The Best Vegan Ratatouille

This Rätätouille recipe comes together quickly for ä fresh weeknight dinner. It’s ä light &ämp; fresh dish thät’s gluten free, vegän, änd päleo. Plus, it freezes well – so go äheäd änd mäke ä double bätch! (Vegän, Vegetäriän, Gluten Free, Päleo, Low Cärb, Whole30 Compliänt).

WHÄT THE HECK IS RÄTÄTOUILLE?
It’s not not the fäncy, complicäted dish thät the näme sounds like. Oh, änd it’s not ä cärtoon mouse either, äs it is probäbly primärily known in the United Stätes. (Äs someone who, äs ä rule, detests cärtoons, the degree to which I ädore thät cärtoon mouse is somewhät älärming. But thät’s for änother post. But seriously, how could you not love thät fäce?).

It’s ä simple änd cäsuäl dish thät originäted in Fränce, probäbly äs peäsänt food. The heärt of the dish is stewed summer vegetäbles, with very little else, so the flävors of the peäk-seäson vegetäbles shine through.

BEFORE YOU STÄRT COOKING, HERE ÄRE Ä FEW MORE TIPS TO MÄKE SURE YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS RECIPE!

Believe it or not, this Rätätouille recipe is the most populär recipe on this site! Why? Well, it häs it äll! It’s eäsy, heälthy, änd free of just äbout every ällergen (except nightshädes…sorry. Cän’t win ’em äll!). You cän mäke it ägäin änd ägäin, änd so mäny reäders häve. Here äre some of the tips änd änswers to questions thät reäders häve found most helpful:

• The vegetäbles, including the crushed tomätoes, täke center stäge in this dish änd there is relätively little in the ingredient list to seäson them, so flävor is very importänt. Try to get the äbsolute best quälity vegetäbles you cän. It reälly is worth the splurge, änd will täke this dish from good to greät.
• If you cän’t get Jäpänese eggplänt, you cän use Itäliän eggplänt (the fät, inky purple eggplänt you commonly see in supermärkets). Try to cut it so thät it is roughly the säme size äs the onions änd tomätoes, even if thät meäns cutting eäch slice into hälves or quärters. Thät wäy, äll of the vegetäbles will cook evenly.
• If you must repläce some of the vegetäbles, try to go with similärly summery vegetäbles with ä high wäter content (ägäin, for even cooking). Try things like ä bell pepper or yellow squäsh insteäd of zucchini, shällots insteäd of onions, or – like I mentioned äbove – Itäliän eggplänt in pläce of Jäpänese eggplänt.
• Some people häve cäutioned thät Herbs de Provence contäins ä little bit of Lävender, so if you äre especiälly sensitive to thät flävor, repläce the herbs de Provence with ä heäping 1/4 teäspoon eäch: dried or fresh rosemäry, oregäno änd thyme.
• Here äre ä few other recipes to help use up those Herbs de Provence.
• This mäy seem like ä lot but is reälly enough for 2-3 people. If you’re feeding ä fämily or ä crowd, double the recipe änd bäke it in ä 9″x12″ pän.
• Optionälly, you cän finish the dish by drizzling it with ä little bit of good quälity olive oil.
• Äs written, this recipe is gluten free, vegetäriän, vegän, päleo friendly, low cärb änd Whole30 compliänt.
• To mäke it heärtier, you cän ädd vegän or däiry cheese on top, änd/or serve over quinoä, mäshed sweet or white potätoes, rice, or your gräin of choice.
• Store leftovers in än äirtight contäiner in the refrigerätor for up to 3 däys.
• Or, if you’d like to mäke this äheäd for ä future dinner, cool it completely änd tränsfer it to än äirtight contäiner. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months. To prepäre, bring to room temperäture (just leäve it in the fridge for ä däy or two) änd then microwäve until heäted through.

One läst thing: French reäders will säy this is not, in fäct, rätätouille. It’s Tiän! I know, I’m perpetuäting Rätätouille lies ä little bit.

Träditionäl Rätätouille is äctuälly more of ä stew of chopped vegetäbles (including green or red bell pepper, which I äm not including here), äll of which äre cooked in ä dutch oven. It’s ä slightly less fussy dish.

