Ratatouille Toast
/Vegetarian - Nut-Free - Sugar-Free - Dairy-Free Option - Gluten-Free Option
This dish will make you feel like a pro in the kitchen/ Yet, it is incredibly easy to make. It’s literally chopping, tossing, roasting, and serving.
Ratatouille is a vegetable stew originating from Provence, a region in France. In France, Ratatouille is traditionally served with fish or paired with quiche. To learn more about the origins of Ratatouille, read on here.
Here in the United States, Ratatouille is often served as a side dish but can also be found as a main course served with bread, rice, or even over pasta. There is great debate over whether or not one should roast the vegetables individually and combine at the end or roast them mixed together from the start. For this recipe, I have chosen to roast all of the vegetables together because quite frankly, it’s a hell of a lot easier! Plus, I enjoy the way it smells and looks when the tomatoes burst and juices mix between the variety of vegetables.
This particular recipe is hearty enough to serve as a main meal. I recommend serving it with a simple side salad made of fresh greens, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice. If you are looking for an omnivorous meal, I imagine the Ratatouille would also be quite tasty served over grilled chicken or fish with salad and bread on the side. That said, I am not a traditional French cuisine enthusiast so I’m simply sharing what sounds good.
If possible, I recommend heading to your local farmers’ market to get the ingredients for this recipe. It will be a pleasurable experience all around, from start to finish. I used a mix of purchased ingredients from the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and our own garden.
Enjoy this delicious toast that is bursting with the flavors of late summer. I have no doubt that you will make audible sounds of pleasure with each bite of this goodness. Enjoy!
Ratatouille Toast
Prep: 15 min. * Cook: 40 - 45 min. *
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
1-pint cherry tomatoes, some whole & some halved
1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
1 medium zucchini, quartered and chopped into 1/2” pieces
Optional: 1 small yellow squash, quartered and chopped into 1/2” pieces
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2” pieces
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for toasting
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 loaf sourdough or farmhouse bread, sliced into thick slices
8 ounces goat cheese
Fresh basil, thinly sliced, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, eggplant, onion, and garlic into a 9 x 13” glass/ceramic dish or roasting pan. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. Stir to mix and coat all vegetables with oil and seasonings. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, uncovered, for 40 - 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, lightly browned, and tomatoes have released juices. Be sure to stir the vegetables halfway through roasting.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Lightly brush the bread with olive oil. Place the bread slices on the upper rack of the oven and broil for ~2 minutes, flip, and roast for 1-2 minutes more until the bread is lightly browned and crispy. Watch closely here!
Remove bread from the oven and spread with the desired amount of goat cheese. Top the with ratatouille, followed by some fresh basil. Enjoy every damn bite!
Pro Tips
Dairy-free: Omit the goat cheese or swap with your favorite dairy-free cheese of choice.
Gluten-free: Swap with your favorite choice of gluten-free bread or omit the bread and serve over gluten-free pasta or rice.
Prep: Chop vegetables in advance and store them in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to roast.
Storage: While this is best served immediately, you can store any leftover ratatouille in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat and enjoy when desired.
Re-purpose: Combine leftover ratatouille with a tomato sauce and serve over pasta or use as a veggie filling in lasagna.
Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
