Chunks of courgette, aubergine, onion and tomato roasted to perfection in a balsamic and garlic dressing and stirred into pasta -easy comfort food with a healthy twist. If you are trying to get more vegetables into your diet, then this Ratatouille Pasta is the recipe for you.
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About this Ratatouille Pasta Recipe
This is a light and fresh pasta dish that is perfect for summer. Easy to adapt with your favourite vegetables, or whatever needs using up, it's filling and comforting without being too heavy.
A vibrant dish that it perfect for serving up to guests and it would be a great BBQ side dish too. Reduce food waste and eat more veggies - that's a win for us.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pasta - Really, anything goes here when it comes to the pasta. We used rigatoni, but penne, fusilli, or even spaghetti work. It is a chunky sauce, so it won't really cling to the pasta.
- Courgette - Look for a vibrant and rich colour courgette. Don't choose one that is too big, as they tend to be watery and flavourless.
- Aubergine - Look for aubergines with smooth, shiny skin that are uniform in colour and heavy for their size.
- Bell peppers - We used red and yellow, for a nice pop of bright colour. However, green and orange will work too. You could also use roasted red peppers.
- Onion - We used red onion in this recipe, however brown onion or even shallots will work.
- Tomatoes - This recipe will be best when using in season tomatoes. Fresh, ripe and juicy tomatoes are what give this dish such an amazing flavour. We used cherry tomatoes, as we love that pop of flavour. We also added some sun-dried tomatoes for a more intense tomato flavour.
- Oil - This makes up the majority of the dressing that the vegetables are cooked it and helps them to crisp up. Try to use a really good quality olive oil, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Balsamic vinegar - Just like the olive oil, try to use a really good quality one, as it will have more flavour. Cheaper versions tend to be a bit watery, and that's not what you want.
- Dried herbs - We used a mixture of oregano and basil.
- Parmesan - What is a pasta dish without cheese? If you want to make this vegetarian or vegan, then use your favourite alternative.
Variations
The key to this recipe being the best it possibly can be is roast the vegetables. It will take a bit longer, but it's totally worth it. You could fry them in a pan if you wanted to save time.
We roasted up some courgette, aubergine, onion and tomatoes. However, this recipe is so easy to adapt, making it a great way to use up vegetables.
It might make it less traditional, but all in the name of reducing food waste, right? Vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers and asparagus will all work./p>
Make sure to use softer vegetables, as they are quicker to cook quicker until vegetables like carrots. Make sure they are all cut evenly, so they cook at the same time. They should all be about the same size as the cherry tomatoes.
To make a creamy version of this pasta, you could stir in a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche or even cream cheese.
How to Make Ratatouille Pasta
Prep: Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C(fan)/425°F/Gas 7
- Step 1: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Step 2: Put all of the vegetables into a large bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well.
- Step 3: Put the vegetables in a single layer on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 45 minutes, mixing half way through.
You will need a large baking tray for the vegetables. You want to make sure that there is enough room for them all in the pan, as if they are too close together they will steam rather than crisp up.
- Step 4: Cook your pasta so it is cooked when the 45 minutes is up. Serve the vegetables mixed into the cooked pasta and top with chopped basil and grated Parmesan (both optional).
What is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a French stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice. Although recipes and cooking times will differ widely, common ingredients include tomato, garlic, onion, courgette, aubergine and green herbs. It is sometimes referred to as ratatouille niçoise.
Traditionally it is a stew (see our Ratatouille recipe), however we have taken the same vegetables and flavours, and then roasted them and mixed them into pasta.
Serving Suggestions
This pasta dish really has it all. You don't have to serve it with a side dish, as it has so many vegetables packed into it already. However if you did want some sides, we have some suggestions for you:
- Slow Cooker Green Beans
- Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Lemon Asparagus
- Roasted Garlic and Herb Mushrooms
- Spanish Olives
You could also keep it simple with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette.
Our Cheesy Garlic Bread or Air Fryer Garlic Bread also goes really well with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a delicious plant based meal, and we could all use more of those in our life, right? So, it really doesn't need any meat. However, if you are serving it up to someone that really can't eat a meal without meat or fish, then there are some options. You could stir in some leftovers from Roast Chicken or even add some fried prawns or grilled salmon.
If you have leftovers of this, then it will keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days. To reheat it, add it to a frying pan with a little bit of water to heat through. It will be a bit dry, so the water is needed.
You can also freeze this pasta dish in a freezable container and it will keep for up to 2 months.
