Colorful Baked Ratatouille with Rainbow Vegetables

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-05-01 · Updated 2026-05-01

An oven-baked ratatouille featuring a vibrant array of seasonal vegetables arranged in colorful layers and baked to tender perfection with herbs. This french-inspired vegetarian ready in about 70 minutes pairs eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 150 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1 medium (about 1 lb), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds eggplant
• 2 medium, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds zucchini
• 1 medium, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds yellow squash
• 1 large, thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 large, thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
• 3 medium, thinly sliced tomato
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3, minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped, for garnish fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm 3 tbsp olive oil with 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
2. Step 2: Spread 2 tbsp of the garlic-thyme olive oil evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch round baking dish, then evenly spread 2 tbsp tomato paste over the oil.
3. Step 3: Arrange sliced vegetables (1 medium eggplant, 2 medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow squash, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 large yellow bell pepper, and 3 medium tomatoes) in an alternating overlapping pattern around the dish to create a colorful spiral.
4. Step 4: Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp garlic-thyme olive oil over the arranged vegetables, then season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
5. Step 5: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered until vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized on the edges.
6. Step 6: Garnish with 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves before serving warm.