"Anyone can cook" is the motto of Auguste Gusteau, spiritual guide/fairy godfather in my all-time favorite animated film, Disney's Ratatouille—and this easy recipe is proof that it’s true! Even though it looks fancy AF, this showstopping version of a classic French peasant dish requires just a handful of ingredients, a very sharp knife and a bit of patience.
The first time I saw the movie Ratatouille, I immediately felt kinship with little Remy, the rat who aspired to become a chef. While I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where cooking from-scratch dinners was the norm, I know it gives a lot of people anxiety. But much like Remy’s idol Gusteau, I truly believe that anyone can cook, and cook well!
This Disney film-inspired ratatouille is a secretly simple dish featuring an assortment of thinly sliced late summer vegetables like eggplant, red and yellow peppers, and summer squash baked in a rich tomato sauce for an upscale twist on a classic French stew. It’s stunningly beautiful and bursting with flavor, making it an ideal side dish or vegetarian main.
In the movie, the combination of comforting flavors and polished presentation are enough to win over notorious food critic, Anton Ego. In real life, this fancy ratatouille is certain to impress even the snobbiest foodies at the table. It’s also inexpensive and great for prepping ahead, making it one of my favorite dishes for hosting the holidays on a budget.
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Why You’ll Love Remy's Ratatouille
- Dazzling & Doable - Just because my ratatouille looks Thomas Keller-fancy, it doesn't mean that it's hard to make. While making this exquisitely tasty dish takes a little bit of time (about 20 minutes to prep the fresh produce and 20 minutes to assemble), all you need is a bit of patience. A good playlist and a glass of wine helps, too!
- Fresh & Flavorful - Seven types of fresh vegetables and a bevy of dried and fresh herbs combine forces to make a bright, cheerful dish that’s bursting at the seams with crave-worthy flavors. There’s enough interest for it to be a standalone meal, but it’s also excellent as a celebratory side dish.
- Crowd-Pleasing Comfort - Just because it looks like it could be served at a Michelin-starred restaurant doesn’t mean it’s hoity-toity. This Ratatouille-style ratatouille is French cooking at its finest—impressive enough for company and yummy enough for kids.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You don’t need a ton of ingredients to make a movie-ready version of Disney’s ratatouille recipe. Here’s what to grab:
- Olive Oil - Just your normal cooking oil is perfect.
- Yellow Onion - I love the sweet flavor and soft texture of sautéed yellow onions. Feel free to swap in red onions or shallots for a similar result. White onions can also work, but they’ll be less sweet and maintain a more al dente “bite.”
- Red Bell Pepper & Yellow Bell Pepper - Using two colors of peppers isn’t strictly necessary, but I appreciate the extra visual pop. Red, orange, and yellow peppers can all be used interchangeably.
- Garlic Cloves - Fresh garlic tastes best, but using jarred minced garlic works if you need to shave some time off of prep. I personally like to buy pre-peeled fresh garlic at Costco and keep it in the freezer as a shortcut.
- Tomato Sauce - You can also use canned crushed tomatoes or equal parts tomato paste thinned with water.
- Eggplant - My CSA usually offers slender Japanese eggplant, which can be sliced without halving or quartering. Feel free to use any variety you have, but cut the pieces so they’ll be approximately the same size as the tomatoes and squash pieces.
- Zucchini & Yellow Squash - Again, you don’t have to use two colors of squash, it just adds a bit of visual interest. Feel free to use any variety of summer squash (e.g. zephyr, patty pan, or crookneck) you have on hand.
- Tomatoes - Meaty varieties like Roma tomatoes are preferred. If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, I love the Kumato variety—they’re greenish-purple and sweet like some of my favorite heirlooms, but with fewer seeds.
- Dried Basil, Dried Thyme, & Dried Oregano - A classic flavor combination. If you only have fresh herbs, use 3x as much.
- Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt, & Black Pepper - A bit of heat and seasoning helps balance out the sweet, savory, and acidic flavors of the veggies. Feel free to add more or less red pepper flakes depending on your spice tolerance.
- Fresh Basil & Thyme - Using fresh herbs in addition to dried ensures a nice pop of color to pair with the herbaceous flavors. You can also use fresh parsley if you like.
- Goat Cheese & Crusty Bread - Optional, for serving. Feel free to swap in salty feta cheese for a squeakier consistency, creamy mascarpone for a less tangy flavor, or use dainty toast points for a more polished presentation.
How to Make Disney's Ratatouille Recipe
This easy, flavorful vegetable side dish comes together in just a few simple steps:
Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet (or other oven-safe dish like a large saucepan, casserole pan, or 10-inch cake pan) on the stove top over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onions, yellow and red peppers, plus a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Step 2: Finish Sauce. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for a few minutes while you prep the vegetables.
