Best Summer Ratatouille Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.

Remove any woody cores from your tomatoes with a paring knife. Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl, and chop any remaining tomato skin. Or, blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.

On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.

On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges.

Add the garlic, stir, and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.

Once 15 minutes is up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges. Note that the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest. Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.

Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake for about 5 to 10 minutes until the peppers are caramelized. Then transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavors time to blend.

Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.

Serve and enjoy!