Layered cheesy ratatouille

My Cheesy ratatouille is made with thinly-sliced vegetables layered on top of a sweet and tangy tomato & red pepper sauce, melty Gouda cheese and basil pesto and finally brushed with a an aromatic and flavorful garlic olive oil before baking until the vegetables are tender. This dish is the most beautiful and impactful vegetarian recipe you can make and is a true celebration of summer!

What makes this cheesy ratatouille so special?

My ratatouille recipe is a comforting vegetarian dish without a lot of calories! This dish is beautiful both to look at and to devour.

The best part about my recipe is all the hidden layers of flavor underneath the beautiful vegetable spirals. The layers of roasted red pepper tomato sauce, gouda cheese and basil pesto make this dish so flavorful and irresistible, unlike any ratatouille you might have had in the past.

Tips to make this beautiful cheesy ratatouille:

• It is best to use vegetables that are around the same diameter for the most beautiful presentation. Keep that in mind while buying vegetables for this dish.
• Use any fresh summer vegetables that you can find in this recipe. Bell peppers, yellow squash and fennel will make great additions/substitutions to this recipe. You could even use root vegetables like potatoes, parsnips or sweet potatoes!
• Using cheese is totally optional in this recipe. To make it vegan, either skip the cheese or use a vegan cheese replacement and make sure you use vegan pesto. I do recommend not skipping these layers if possible, as they add tons of flavor.
• Serve this ratatouille with a toasty baguette or any other bread to mop up the beautiful sauce.

Best dish to make this cheese ratatouille in

I love baking this dish in a cast iron pan since I can just bring the pan to the table and it makes for a beautiful and rustic presentation. This lodge pan is my absolute favorite cast iron pan and has served me well over the years and is certainly going to last me for lifetime. 

You could also make this cheesy ratatouille in a casserole dish or even a pie plate! Any oven safe dish will work for this recipe.

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media channels if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.

Recipe

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Ratatouille

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My Cheesy ratatouille is made with thinly-sliced vegetables layered on top of a sweet and tangy tomato & red pepper sauce, melty Gouda cheese and basil pesto and finally brushed with a an aromatic and flavorful garlic olive oil before baking until the vegetables are tender.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Bake Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French, Fusion, Italian

Servings 6 people

Equipment

Baking pan(s)

Blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the sauce:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ red onion finely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 large roasted red bell pepper from a 12oz jar
• ▢ 1 can tomato sauce (15oz)
• ▢ ¼ teaspon red pepper flakes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon italian seasoning or any mixed dried herbs of your choice
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ ½ cup shredded gouda cheese optional
• ▢ ¼ cup basil pesto

For the vegetable layer:

• ▢ 1 large asian eggplant (use 2 if small)
• ▢ 2 zucchini see notes
• ▢ 2 red onions
• ▢ 2 roma tomatoes

For the vegetable marinade:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon italian seasoning or any mixed dried herbs of your choice
• ▢ salt and pepper

• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

To make the sauce:

• Heat a saute pan on medium heat. Add in the oil and red onion and saute until translucent (around 5-7 minutes). Now add in the garlic and saute for a minute before adding in the red pepper flakes, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss the spices around for 30 seconds and then add in the tomato sauce and roasted red peppers. Cover the pan and let it simmer on medium low heat for around 15-20 minutes.
• After 15-20 minutes, turn off the heat and puree the sauce using a hand blender. Alternatively, you can let the mixture cool before pureeing in a regular blender.
• Transfer the sauce to the bottom of a baking pan/dish. I like using my cast iron pan for a rustic oven to table presentation. Top the sauce with the shredded gouda cheese (optional) and then spread over the basil pesto evenly.

To assemble the ratatouille:

• Preheat oven to 400F or 200C.
• Slice all the vegetables thinly (around ⅛th inch slices) either using a knife or a mandoline.
• Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade (except fresh parsley) in a large bowl. Toss the vegetables gently in the marinade using your hands.
• Now arrange the different vegetable slices once after the other and place them in concentric circles on the sauce mixture. If you are using a rectangular or square pan, you can arrange the vegetables in rows so that the entire pan is tightly packed. The vegetables will shrink while baking, so pack them in tightly.
• Bake in preheated oven for around 30 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned around the edges and the sauce is bubbling.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread of your choice.

Notes

1. Using cheese is totally optional in this recipe. To make it vegan, simply skip the cheese and using a vegan basil pesto.
2. It is best to use vegetables that are around the same diameter for the most beautiful presentation.
3. Use any fresh summer vegetables that you can find in this recipe. Bell peppers, yellow squash and fennel will make great additions/substitutions to this recipe.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @LimeThymeRecipes and tag #limethymerecipes

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