It really depends on how good your kids are at eating vegetables. The vegetables on this dish are far from hidden, as they are chunky and in full view - some kids are fine with that. If your kids are on the fussier side, you could blend all the vegetables up once roasted, and then stir it into the pasta for more or a hidden sauce.
More Pasta Recipes
If you've tried this ratatouille pasta, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Roasted Ratatouille Pasta
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 280 g (10 oz) of Pasta
For the vegetables:
- 1 Aubergine (eggplant) - diced
- 2 Courgette (zucchini) - diced
- 1 Red bell pepper - diced
- 1 Yellow bell pepper - diced
- 1 Red onion - diced
- 240 g (1.66 cups) of Cherry tomatoes
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons of Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of Tomato puree
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 0.5 teaspoon of Dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon of Dried basil
- 1 pinch of Fine sea salt and ground black pepper
To serve:
- Fresh basil - chopped (to serve)
- Parmesan - grated (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat your over to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 .
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of Olive oil, 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of Tomato puree, 2 Garlic clove, 0.5 tsp of Dried oregano, 0.5 tsp of Dried basil and 1 pinch of Fine sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Put 1 Aubergine (eggplant), 2 Courgette (zucchini), 1 Red bell pepper, 1 Yellow bell pepper, 1 Red onion and 240 g of Cherry tomatoes into a large bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well.
- Put the vegetables in a single layer on a baking tray and cook for 45 minutes, mixing half way through.
- 12 minutes before the vegetables are cooked, put 280 g of Pasta in a pan of boiling water and simmer until cooked and then drain.
- Mix the vegetables and pasta together and serve topped with Fresh basil and Parmesan (both optional).
Recipe Notes
- Make sure all the vegetables are cut evenly, so they will all cook at the same time.
- You will need a large baking tray for the vegetables. You want to make sure that there is enough room for them all in the pan, as if they are too close together they will steam rather than crisp up.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Mayuri Patel says
such tempting photos. Love spaghetti. I noticed how you serve it with so many vegetables and just a bit of spaghetti. I serve other pastas with more veggies but spaghetti with less. Going to keep that in mind next time.
Tracy says
I am with you on paying more money for balsamic vinegar - I spent more money than I'd care to admit on a very small bottle of the real deal, and it was another taste entirely. We're rationing it (I wouldn't cook with it for example), but I will use my cheaper bottle to create this recipe for my next meat free Monday.
Annmarie says
Love the idea of balsamic ratatouille in spaghetti- looks delish!
Kavey says
Love the idea of a monthly balsamic budget! Roasted vegetables so good and balsamic really works so well with them!
Sisley White says
This looks amazing! I am absolutely going to have to get this made for dinner this week. Delicious :)
I've started adding a little balsamic into spaghetti sauces and it works so well!
chelsea @weddingblog2018 says
This looks and sounds like a fantastic meal! It looks so tasty yet very healthy. Added to my long list of ''must try''
Lauren | Just a Pinch says
YUM! This looks delicious - and so packed with a rainbow of veggies! I am also not a fan of the texture of raw eggplant. It's oddly soft?
Andrea @ The Petite Cook says
Two things I m crazy about, ratatouille and balsamic vinegar! I've never thought of adding spaghetti because hubby is a pure italian and it would sound a little heretical for him this french-italian food combo, but I think it s super smart and I can't wait to challenge him! As for balsamic vinegar it s a MUST in my kitchen and I agree it s worth investing in a good quality one, the difference is incredible, and it's the same philosophy about extravirgin olive oil :). In a nutshell, thank you for sharing this recipe, it's really inspiring Dannii!!
Gina says
What I like most about your blog is how simple your recipe are, but they are still things that I wouldn't think to make myself. I look forward to trying this xx
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Wow, 7 weeks meet free is one heck of a fete- congratulations! But, I can imagine it isn't that hard if you are preparing delicious dishes like THIS! I love that you roasted the ratatouille to bring out the flavors and paired it with spaghetti for a more substantial meal! Seriously DELICIOUS! Love! Cheers, girlie! :)
Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says
Sounds delicious Dannii :) You can go wrong with roasted veggies and balsamic!
And thank you for linking to my balsamic recipe as well...
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
This looks just lush! I love roasting vegetables, for all the reasons you suggest. It concentrates the flavours and makes everything so delicious.
Arpita@ The Gastronomic Bong says
This spaghetti is mind blowing.. Love ratatouille.. So this one is a total winner!! YUMM!!
Lucy says
I am adding this to my meal plan for the week. Pasta is my weakness, so I am always looks for was to make it healthier.
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies says
This looks gooood. I love eggplant, so I never get why people dont like it, but I'm glad you found a way you like it.