Last Updated on 26 November 2021 by Ray Plumlee
This French dish may not be so popular until 2007 when Pixar made a movie with the same name.

First off, pronunciation. It’s “RAH – TUH – TOO-WEE”.
Ratatouille is a traditional French dish comprised of stewed vegetables and sometimes served cold. The vegetables are usually onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. This dish, which originated from Nice, is very popular among the Mediterranean coast as a convenient dish during summer. A little bit of work goes into preparing this dish because of the way it is typically prepared: each vegetables is sautéed separately before being layered and baked pretty much like a lasagna.
Ratatouille is often served as a side dish but it can be eaten as a meal on its own. It can be accompanied by pasta (check out Paleo Spaghetti Recipe), rice (check out Cauliflower Rice) or bread (Just a friendly reminder, Paleo dieters. Avoid grains, okay?). One thing that I really like about this dish is that you can serve it in different ways. Take a look at the pictures below and take your pick!
Probably the most common way of serving Ratatouille is to cut the vegetables in circular shapes, preferably the same size to give that symmetrical look.
Another way is to serve the vegetables in a standing position and grouping them according to color and have that alternating pattern because why not? Just look at the bowl. So beautiful!
But hey, it’s all gonna go down anyway. You can simply cut them into bite-sized chunks because you don’t really have to be a chef in a 3 star Michelin restaurant to assemble this dish.
Paleo Ratatouille Recipe
What You Need:
- 2 peppers
- ½ squash
- 1 eggplant
- 1 fresh beet
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp basil
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp mild or hot chili powder (you can skip this)
- 4-6 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 oz mushrooms (any kind)
- 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 oz sliced almonds
Procedure:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Cut the vegetables into wedges, slices, cubes, however you would like to present them.
- Keeping the tomatoes and mushrooms to one side, put the rest of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the herbs, spices, oil and season with salt and black pepper. Stir until completely mixed.
- Spread them out over two or three roasting dishes so they are spaced out in a single layer and cook for 20 minutes then add the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until everything is cooked.
- Toast the almonds in a dry skillet, constantly stirring them, for 5-8 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Serve the ratatouille topped with the toasted nuts. Makes six to eight servings. Each serving has 480 calories.
There is another way to cook this dish – Joel Robuchon, a renowned French chef and restaurateur said: “The secret of a good ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself.” So I suppose if you have lots of free time, you might wanna give this method a try. Cook the vegetables individually before you layer them up and then finishing them up altogether.
Ratatouille is a dish that demands effort. Regardless if you do it the fast and easy way or the traditional way, this dish will certainly be the star of the table. Since ratatouille is a medley of vegetables, you are ensured to be blessed with around 20g of fiber, 12g of protein, 100% vitamin A (yes!), 16% calcium, 600% vitamin C (omg!) and 24% iron! (Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.)
If you could make your own version of Ratatouille, what vegetables would you like to use? Share them in the comments section below! Till next time! Eat well, be well, farewell!
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credits:
www.foodbeast.com
www.delishar.com
www.paleoleap.com
www.youcoastalblend.com
Hello everyone, Chase here! I am a health and fitness enthusiast, and also a food blogger. You see, my life is a constant battle between my love of food and not wanting to get fat, so far I'm winning! 🙂
When I first look at this dish, it looks pretty complicated, but I feel like after reading the directions it’s not that bad. I love how does dish serve many purposes in the sense that it can act as a side dish or actual meal so be mixed with other foods such as pasta and rice. Honestly, This seems like the healthiest recipe that I will ever eat in my life. I have never heard of this dish in my life before which makes me eager to try it even more as I’m open to trying dishes from different cultures.… Read more »