Step 3: Assemble. Remove the sauce from heat. Spread the sauce evenly on the bottom of the entire dish, then arrange vegetables in a spiral pattern of concentric circles starting from the outer edge of the pan working inwards. Think of holding cards for a game of poker, slightly fanning them out.Take a handful of veggie "cards" and spread them along the edge of the pan in a single layer, slightly shingling them. Continue until all veggies are gone and spiral is complete.
Step 4: Sprinkle the top of the vegetables with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Step 5: Combine all the ingredients for the flavored olive oil in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush oil and herbs evenly over all the vegetables.
Step 6: Bake & Serve. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender. Serve with toast points or crusty french bread and softened goat cheese. Enjoy!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Vegan Ratatouille - Simply omit the cheese to serve it—everything else is naturally vegan-friendly! (You may want to double check your bread label to be safe, too.)
- Individual Portions - To get a smaller, single-serve portion that looks like what Remy sent out to Anton Ego, line up multiple ring molds in your skillet. Layer sauce on the bottom, then arrange veggies in each ring mold before baking. When you’re ready to serve, use a spatula to move a whole ring mold and the sauce underneath to a plate, then gently remove the ring.
- Different Ingredients - While this tian sticks to the traditional ratatouille ingredients of eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and tomato, you could certainly achieve a similarly beautiful result with other veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes (check out my maple harissa sweet potato tian), or onions. Feel free to experiment! Here are a few ideas:
- Shortcut: You could use a jarred tomato based sauce if you're short on time or don't have things on hand to make your own.
- TexMex: Use a spicy restaurant-style salsa, taco seasonings instead of dried herbs, and switch in cilantro for the fresh basil and thyme to make a TexMex tian.
- Creamy: Feeling indulgent? Try using a bechamel sauce or mornay as your base instead of herby tomato sauce.
- Cheesy: Change up the kind of cheese you serve it with. While I love fresh goat cheese (chevrè), maybe you're more of a ricotta or mascarpone or burrata lover. Or try adding parmesan before you bake it. The options are nearly endless!
Expert Tips
- Cut to size. The best way to ensure a perfectly cooked ratatouille is to get the vegetables cut to the same thickness. I love using a mandoline with a 1.5mm guard for perfectly uniform pieces, but you can achieve a similar result with a sharp knife, a cutting board, and concentration. If possible, I also recommend looking for vegetables that are roughly the same diameter, or cutting larger elements like the eggplant into quarters to match your other veggies.
- Different sizes = different cook times. The thickness of your veggies and the size/material of your baking pan will affect how long your ratatouille tian takes to bake. Thinner slices and cast-iron cookware will make things go more quickly than thicker slices and glass/porcelain bakeware.
- Keep ‘em separate. Once you slice everything, it's easiest if you keep the sliced vegetables in their own separate piles on a (preferably parchment paper-lined) sheet pan. Then, act like you're playing a game of poker (or Go Fish!) and arrange a single fanned out grouping of veggies in your hand to make it easy to layer.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigeration. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors actually deepen as it sits, making it even more delicious the following day. (If you are using an enameled skillet, you can also wrap that well with plastic wrap and foil if you prefer. Just don’t leave the tomato sauce in un-enameled cast-iron for extended periods as it can damage the pan’s seasoning and negatively impact the flavor of the ratatouille.)
- Freezing. Ratatouille freezes well! Transfer cooled portions into freezer-safe containers or a well-wrapped freezer-safe baking dish and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating. Warm gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat until hot, or reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15–20 minutes. You can also microwave individual portions in 1-minute bursts until warmed through.
- Prep ahead. The tomato-pepper sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Vegetables can be sliced a day ahead and stored in airtight containers with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture for easy assembly.
Serving Suggestions
This Disney ratatouille is versatile enough to shine as either a main dish or a colorful side. I love mine with a little softened goat cheese and crisp garlic bread made from crusty sourdough ciabatta for swiping up every drop of that rich sauce. You could also spoon it over couscous, rice, or orzo, or pile it high on a large-format crouton for a rustic, French-inspired meal.
For extra protein (and a brunch-y vibe), top it with a fried egg and let the yolk mingle with the tomato-pepper base. Pair it with a glass of fruity red wine like pinot noir, and you’ve got a cozy vegetarian dinner spread worthy of dear friends gathered around your table. The jewel-toned layers make it perfect for special occasions—a stunning side that doubles as a centerpiece.
FAQs
Traditional ratatouille is made with a mix of late-summer vegetables—most commonly eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic—all simmered together with olive oil and fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or basil. Some versions, like this Disney-style one, layer thinly sliced vegetables over a rich tomato and pepper sauce before baking.
