
Ratatouille, Pixar-Style (plant-based, gluten-free)
We've watched the Pixar movie Ratatouille at least a dozen times, but had never worked up the courage to actually make the film's signature dish. Finally, after 190 recipe blog posts, my daughter and I decided to give it a try. The hardest part is all the slicing of the vegetables. Other than that, it's easy and fun to put together this healthy French dinner delicacy.It's also a good reminder not to assume that something is difficult without trying it. It might be easier than you think.I had a professor at university who would always say, "Always assume a problem is easy unless it proves itself difficult." 🙂


Equipment
- Oven temp 375F/190C
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 8 fresh basil leaves (or 1 tsp dry basil)
- salt and pepper to taste
Veggies
- 2 large zucchinis, sliced
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 6 small potatoes, sliced
Herbed oil
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Make the sauce to go under the layered vegetables
- In a large pan that will be safe going into the oven (no plastic handles), heat the 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, then add in the onion. Cook and stir occasionally until the onions are soft and a bit golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and bell pepper, and cook for a few minutes more. Then add in the blended tomatoes and basil, and stir to combine.
- Let it simmer gently for a few minutes, taste for salt and pepper, then remove from heat to cool a bit while you’re chopping up the vegetables.
Prepare the veggies and herbed oil
- Thinly slice the zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes, and put them in a large bowl.
- Make the herbed oil by mixing together the 4 tbsp olive oil with the thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small dish.
Assemble and bake
- Arrange the vegetables in mini staggered stacks of 3: one slice zucchini, one slice potato, one slice tomato, and repeat. Start around the edge of the pan to make a circle, then make another inner circle inside the outer circle, and so on until all the tomato sauce is covered up tightly by stacked vegetables. (We added an extra slice of zucchini to each stack since we had leftovers.)
- Once you’re happy with the layout, spoon the herbed oil evenly over the top of all the vegetables. (If you have a few extra chopped peppers left over from the sauce, you could add them on top as a garnish.)
- Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375F for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes. The veggies should all be nice and soft.

Notes
Did you make this? Tag @maitricooks on Instagram and leave a rating in the comments below. Lots of love! ❤️🤗🙏
Instagram comment from Maria: Wow x
Instagram comment from Clemence: beautiful!!
Instagram comment from Quincy: So gorgeous! So much slicing!!👏
Instagram comment from Chef Day: You’re totally right! And there are so many things in cooking that aren’t as hard as they seem. It’s good just to have a play and see what happens.
Facebook comment from Amanda: This is the most colourful thing on my newsfeed this morning and it looks divine!
Hooray, thanks Amanda! Hope you guys are doing well! 😃
Instagram comment from fitgourmetgta: Beautiful 👏
@fitgourmetgta Thank you so much! 😍
Instagram comment from chefwiktoria: Looks delicious 😍
@chefwiktoria thank you! Your citrus risotto and tater recipes look amazing too!! 😍
Instagram comment from mimisfreefromlife: Delicious
Thanks Mimi! Your dishes look super delicious too! 😍😍
Instagram comment from Terrywadethompson: Looks awesome
Thanks Terry! My daughter gets the credit for the veggie arranging. Happy weekend! 😊
Instagram comment from Terrywadethompson: @maitricooks That’s awesome. Our daughter helps out in the kitchen too. Little chef 👩🍳
@terrywadethompson amazing!! So wonderful to share cooking as a family! 😍❤️
So delicious!
Instagram comment from plant_powered_aiguste: Looks lovely 😍
@plant_powered_aiguste thanks! I love your recipes too! I’m going to try your ragu 😍
@maitricooks thanks a lot!! I hope you’ll enjoy it 😊
@plant_powered_aiguste I’m sure I will, it looks amazing!! ❤️
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Facebook comment from Nina: It looks so colourful. Need to try that but Evan hates zucchini
You could make it with eggplant instead, if he likes that?