This can also be served with pasta or bread.
• Season to taste: try the vegetables after roasting and add an extra sprinkle of salt if needed, to your personal taste. Consider the amount in the recipe card to be a starting point – I always add more, but do cook with a lot of salt.
• Add pesto: a drizzle of pesto is fantastic here. Try standard basil pesto or something a little different with carrot top pesto or rocket pesto.

More Summer Recipes

Not only for France – I don’t live there anymore – but good with any summer produce, these are the recipes I make from my garden or what I can get at the market in July, August, and into September.

• For another easy main, try this late summer vegetable frittata with red peppers and mushrooms, or summer roasted vegetable baked eggs. If you prefer not to eat eggs, try roasted summer vegetable pasta instead.
• If you have all of these vegetables on hand – if you’re a keen gardener, for example – these summer soups are a great way to use them and can be frozen for later. Make this roasted red pepper soup, sweet potato and red pepper soup, or my personal favourite, roasted tomato, zucchini, and eggplant soup.
• To serve as part of a larger spread I like to have these garlic green beans or a fresh, light salad like this cucumber melon salad on the table too. I usually serve with bulgur or another cooked grain and plate the ratatouille over the grains. Depending on how you serve this, it can be a starter, side, or main dish.