Ratatouille can feel like a project — all those vegetables, all that layering. My version is less fussy, with roughly chopped eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes roasted at high heat until the edges caramelize and every component verges on jammy. I finish it with crumbled goat cheese and a swirl of basil pesto — both at home in the baked vegetable dishes of southern France.

A close-up of a pan filled with colorful baked ratatouille—roasted tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers—topped with crumbled cheese and green herb sauce on a light background.

What I love about roasting the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers (instead of stewing them in a soup pot) is that it concentrates their flavor. That magical sweetness is one reason roasted vegetables taste so good.

The Provençal logic behind this recipe

  • Roasting at 425° concentrates flavor instead of steaming it away — you get sweet, caramelized edges, not bland, soggy vegetables.
  • The base of tomato purée on the bottom of the dish reinforces the sauce as the vegetables bake, adding depth without any extra steps.
  • Goat cheese goes on after the oven, not before — it softens into creamy, tangy blobs from the residual heat, a finishing touch that actually changes the dish.

Mediterranean ingredients that make the dish

A wooden bowl filled with plum tomatoes and a garlic bulb is surrounded by ingredients for baked ratatouille—eggplant, orange bell pepper, red onion, fresh thyme, two zucchinis, and a red bell pepper on a marble surface.
  • The vegetables: Ratatouille is based on the summer vegetable triumvirate of southern France — eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes — rounded out with sweet bell peppers and red onion. These are the vegetables that ripen together, cook together, and frankly taste better together. Seek out small zucchini or yellow summer squash less than an inch in diameter — they have fewer seeds and less water — along with slender, glossy-skinned eggplant and the ripest tomatoes you can find. Lacking those, greenhouse-grown vine tomatoes or cherry tomatoes work well year-round.
  • Goat cheese: Fresh chèvre is what I use — the soft kind that comes in a log and crumbles easily. Its tangy flavor cuts through the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes in a way mozzarella never could. And it’s not an improvisation: Goat cheese is an authentic ingredient in the baked vegetable dishes of Provence, most notably the tian — a close cousin to ratatouille where the vegetables are sliced thin and layered into spirals rather than roughly chopped.
  • Pesto: This addition is mine to own. I figured that since basil practically grows like a weed in the south of France — scenting the air — swirling a spoonful over the finished dish just makes sense. I stick with a good-quality brand from my grocery store, but my homemade basil pesto is the ideal version to make when you have loads of it on hand.

Why I don’t salt eggplants

Generations ago, eggplant varieties were inherently bitter, and salting the sliced flesh before cooking helped draw out that bitterness. It also softened the flesh for frying so it wouldn’t absorb quite as much oil. Modern varieties have been bred to be far less bitter, so the extra step isn’t necessary. Choose firm, glossy-skinned eggplant and you’re good to go

Into the oven it goes

  • 1. Toss the eggplant, zucchini, peppers and red onion with olive oil, fresh thyme and salt — everything goes in together.
  • 2. Spread crushed tomatoes across the bottom of the baking dish, pile in the vegetables and top with halved cherry tomatoes and thyme sprigs. Bake in a 425° oven for 30 minutes..
  • Baked ratatouille with zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash and tomatoes in a round casserole pan.
    3. Straight from the oven, crumble goat cheese on top of the hot ratatouille, then spoon some basil pesto.
A close-up of a pan filled with colorful baked ratatouille—roasted tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers—topped with crumbled cheese and green herb sauce on a light background.
4.79 from 33 ratings

Baked Ratatouille with Goat Cheese and Pesto

Karen Tedesco
Classic Provençal ratatouille, made a little easier — combine roughly chopped summer vegetables and roast until caramelized and jammy. Finish the dish with crumbled goat cheese and a swirl of basil pesto while everything is still steaming hot.
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Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound (450 g) eggplant
  • 2 small zucchini sliced into ½-inch rounds, 8-10 ounces
  • 1 red or orange bell pepper sliced into large bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup sliced red onion
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves , plus 3 or 4 sprigs
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 cloves crushed or grated garlic
  • 1 cup (250 ml) canned crushed tomatoes or puree
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or quartered vine tomatoes
  • ½ cup (75 g) soft goat cheese, or crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) basil pesto sauce

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat oven to 425 (220 C) degrees.
  2. Peel 1 pound eggplant, or leave some of the skin on in strips. Trim off the stem, slice into quarters lengthwise, then slice into 1-inch thick half moons.
  3. Put the eggplant in a large bowl with 2 small zucchini sliced into ½-inch rounds, 1 red or orange bell pepper sliced into large bite-size pieces, and ½ cup sliced red onionAdd 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Toss it all together.
  4. Stir the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cloves crushed or grated garlic and black pepper into 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or puree. Spread over the bottom of a 4-5 quart casserole or baking dish.
  5. Arrange the vegetable mixture in the dish in one layer. Top with 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or quartered vine tomatoes and thyme sprigs.
    Bake 30-35 minutes. The juices should be bubbling and the eggplant tender when pierced with a the tip of a knife. Remove the thyme stems (you can crumble the leaves over the dish first).
  6. Crumble ½ cup soft goat cheese over the ratatouille and evenly spoon over 2 tablespoons basil pesto sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • A batch of this baked ratatouille serves up to 6 people as a side, or 4 as a main dish. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  • Freezing: Prepare and bake without the cheese and pesto. Freeze in a well wrapped container for up to 1 month. Defrost and heat at 350F about 20 minutes. Add the cheese and pesto before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 187kcal Carbohydrates: 15g Protein: 7g Fat: 13g Sodium: 744mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 7g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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