This baked ratatouille recipe (confit byaldi) is a delicious cheesy vegetable casserole. The traditional ratatouille is a French summer vegetable stew, but its roasted version is just as tasty. This recipe features flavorful tomato-bell paprika sauce with vegetable slices on top, topped with melted golden cheese. It can be served as a vegetarian main dish or a side dish.
Ratatouille movie recipe – the story behind this dish
What is the difference between ratatouille and confit Byaldi?
Ratatouille casserole, also called Provencal vegetable tian / gratin or confit byaldi is a spin on the traditional ratatouille recipe. Authentic ratatouille recipe is made by pan-frying each vegetable separately, then stewing all the vegetables together. In confit byaldi, vegetables are cut into thin slices and baked in the oven.
Do you know a movie called Ratatouille? It’s a kids movie, I’ve watched it with my daughter and we really liked it. It’s about a rat who loves to cook and pursues his dream to become a chef. When an important food critic visits his restaurant, the dish that he makes to impress him is ratatouille, but not in its traditional form but as a casserole – confit byaldi.
According to this Wikipedia article (opens in a new window), the producer of the film asked a well-known chef Thomas Keller how he would prepare ratatouille if a famous food critic would visit his restaurant. His answer was that he would make the confit byaldi and this is what Remy the rat is making in the movie!
In Chef Keller’s version (link opens in a new window) there’s tomato-bell paprika sauce at the bottom of the dish, then sliced vegetables with balsamic vinaigrette poured at the top. I changed the recipe a bit, I omitted the balsamic vinaigrette and added the balsamic vinegar directly into the sauce (which I actually often do, it goes very well with tomato sauces), added potatoes to the vegetables (thanks to that this casserole is also more filling) and baked the vegetables with cheese on top. I chose the Gruyere cheese because it has a pronounced flavor and melts well.
Easy ratatouille recipe ingredients
Zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and garlic and the main ingredients of the ratatouille. In this recipe, the bell pepper goes to the sauce. I’ve also added potatoes as I love them in baked dishes and they also make this casserole more filling.
You can omit any vegetable that you don’t like and just add more of the other vegetables.
Gruyere cheese – this is a Swiss semi-hard cheese that has a very pronounced flavor and melts well. It tastes amazing in this dish but if you can’t find it you can use other kinds of melting cheese, such as gouda, Swiss cheese, or low-moisture mozzarella. Here you can find more recipes using Gruyere cheese.
Step-by-step instructions (how to make confit byaldi)
- Cook the onions, garlic, spices, and bell pepper.
- Add the canned tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, season the sauce with salt and pepper and blend it until smooth.
3. Add the sauce into a baking dish.
4. Cut all the vegetables into thin slices.
5. + 6. Arrange the sliced vegetables in an alternating layered pattern in the baking dish.
7. Bake until the vegetables are browned.
8. Add the shredded cheese on top and bake briefly until the cheese is melted. Wait about 15 minutes before cutting the casserole into servings.
Enjoy!
FAQ:
This recipe yields 3 servings if you serve it as a vegetarian main dish or up to 6 servings if you will serve it as a side dish.
Chicken breast, roasted duck, or really any kind of meat would go well with this vegetable side dish.
This vegetable casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven until warm.
This casserole can be easily frozen. Freeze it for up to 6 months. You can thaw it directly in the oven. Bake the frozen casserole in the oven preheated to 320°F/160°C until thawed and warm.
If you’re using an oval casserole dish, it’s very possible that you’ll have some vegetables left. I usually take about 1/2 cup of sauce from the big casserole dish (it won’t look like much sauce at the beginning, but remember that the vegetables release lots of water so there will be lots of liquid at the end) and add it to a smaller baking dish, along with the leftover vegetable slices. If you don’t have any sauce left, but you have the vegetable slices, you can bake the vegetables alone, with or without the cheese. Just season them well with salt, pepper, Herbes the Provence, and olive oil. Bake the same way as the other dish.
Related recipes
- Ratatouille Recipe – French summer vegetable stew
- Cheesy vegetable crepes (filled with ratatouille)
- Briami – Greek-style roasted vegetables
- Pistou Soup – French vegetable soup (Soupe au Pistou)
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Baked Ratatouille (Confit Byaldi)
Ingredients
for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons French seasoning Herbes de Provence
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 (14 oz/400ml) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
vegetables:
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 small/medium zucchini
- 1 small/medium yellow squash
- 1 small eggplant
- 3 medium potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
additionally:
- 1 ½ cups (150g) shredded Gruyere cheese or other melting cheese
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Instructions
Make the sauce:
- Chop the onion and bell paprika, cut the garlic very finely.
- Heat the oil in a big frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and herbs, cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the bell pepper, cook, stirring from time to time, for about 3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, stir and cook the sauce for about 10-15 minutes over low/medium heat (add some boiling water if the sauce is too dry). Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 seconds.
- Puree the sauce with a blender, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the casserole:
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare the vegetables: Peel the potatoes and tomatoes. Cut the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and eggplant into thin, about 1/4 inch (5mm) slices, cut the potatoes a little thinner (you can use a sharp knife or a mandoline). Make sure you slice the potatoes more thinly than the rest of the vegetables.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C / Gas Mark 7, no fan.
