Baked Ratatouille with White Beans is a traditional French dish with a twist. This recipe uses fresh vegetables, including eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and more, baked in the oven to create a simple and quick main dish.
Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal vegetable dish that originated in Nice. It’s one of those accidentally vegan recipes. It can be served hot or cold and is often enjoyed as a side dish, over pasta or rice, or as a topping for crusty bread.
Growing up in my house, my mom made ratatouille often, especially in the summertime when fresh vegetables like eggplant and zucchini are abundant. Back then, I wasn’t a big fan of eggplant. When cooked, the texture becomes mushy and unappetizing. But as I got older, I came to appreciate the simplicity and versatility of this dish, and my tastebuds matured.
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, and when cooked properly, it may even attract your kids’ attention. After all, there is a Disney movie named after this famous French dish!
What sets this recipe apart is the cooking method and the addition of white beans. I love ratatouille, but often, I don’t want to stand over the stovetop, keeping an eye on it while it cooks. That’s why baking is a fantastic alternative.
Using a large baking dish, add the vegetables and herbs, give it a good stir, and bake until they soften and meld together.
Adding white beans provides protein and texture to the dish. Serve with your favorite crusty bread, like a large chunk of sourdough or French baguette, and you have a lovely rustic French meal that the whole family will enjoy!
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Why You’ll Love Baked Ratatouille
Easy to Make: While it may take some time to chop the vegetables, this dish is simple to assemble, and all the baking time is hands-off!
Meal Prep Recipe: This is a great recipe for meal prep. Leftovers taste even better when the flavors of the herbs and vegetables have time to meld.
Versatile: It can be served as a side dish, a main course served with bread, or topped on pasta or rice, making it a versatile addition to any meal.
Vegan and Gluten-Free: This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. Depending on how you serve this recipe, you may want to consider gluten-free bread or pasta.
Ingredients and Notes
Eggplant: Look for a fresh eggplant that is firm, shiny, and deep in color.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash: These summer squash varieties come in various sizes. Choose a medium zucchini and yellow squash with a vibrant color that is firm to the touch.
Red and Orange Bell Peppers: You can use any two types of bell peppers that you choose. I like using red and orange for the variety of colors they add to the dish.
Onion and Garlic: The onions and garlic provide aromatics to the dish. If you choose, you can add more garlic to your liking.
White Beans: You’ll need one 15-ounce can of white beans, drained and rinsed. If you want more protein, add another can.
Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, and Tomato Paste: The liquid from the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste provide the needed liquid to cover the vegetables and cook them down. The tomato paste offers a rich flavor to the sauce.
Herbs: Dried basil and dried oregano are added with salt and pepper. Feel free to get creative and add other herbs, either fresh or dried.
How to Make Baked Ratatouille
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Dice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, onion, and mince garlic.
- Mix the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Add the diced vegetables and white beans to an oven-safe baking dish.
- Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the vegetables.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown.
- Serve the ratatouille hot with toasted sourdough bread or on top of your favorite pasta or rice.
Baking Tips
- Use fresh, in-season vegetables. Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables added with seasonal produce.
- Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces. That way, they bake evenly in the oven.
- Consider layering the vegetables in a spiral or overlapping pattern when assembling your ratatouille in the baking dish.
- Covering the dish with foil for the first part of baking helps the vegetables steam and cook. Then, remove the foil for the last part of baking to allow the vegetables to caramelize and develop flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Ratatouille is a versatile dish that can be served as a side dish to a larger main dish or as the star of the meal!
Bread: My favorite way to enjoy baked ratatouille is with crusty and toasted sourdough bread. I place the ratatouille on top of the bread and allow it to soak up all the juices from the dish.
Pasta: Another option is to serve ratatouille on top of your favorite pasta. I suggest chickpea pasta because it adds more protein to the dish and is gluten-free.
Rice: Another gluten-free option is to serve the ratouille on top of rice. I prefer long-grain brown rice with this recipe.
Storage
Fridge: Allow the baked ratatouille to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container and placing it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Leftovers taste amazing as the dish has more time to soak up the flavors of the herbs.
Freezer: This recipe also freezes well. Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Label the container with the contents and the date. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrost: When ready to enjoy, remove the container from the freezer and transfer it to the refrigerator to defrost overnight. It will take 8-10 hours to defrost, depending on the size of your container and the amount that is frozen.
Reheat: Place the leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the ingredients to warm to your desired temperature. Do not bring the mixture to a boil. This will reduce the sauce and cause the ratatouille to thicken.
Recipe FAQS
I recommend using a 9×13 or larger baking dish. If you use a larger baking dish, you may need to reduce your baking time since the layers of vegetables will be thinner.
Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal vegetable dish that originated in Nice. It typically consists of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, cooked in olive oil and seasoned with herbs like basil, thyme, and oregano. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold and is often enjoyed as a side dish, over pasta or rice, or as a topping for crusty bread. It’s known for its rich flavors and vibrant colors, making it a popular and visually appealing dish.
More Vegetable Main Dishes!
Recipe
Baked Ratatouille with White Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 medium yellow squash diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 cup yellow onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes canned
- 15 ounces tomato sauce canned
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For Serving
- 1 loaf sourdough or French baguette
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Dice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, onion, and mince garlic.
- Mix the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Add the diced vegetables and white beans to an oven-safe baking dish.
- Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the vegetables.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown.
- Serve the ratatouille hot with a side of toasted sourdough bread.
Notes
- Use fresh, in-season vegetables. Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables added with seasonal produce.
- Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces. That way, they bake evenly in the oven.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat until the desired temperature is reached.
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