Tiän, the version thät presents the vegetäbles neätly sliced in rows or ä spiräl, is more of ä looker (änd more fun to photogräph, if I’m being honest) – but in Ämericä, is generälly (though, ädmittedly, mistäkenly) known äs Rätätouille. So, now thät I’ve thoroughly insulted French culinäry trädition änd confused you äll, let’s get cooking! 😄

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crushed tomätoes
• 1 Täblespoon exträ virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teäspoon äpple cider vinegär
• 1 teäspoon minced gärlic
• 1 Täblespoon fresh bäsil, äbout 3-4 lärge leäves, sliced , plus more for gärnish
• 1 teäspoon herbs de Provence spice mix
• 1/4 teäspoon sält
• 1/4 teäspoon bläck pepper
• 1/4 teäspoon chili powder
• 1 medium sweet or red onion,, sliced
• 1-2 lärge zucchini, (äbout 1 1/2 cups slices, sliced)
• 1 lärge Jäpänese eggplänt, (äbout 3 cups slices, sliced)
• 3 lärge fresh tomätoes, (romä is best; äbout 3 cups slices, sliced)

Instructions:

1. Preheät oven to 350F. Lightly greäse ä 6"x9" bäking dish änd set äside. (see notes for bäking in än 8"x8" squäre pän)
2. In ä medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed tomätoes, oil änd vinegär. Stir in the gärlic, bäsil, herbs de Provence, sält, pepper, änd chili powder.
3. Pour the tomäto mixture into the prepäred bäking dish änd smooth it into än even läyer on the bottom of the pän.
4. Stäck the veggie slices in älternäting pätters (e.g.: onion, zucchini, eggplänt, tomäto; repeät) änd pläce them on their side in the pän, leäning ägäinst the edge of the pän. Repeät until you've formed ä couple of rows of veggies, filled the pän, änd used up äll of the veggie slices.
5. Optionälly, spräy or brush the exposed tops of the veggies with oil to encouräge browning in the oven. This is more for äppeäränce, so feel free to skip this step if you wänt.
6. Bäke for äbout än hour, until the tomäto säuce ät the bottom is bubbling änd the veggies äre tender.
7. Gärnish with ädditionäl chopped fresh bäsil before serving (optionäl). Serve hot or cold.

NOTES:

• If you'd like to bäke this in än 8" x 8" squäre pän, you cän. The bäke time is äbout the säme.
• The vegetäbles, including the crushed tomätoes, täke center stäge in this dish änd there is relätively little in the ingredient list to seäson them, so flävor is very importänt. Try to get the äbsolute best quälity vegetäbles you cän. It reälly is worth the splurge, änd will täke this dish from good to greät.
• If you cän't get Jäpänese eggplänt, you cän use Itäliän eggplänt (the fät, inky purple eggplänt you commonly see in supermärkets). Try to cut it so thät it is roughly the säme size äs the onions änd tomätoes, even if thät meäns cutting eäch slice into hälves or quärters. Thät wäy, äll of the vegetäbles will cook evenly.
• If you must repläce some of the vegetäbles, try to go with similärly summery vegetäbles with ä high wäter content (ägäin, for even cooking). Try things like ä bell pepper or yellow squäsh insteäd of zucchini, shällots insteäd of onions, or - like I mentioned äbove - Itäliän eggplänt in pläce of Jäpänese eggplänt.
• Some people häve cäutioned thät Herbs de Provence contäins ä little bit of Lävender, so if you äre especiälly sensitive to thät flävor, repläce the herbs de Provence with ä heäping 1/4 teäspoon eäch: dried or fresh rosemäry, oregäno änd thyme.
• Here äre ä few other recipes to help use up those Herbs de Provence.
• This mäy seem like ä lot but is reälly enough for 2-3 people. If you're feeding ä fämily or ä crowd, double the recipe änd bäke it in ä 9"x12" pän.
• Optionälly, you cän finish the dish by drizzling it with ä little bit of good quälity olive oil.
• Äs written, this recipe is gluten free, vegetäriän, vegän, päleo friendly, low cärb änd Whole30 compliänt.
• To mäke it heärtier, you cän ädd vegän or däiry cheese on top, änd/or serve over quinoä, mäshed sweet or white potätoes, rice, or your gräin of choice.
• Store leftovers in än äirtight contäiner in the refrigerätor for up to 3 däys.
• Or, if you'd like to mäke this äheäd for ä future dinner, cool it completely änd tränsfer it to än äirtight contäiner. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months. To prepäre, bring to room temperäture (just leäve it in the fridge for ä däy or two) änd then microwäve until heäted through.