Ratatouille – Julia Child
ShareJulia Child’s ratatouille;Â A simple and colorful vegetable casserole, using in season summer vegetables.Â
I hear or see ratatouille and immediately think rat patootie. I can’t help it. Blame Pixar and that completely adorable movie. I think I’ll make it a point to watch it again this week with my kids. It’s not their favorite but it’s definitely one of mine.
We’re coming into the home stretch of the JC100. If you’ve been following along, we’ve made everything from decadent chocolate desserts to fisherman’s stew and now a classic and very simple vegetable dish. Technically this is an eggplant based vegetable casserole, served as a side or main dish. It can be kept super simple or dressed up.
I opted to switch things up a bit, sautéing all of my vegetables in small batches. Even though I had tomatoes on hand, I decided to leave them out. You know my hatred for tomatoes. Instead, I spooned a tablespoon or so of tomato sauce into individual dishes then gently arranged my vegetables within the mini casserole dishes. This would be a perfect and slightly styled way to serve individual portions.
The original recipe calls for onions. And truthfully, I meant to add them in but it completely slipped my mind what with a 10 month old hanging onto my leg and other craziness going on. I’ll definitely add them in the future but I don’t think this was lacking at all without them. A few alterations in spices, per my normal routine… spice and heat is a must.
If you’re looking for a great seasonal recipe that is not only easy to make but a crowd pleaser, this is it. A variety of vegetables and flavors combined into one colorful dish.
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 small Italian eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 summer squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 C olive oil
- 8 oz tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Slice eggplant, zucchini, squash and bell pepper into 1/8" rounds. Add to a large bowl with minced garlic. Sprinkle with spices and seasonings. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat a large sautée pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. When pan is warm, add 1/3 of your vegetables. Tossing and flipping until slightly browned. Repeat with remaining olive oil and vegetables.
- In individual dishes (or one large oven safe dish), spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Arrange vegetable slices as desired. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until tender and sauce is bubbly.
- Serve warm with bread or as a side dish to a larger meal.
Notes
Celebrating 100 with Julia Child:
Week 1: Rolled omelette
Week 2: Chocolate mousse
Week 3: Coq au Vin
Week 4: Salade Niçoise
Week 5: Vichyssoise
Week 6: Reine de Saba
Week 7: Fillet Meunière
Week 8: Roast Chicken
Week 9: Charlotte Chantilly
Week 10: Bouillabaisse
This is gorgeous Rachel – LOVE the presentation1
This is so pretty. It could taste like total crap and I’d still want to eat it with that presentation. But I’m sure it tastes much better than that ;)
That is the prettiest ratatouille I’ve ever seen!
This looks amazing, I absolutely adore ratatouille!
pretty plating!
WOAH!!!! That looks like something you’d easily pay lots of monies for at a fancy restaurant. Stunning!
Wowzer Rach – this is BEAUTIFUL!!
Wow! This is gorgeous!
This is absolutely gorgeous! (And delicious looking…) I am adding this to my must make list!
Wow, not to sound like a broken record since pretty much everyone has said this – but seriously, gorgeous presentation!!
wow, this is really gorgeous and i love the way you displayed it. it’s great that it’s all veggies and i didn’t have any clue what ratatouille is until you posted this haha, i only think of that pixar movie as well ;)
This is so beautiful! I love all the pretty layers :)
I always think of the movie whenever I hear the word too :) This is so pretty!
That movie is awesome…and the recipe looks just how it did on screen :)
Wow, what a beautiful presentation!
Rachel–this is beautiful!!
This is completely gorgeous. I love the way you presented it. I always think of the same thing, Pixar ruined the word for all of us. In a good way though.
Seriously stunning presentation!!! I love it :)
this has got to be one of the prettiest presentations of ratatouille I have ever seen. I love the way you have this plated… crossing my fingers to get it close. I have cute individual little ramekins, maybe I’ll just serve it in them and not worry about making it balance standing up so perfectly like you did.
From one Rachel to another – love it!
I am shocked that you liked this! I thought for sure you would be an eggplant and squash hater! I love how they stayed together when you pulled them out of the dish!