Baked Ratatouille Tian

This healthy baked ratatouille tian is a beautiful and easy-to-make side dish that’s comforting and delicious.

I had some veggies in the fridge that were really needing to be used up so I went in search of recipe inspiration. I found a recipe for this beautiful baked ratatouille tian on Food to Glow that looked delicious and fun to make. I adapted the recipe to use what I had on hand and it turned out really tasty and paired nicely with some parmesan halibut and warm crusty bread.

Baked Ratatouille Tian

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, diced finely
• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, deseeded, diced
• 1½ cups passata **You can use tomato sauce
• Pinch of dried basil, to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• ¼-½ tsp good balsamic vinegar, to taste
• Pinch of sugar, to taste

Vegetables:

• 2 large (or 3 small) Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly **Cut all of the veggies the same thickness
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly **Cut all of the veggies the same thickness
• 1 medium yellow squash, sliced thinly **Cut all of the veggies the same thickness
• ½ eggplant, sliced thinly **Cut all of the veggies the same thickness (If the eggplant is too big, cut each slice in half and use half-moons)
• ½ orange bell pepper, sliced in thin pieces similar to the other vegetable sizes
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1-2 bay leaves

How to Make a Baked Ratatouille Tian

Make the sauce by heating the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, and cook stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Add the passata, balsamic vinegar, and sugar then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes while you prep the vegetables. After simmering, taste the sauce and re-season to taste, if needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Ladle the sauce into the baking dish and set aside to cool for a bit.

Layer the vegetables beginning at one end of the baking dish and start alternating the sliced vegetables in a semi-reclining, overlapping pattern.  Side Note: The pattern depends on what shape your baking dish is. 

Brush the vegetables with olive oil or garlic-infused olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, then top with a sprig of fresh thyme and a couple of bay leaves.

Cover loosely with tin foil then place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden on the edges, cooked through, and tender. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Serve with warm crusty bread. Enjoy.