- Spoon the sauce into the baking dish, even out its surface. Note: if you're using a rectangular 9×13 inch (23cmx33cm) casserole dish use the whole amount of the sauce, if you're using an oval 9×13 inch (23cmx33cm) casserole dish, add a little less sauce – about 1/2-2/3 cup less sauce (you can use it for another recipe or bake it with the leftover vegetables that won't fit in your baking dish).
- Arrange the vegetables in the baking dish in an alternating layered pattern from the outer edge to the inside until the entire baking dish is filled.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, and some more Herbes de Provence over the vegetables. Pour a small amount of olive oil over them.
- Bake for 45 minutes (uncovered) until the sauce is bubbly and the vegetables are browned (if the vegetables are not browned you can turn on the fan or move the baking dish under the most upper rack / under the broiler and bake briefly until the edges of the vegetables are browned).
- Sprinkle grated cheese over the vegetables and bake until the cheese is melted and slightly golden (on the top shelf for 5-10 minutes or under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes – be careful not to burn it).
- Take the casserole out of the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- What to do with leftover vegetable slices? If you’re using an oval casserole dish, it’s very possible that you’ll have some vegetables left. I usually take about 1/2 cup of sauce from the big casserole dish (it won’t look like much sauce at the beginning, but remember that the vegetables release lots of water so there will be lots of liquid at the end) and add it to a smaller baking dish, along with the leftover vegetable slices. If you don’t have any sauce left, but you have the vegetable slices, you can bake the vegetables alone, with or without the cheese. Just season them well with salt, pepper, Herbes the Provence, and olive oil. Bake the same way as the other dish.
- Gruyere cheese – this is a Swiss semi-hard cheese that has a very pronounced flavor and melts well. It tastes amazing in this dish but if you can’t find it you can use other kinds of melting cheese, like gouda, Swiss cheese, or low-moisture mozzarella.
- You can omit any vegetables that you don’t like and just add more of the other vegetables.
- Servings: This recipe yields 3 servings if you serve it as a vegetarian main dish or up to 6 servings if you will serve it as a side dish.
- What to serve it with? Chicken breast, roasted duck, or really any kind of meat would go well with this vegetable side dish.
- How to store this? Can it be reheated? This vegetable casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a 320°F/160°C oven until warm.
- How to freeze it: This casserole can be easily frozen. Freeze it for up to 6 months. You can thaw it directly in the oven. Bake the frozen casserole in the oven preheated to 320°F/160°C until thawed and warm.
- Calories = 1/3 of the recipe. This is only an estimate!
18 Comments
Tracy
18 October 2024 at 20:22It was delicious!
Linda
2 September 2024 at 14:56I am over enthusiastic on that recipe. It is to dye for. I added 1/4 cup of red wine and it was just soooo good.
Tyler
25 February 2024 at 10:15Do you salt and drain your courgettes and eggplant prior? Also, what do you think about adding bocconcini slices in between the veges?
Aleksandra
25 February 2024 at 11:18I don’t do that, there is no need. I think adding mozzarella would be too much.
Gracie
29 October 2023 at 20:53This is my second time making this dish and again it was a hit. I doubled the cheese amount this time and it was even better. I served it as a side with a lamb loin and some French baguette. FYI, I’m not a fan of eggplant but I don’t even mind it in this dish.
Aleksandra
30 October 2023 at 07:31I’m so glad to hear that, thank you for leaving the comment!
Phyl
23 March 2021 at 17:35Can I make this ahead of time? Thank you!
Aleksandra
23 March 2021 at 19:46yes, sure! it’s perfect to reheat
Alexis
30 November 2022 at 02:25Super picky eater here, but I loved this! Next time going to try to make extra sauce and bake some chicken in the sauce as well! My husband even said this sauce with some Italian meatballs over some rice would be delicious too!
Aleksandra
30 November 2022 at 15:04I´m glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for leaving the comment!
Graciela Ramirez
8 November 2020 at 05:01I just finished making this for my family and it was an absolute hit! The sauce was delicious. I will be making this again for sure. We didn’t miss any meat either. I served it with a side of mushroom risotto and french baguette.
Aleksandra
8 November 2020 at 10:00I’m happy to hear that, thanks for commenting!
Meredith W
3 November 2020 at 01:13Wow!! What a great recipe! We devoured the entire dish. I added mushrooms for a different texture. Can’t wait to make it again. And my kitchen smelled incredible!
Aleksandra
3 November 2020 at 09:46it’s great to hear that, thanks for the photo!
Debbie
12 September 2020 at 20:53I used to make this for my family it I added black olives in the sauce (after puréed). Too time consuming to peel tomatoes, so I didn’t & added slices of red onions. No-one missed meat with this meal, served it on plain steamed rice & fresh homemade bread. If there was any left (hardly ever) it was great for lunch the next day. We really enjoyed this as our once weekly meat free dinner, another favourite was homemade Mac & cheese which used up any leftover melting cheese.
Lorie
18 August 2020 at 02:19Cut the herb de provence to 1 tsp
Alli C
9 August 2020 at 00:20I made this as a side with grilled chicken – the entire family (parents, brother, and husband!) all had seconds! Will absolutely be adding to the rotation.
Aleksandra
9 August 2020 at 06:03I’m happy to hear that, thanks for letting me know!