When I finally had eggplant, summer squash, and beautiful ripe tomatoes in my kitchen all at once, I knew straight away that ratatouille would be on the menu. I had a loaf of bread ready to go for toasting and dipping. What stew isn’t better with a nice, crusty piece of bread, right? My partner walked in the door while I was chopping up veggies, and immediately suggested that we turn it into vegan garlic bread. Um, yes. I can’t recall an instance in my entire life when I said no to garlic bread. So this ratatouille garlic bread was born!
I am just loving all of these easy summer meals. Right now Maryland tomatoes are at their peak deliciousness, so I’m satisfied with recipes that use gentle flavors and let the produce do the talking. Ratatouille is a simple French stew that pairs summer produce with a hint of basil, balsamic vinegar, and… well, that’s pretty much it! As such, for this dish in particular, make sure to choose vegetables that are very fresh. Okay, technically eggplant, squash, and tomato are all fruit. Let’s just call them ‘culinary vegetables’.
We used a relatively small amount of squash, Japanese eggplant, and added bell pepper (which is sometimes, but not always included). These tweaks were just to accommodate the situation in our fridge and pantry. My opinion is that the amounts are pretty flexible, just make sure there’s plenty of tomato. The juices releasing from the tomatoes turn into the broth, so you don’t want to leave those out. Some ratatouille recipes call for cooking different vegetables separately, and combining them later on. Sometimes you even have to put everything in the oven after first cooking it in the stove. I’m sure that’s delicious, but so is this humble, one-pot, stovetop version. 🙂
As for the ‘ratatouille garlic bread’ part, it wasn’t exactly science. We did the garlic bread in the toaster oven while the ratatouille stewed, and then once the bread was done, spooned the stew over the top. If you want to eat it this way then I’d suggest cutting everything a little smaller than what you see in the pictures. With these shapes, it kind of made a delicious mess. =] This stew would also be good with pasta, rice, etc.
Ratatouille Garlic Bread
Ingredients
For the ratatouille:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small yellow or white onion diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (with their juices)
- 1 Japanese eggplant chopped
- 2 yellow squash or zucchini chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used white balsamic)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
For the vegan garlic bread:
- 1 small loaf of bread (whole wheat or multi-grain preferred)
- 1/2 head of garlic minced (or less, to taste)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- other dried Italian herbs of choice (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
For the ratatouille:
- Warm the olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and sprinkle them with salt, and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, eggplant, squash, bell pepper, basil, vinegar, optional sugar, and red pepper flakes, and stir.
- Keep the heat at medium-low and cover the pot. Stir every few minutes and cook until the all of the vegetables have softened and cooked through, 20-30 minutes.
For the vegan garlic bread:
- Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides generously with olive oil.
- Toss together the minced garlic and spices in a small bowl along with a little extra olive oil. Brush the mixture generously onto the cut sides of the bread.
- Toast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are crispy and browned.
For ratatouille garlic bread:
- Make the ratatouille just as above, but chop the vegetables a little smaller. Cut the baked garlic bread into 8 slices, spoon the ratatouille on top, and enjoy.
Nutrition
Sources consulted: The Guardian; Food Network.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Sarah says
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! My children love garlic bread but since butter is no longer a staple in our diets they haven’t had the luxury of this treat, I avoid the soy spreads (I think the idea of plastic butter is just gross) and had not thought of olive oil! will be making this bread for sure!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Sarah, I am not a fan of the plastic butter, either! It’s funny, even back when I was still eating dairy I always used olive oil for my garlic bread. I guess that’s what my parents did when I was growing up. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t normal! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Loving the idea of a ratatouille garlic bread… looks seriously delicious. Craving some now!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Thalia!
rika@vm says
This is beautiful and the color from these tomatoes is just stunning, Shannon, we picked up some ripe San Marzano tomatoes last week and made sauces with them, they are so good on everything else!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Oh I’m so very jealous of that! I have been wanting to make a real sauce but I keep using up my tomatoes for other things 🙂
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth says
What a great combination! I can smell the garlic bread now, steaming under the ratatouille – making me hungry!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Amy, it really is a great combo!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
Yum, yum, yum! What a perfect summer meal – the flavours are evident just looking at your pictures! So bright and colourful.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Kari! These veggies are so good they just cook themselves! 🙂
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Beautiful photos! This is so creative, I love it!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks so much!
Cheryl says
Mmm! I always associate ratatouille with a rustic elegance that this totally encapsulates. What a great way to use up some summer veg!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Ah, ‘rustic elegance’ is a great way to describe ratatouille!