The secret of a good ratatouille is layering flavor while respecting the vegetables. For this tian-style ratatouille, start with a rich saucy base, then make sure your vegetables are sliced evenly so they cook at the same rate. Brushing them with herbed olive oil helps lock in moisture and flavor. Finally, give it time: slow cooking or baking allows the vegetables to soften, meld together, and create a nice balance of sweetness, savoriness, and herbal depth.
The “fancy” version of ratatouille is often considered the confit byaldi, popularized by chef Thomas Keller at his restaurant The French Laundry and featured in the movie Ratatouille. Instead of stewing all the vegetables together, the fancy version arranges thin, even slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes in a beautiful spiral or shingled pattern over a rich tomato-pepper sauce. The vegetables are brushed with herbed oil, covered, and baked slowly until tender, then uncovered at the end to caramelize slightly. The result is a dish that looks like art on the table!
In the movie Ratatouille, the dish Remy serves to Anton Ego is confit byaldi, a refined tian-style take on traditional ratatouille created by chef Thomas Keller. Instead of a rustic vegetable stew, Keller’s version layers paper-thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes in a beautiful spiral over a slow-cooked tomato and bell pepper sauce. It’s baked gently until the vegetables are tender and infused with herbed olive oil, creating a dish that’s as stunning to look at as it is delicious to eat.
A tian is a traditional Provençal dish named after the shallow clay vessel it’s baked in. It’s typically made by layering sliced vegetables—like zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and sometimes potatoes—along with olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs. While ratatouille is usually stewed, this tian-style interpretation is baked in the oven, allowing the vegetables to soften while the top develops a light golden crust.
More Easy Vegetarian Dishes
Disney's Ratatouille Recipe
Ingredients
Tomato Pepper Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion diced fine
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced fine
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced fine
- 5-10 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 can Tomato Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes optional
- Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Ratatouille Vegetables
- 1 medium Eggplant sliced thinly, quartered if necessary
- 2 Zucchini sliced thinly
- 2 Yellow Summer Squash sliced thinly
- 5 Tomatoes meaty variety like Roma, sliced thinly
- Kosher Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Herbed Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil chiffonade
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes optional
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
To Serve
- 6 oz Softened Goat Cheese
- Toast Points
Instructions
- Make sauce. Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet (or other oven safe skillet) until shimmering. Add onions and bell peppers, plus a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Add remaining sauce ingredients and allow to simmer for a few minutes while you prep the vegetables.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 medium Yellow Onion, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, 5-10 cloves Garlic, 1 can Tomato Sauce, 1 teaspoon Dried Basil, 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano, 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt and Pepper
- Remove sauce from heat. Spread evenly on bottom of pan, then arrange vegetables in a spiral pattern starting from the outside of the pan. Think of holding cards for a game of poker, slightly fanning them out. Take a handful of veggie "cards" and spread them along the edge of the pan. Continue until all veggies are gone and spiral is complete.Sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.1 medium Eggplant, 2 Zucchini, 2 Yellow Summer Squash, 5 Tomatoes, Kosher Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes
- Combine all ingredients for herbed olive oil in small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush oil and herbs over all vegetables.2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil, 2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves, 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano, 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, 4 cloves Garlic
- Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender.
- Serve with toast points and softened goat cheese. Enjoy!6 oz Softened Goat Cheese, Toast Points
Notes
- Cut to size. The best way to ensure a perfectly cooked ratatouille is to get the vegetables cut to the same thickness. I love using a mandoline with a 1.5mm guard for perfectly uniform pieces, but you can achieve a similar result with a sharp knife, a cutting board, and concentration. If possible, I also recommend looking for vegetables that are roughly the same diameter, or cutting larger elements like the eggplant into quarters to match your other veggies.
- Different sizes = different cook times. The thickness of your veggies and the size/material of your baking pan will affect how long your ratatouille tian takes to bake. Thinner slices and cast-iron cookware will make things go more quickly than thicker slices and glass/porcelain bakeware.
- Keep ‘em separate. Once you slice everything, it's easiest if you keep the sliced vegetables in their own separate piles on a (preferably parchment paper-lined) sheet pan. Then, act like you're playing a game of poker (or Go Fish!) and arrange a single fanned out grouping of veggies in your hand to make it easy to layer.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigeration. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors actually deepen as it sits, making it even more delicious the following day. (If you are using an enameled skillet, you can also wrap that well with plastic wrap and foil if you prefer. Just don’t leave the tomato sauce in un-enameled cast-iron for extended periods as it can damage the pan’s seasoning and negatively impact the flavor of the ratatouille.)
- Freezing. Ratatouille freezes well! Transfer cooled portions into freezer-safe containers or a well-wrapped freezer-safe baking dish and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating. Warm gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat until hot, or reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15–20 minutes. You can also microwave individual portions in 1-minute bursts until warmed through.
- Prep ahead. The tomato-pepper sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Vegetables can be sliced a day ahead and stored in airtight containers with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture for easy assembly.
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