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One-pot layered ratatouille
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One-Pot Layered Ratatouille

One-Pot Layered Ratatouille transforms classic French cuisine into a visually stunning and delicious vegetarian meal. Thinly sliced Japanese eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes are artfully arranged over a robust tomato sauce infused with aromatic herbs.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Vegetable Salting Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Chula King

Equipment

  • Food Processor with 3mm blade

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 Japanese eggplants (about 8 ounces) (See Tip 1)
  • 1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces) (See Tip 2)
  • 2 to 3 medium squash (12 to 16 ounces) (See Tip 2)
  • 3 Roma tomatoes (See Tip 2)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt
  • ½ cup olive oil, divided
  • ½ cup seeded and diced bell pepper (one medium)
  • 1 ½ cups chopped onion (one medium onion)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup tomato puree (See Tip 3)
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, roughly torn (See Tip 4)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, divided
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (See Tip 5)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Slice the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes into ⅛-inch slices using a food processor with a 3mm blade. (See Tip 6)
  • Place the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomato slices in a single layer on doubled layers of paper towels. Sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to help extract excess moisture. (See Tip 7)
  • After 30 minutes, blot the veggies with additional paper towels.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a 10-inch oven-safe braiser or skillet. Add onions, bell pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, basil, and 1 ½ tablespoons of thyme. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the tomato puree; stir to combine. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, or until thickened.
  • Stir in the vinegar and remove from the heat. Spread in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
  • Arrange the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and Roma tomatoes in concentric circles on top of the sauce. Start at the outer edge of the pan and work inward, alternating the vegetables and overlapping the slices so that just a little bit of each slice is visible. May be prepared in advance up to this point. (See Tip 8)
  • Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of thyme over the top.
  • Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until the vegetables are softened but are not browned around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with torn basil leaves if desired.
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings. (See Tip 9)

Video

Notes

  1. Japanese eggplants are long and slender. They are sweeter with thinner skin than regular globe eggplants, and are therefore ideal in this recipe. I would avoid substituting regular eggplant.
  2. For visual appeal, try to ensure that eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, and Roma tomatoes are the same diameter since they will be layered together.
  3. Tomato puree is thicker than tomato sauce and is therefore preferable to tomato sauce in this recipe.
  4. I prefer to tear the basil rather than cut it with a knife. If cut with a knife, the basil tends to quickly discolor.
  5. Red wine vinegar may be substituted for white wine vinegar.
  6. You might think it odd that I sliced the Roma tomatoes with a food processor. However, the food processor worked well because the Roma tomatoes were quite firm. An added benefit was that most of the watery seeds were naturally removed from the tomato slices.
  7. The zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and, to some extent, the eggplant all have a lot of moisture. Salting them is important to help extract the excess moisture before cooking. Otherwise, your ratatouille could be quite soupy.
  8. Once the veggies have been arranged on top of the tomato puree mixture, you can cover and refrigerate the dish for up to a day. If baked after being refrigerated, add about 5 minutes to the cooking time.
  9. This makes excellent leftovers - just reheat in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 893mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg