Ratatouille
Prep. Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
1.5 hours
Servings
26'' dish
Difficulty
Challenging
Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free
If you’ve ever seen Ratatouille, you know it’s not just a movie — it’s a reminder of how food can be an art form. This dish is an absolute showstopper, with its vibrant colors and satisfying combination of tender vegetables, all carefully arranged in a spiral for a stunning presentation. It’s a celebration of simple ingredients coming together in a way that feels both effortless and elegant. The best part? It’s as fun to make as it is to eat. Layering those veggies, watching them cook and shrink into their caramelized glory, feels like a mini victory every time.
What’s even better about this ratatouille is how versatile it can be. You can tweak the veggies or how you serve it, and still get the same warmth and rich flavor in this dish.
Ingredients
For the top veggies
4 Roma tomatoes
1 yellow zucchini
1 green zucchini
1 long sweet potato
Sauce as the basis - follow my marinara sauce recipe
1/4 cup filtered water
Drizzle on top
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp rosemary, dried or fresh
1 tsp Thyme, dried or fresh
1 tsp ground black peppercorn
1 tbsp salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
To an oven-safe round dish (inner diameter of 9-10''), pour the marinara sauce and spread evenly.
Rinse and slice the vegetables, and place each in a separate plate or bowl.
Start positioning the sliced raw veggies so that they form a crowded spiral (the slices should overlap each other nearly entirely - see picture gallery for visualization) until you complete a full circle. Then create the inner circle until there is no more visible room in the dish. Feel free to stick more slices in between small remaining gaps. Those won't affect the orderly style of this beautiful dish, but can definitely make it more condensed, as it should be.
On top of the raw veggies, generously drizzle olive oil, then sprinkle the herbs and salt, and add the water to the edges of the dish (try to avoid washing the veggies).
The purpose of the water is to keep the dish moist during baking at high temperature. This helps soften the veggies as well as prevents it from drying and burning.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hour.
Remove the foil, and put the dish back in the oven for additional 15 minutes, to allow some of the remaining liquids evaporate, and the veggies to roast and become golden on top.
When everything is roasted to a beautiful finish, let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Feel free to 'play' with which veggies you pick for this dish. Chinese or Japanese eggplant and potatoes also pair well here. So long as you create a colorful combination and stay mindful about the textures (for example, starchy options vs more lean veggies), a great result is guaranteed!
Instead of a tomato sauce as a basis, you can easily use clear broth.
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I love ice-cream cakes, and it is so hard to find vegan ones in stores, so I knew at some point I'd want to try and whip a recipe up, but one thing that's always a factor for me is whether or not it'll be a time-consuming project or not. If I need to use my mixer, food processor or oven, it means I need to plan for more dishes and more time spent on this, and that's where I sometimes hold off on exploring and developing new recipes. I was not only aiming for an easy-to-make recipe here, but also one that requires very few ingredients and as allergen-friendly as possible. This makes it a store-in-the-freezer dessert for when I have unexpected guests, or when we are on the road and want an indulgent treat.
Made primarily from raw pistachio butter, coconut cream and almond flour, this easy no-bake cake is elemental and holds texture and flavor impressively. Compliments are guaranteed!