If you really want to wow your crowd with an elegant presentation, then this vegan ratatouille dish is sure to be a showstopper!
Ratatouille was made famous by a Pixar movie; however, the dish has been around for decades. In fact, it’s only this particular version, also known as confit byaldi, that was made famous by Pixar.
This version, is a stunning centerpiece no matter the time of year you are presenting it, but it does make a delicious and amazing holiday showcase dish.
What is the difference between ratatouille and confit byaldi?
Ratatouille and confit byaldi share similar ingredients; however, their presentations are what set them apart.
Traditionally, the French dish of ratatouille fries the vegetables and then combines then in a stewed dish until they are creamy. Often times, the vegetables are cubed to make this. There are however, many spins on the dish and even debate over the origins.
Confit byaldi, on the other hand, was a spin on ratatouille by Chef Thomas Keller. He was asked by Pixar to create a more elegant version of the dish for the 2007 movie Ratatouille. This version makes paper thin slices of the eggplant, squashes, and tomatoes to create the show stopping presentation.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavorful – This recipe packs so much flavor in with ingredients that are likely already in your pantry and fridge
- Beautiful– If you are looking for a dish that will really wow your guests, you can’t go wrong with this one
- Better the Next Day – It’s a great dish for meal prep. The longer the vegetables sit in the piperade (the sauce), the more flavor it gives.
🥘Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
- Vegetables- the main vegetables in the dish are eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and tomatoes.
- Tomatoes – specifically for the sauce (piperade), you want to use San Marzano tomatoes as they evoke a much more concentrated tomato flavor that really makes this dish shine
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Vegetables- while most people don’t change the main components, you can add something like a leafy green (spinach or kale, for example), mushrooms, or other types of squash
- Tomatoes – you can use other tomatoes if needed
- Protein – this dish is not protein heavy at all. If you are looking for a protein, we would recommend tofu crumbles in the sauce or serving something else on the side
Recipe FAQs:
The dish itself as written is top 9 allergen free. If you opt to make the optional garlic butter sauce, you will want to ensure you use a soy free, vegan butter like the red packages of Earth Balance. Additionally, a safe version of vegan parmesan, like our homemade sunflower parmesan.
Yes, this recipe makes a great meal prep recipe. Once everything has cooled, you can store it in air tighter containers in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Ratatouille contains eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs as the main components.
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
This dish can be a main course on it’s own, so it’s great with something like vegan focaccia or vegan garlic knots. Alternatively, if you are looking for something more filling, try serving it with our vegan honey garlic tofu.
Other Vegetable Forward Main Dish Recipes to Consider:
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Did you make and love this recipe?
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Ratatouille (Confit Byaldi)
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16in round
- 2 small Zucchinis, sliced into 1/16in round
- 2 small yellow squash, sliced into 1/16in round
- 2 small Japanese eggplant*, sliced into 1/16in round
- 2 small red onions, sliced into 1/16in round
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 28 oz crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 2-4 teaspoon brown sugar
Vegan Garlic Butter Sauce (Optional)
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup grated vegan parmesan
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. In a large oven safe skillet*, heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir together. Add seasonings (dried basil to red pepper flakes), balsamic and brown sugar. Stir together until well combined. Remove from heat.
- Take a tomato, zucchini, squash, eggplant, and onion slice and make a stack. Place on the outer edge in the skillet sideways on top of the sauce. Working from the outside to the center of the skillet, repeat until all the vegetables are used up. Cover with oven safe lid, foil or something like a pizza stone. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Uncover, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- While baking, to a small bowl add all the ingredients for the garlic butter together and stir. When ratatouille if finished, brush the butter on top. Top with fresh parsley, thyme, and/or basil.
Karen
Made this for my daughter’s 17th birthday. It was soooo good!!! Definitely making this again!
Larisha Bernard
Love it! Happy birthday to her!
David
Superb dish and worth the prep. We had it with Polenta and cut up Beyond Sausage-Hot Italian. Thanks for showing us how it’s made.
Larisha Bernard
Love those being served with it!
ina
I just made this for a little dinner party with friends and it turned out beautifully! I’ve never had ratatouille before so I have no basis to compare with, but it was yummy nonetheless.
Larisha Bernard
yay! I am thrilled it turned out well!