It’s time that you’ve tried ratatouille, but in a new way.
Traditional ratatouille is a hearty summer stew full of fresh tomatoes, eggplant, green bell peppers, zucchini, and fresh herbs. In recent years, Ratatouille has been made popular as a baked dish depicted in the movie by the same name. I’ve made delicious a delicious stew version by Love & Lemons, and baked dish by Fit Foodie Finds which both inspired this flatbread version. The flavorful ingredients meld together so well, but also lend themselves to be altered, substituted, or enriched to bring out the flavors even more.
Why You Should Try Flatbread Ratatouille
Creamy, Cheesy Bechamel Sauce – A bechamel sauce is one of the famous French Mother Sauces, which is a base for creating delicious flavors. Butter, flour, and milk combine to form a creamy sauce. Add in grated parmesan, crumbled goat cheese, sauteed garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Thick and creamy, full of flavor. This sauce is the perfect topping over roasted veggies.
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce – There’s something special about bringing together these combinations for a vibrant red sauce. Sure, we could just heat tomatoes and add a few herbs and spices. But why not live a little? This sauce starts with sauteed onions, deglazed with Merlot, then comes together with peeled plum tomatoes and roasted red bell pepper. You can absolutely go fresh if you’ve got the time, but with multiple sauces, canned was more efficient, yet still really flavorful. The best part is that this really is a versatile sauce that can coat your flatbread, pasta, eggplant parmigiana, or simply dipping mozzarella sticks.
Fresh Roasted Vegetables – Eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, sweet potato, and red onions. I gently roasted the veggies ahead of time ensure that they are fully cooked, remove excess water, and enhance their flavor.
Herbs de Provence – Thyme, rosemary, savory, basil, parsley, tarragon, marjoram all in one bottle. My favorite includes lavender as well, but I couldn’t find it this time. One teaspoon sprinkled over veggies just before roasting gives them a complex, savory flavor you’ll surely enjoy!
Flatbread – Homemade or store bought. You could even go with French bread, naan, or perhaps focaccia. I love the change from traditional pizza crust here in favor of a thicker, soft, yet crispy bread. Plus using packaged bread makes this meal come together even quicker. I used StoneFire Artisan Flatbread which worked perfectly.
How to Make Flatbread Ratatouille
There are really 3 components for this recipe. When prepped ahead of time, of course this meal comes together very quickly. But, hey, the work has to be done at some point. Right?
Red Sauce (Tomato-Roasted Red Bell Pepper):
Begin by adding 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Once it starts to shimmer, add the diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss or stir to coat the onions. Let cook for only about 3-4 minutes.
Pour in 1/2 cup of red wine to deglaze your pan and prepare for the remaining ingredients. I used a Merlot, which I had on hand. But Sangiovese is said to be even better for tomato sauce. If you’d like to learn more about wine and tomato sauce, check out this brief article.
Add the roasted red bell peppers from the jar, juice and all. Followed by the can of peeled plum tomatoes, juice and all. Then sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and red pepper flakes, plus about 3 twists from black pepper grinder (about a 1/2 teaspoon). Stir to combine. Cook for 15-20 minutes more.
TIP: While you wait, start prepping your roasted veggies and get them in the oven.
Once the tomatoes and peppers have started to break down, remove the pot from heat. Then come back once the red sauce has slightly cooled, and blend it to a smooth, somewhat thick sauce. Finally, return it to the sauce pan and set aside.
Roasted Veggies:
Preheat oven to 400 F. While the red sauce is cooking, start your roasted veggies – eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet potato.
Wash and slice each vegetable about 1/8th of an inch thick. For this, you can use a Chef’s knife, mandolin, or food processor with a thin slicing blade. And because we’re just using a few slices for each flatbread, there’s no need to slice the entire vegetable in most cases. Probably just enough for about 5-6 slices per flatbread.
Next, you can either put them all in a mixing bowl or spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
If using a bowl, drizzle with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, followed by a teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, and herbs de provence. Toss the veggies so they are coated evenly. Then spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
To save time, I skipped the bowl, spread the veggies out on the parchment lined pan, and then drizzled oil over each slice. I followed that with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and herbs.
Once the oven is heated, place the baking sheet in for about 20 minutes. Remember to gently roast the veggies, because they will be going back in the oven as toppings on your flatbread.
White Cream Sauce (Cheesy Bechamel):
This creamy bechamel was a recent discovery for me, so I’m excited to share it with you. Of course you could just buy a jar of alfredo sauce and call it day. But where’s the adventure in that? Plus, remember where you are. This is the Flavor Fanatic! Let’s make this as delicious as we can. Otherwise, what’s the point?
If you’re with me, read on. If the jarred sauce is more time efficient for your needs, then you can skip to the assembly.
For most bechamel sauces, start with melting butter, then adding flour. Followed by adding either milk, heavy cream, or chicken stock. This recipe was created with whole milk, but of course you can use 2%, or skim. If you’re interested in a vegan white sauce, check out this non-dairy recipe with silken tofu and almond milk (link coming soon).
The first time I had similar sauce, it seemed pretty bland. So I wanted this version to be more robust with flavor. To start, before doing anything else, I sauteed 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic in just a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil until it was starting to brown. Then I set the garlic aside in a ramekin to add the sauce.
Make the sauce in the same large, non-stick skillet.
Start with unsalted butter, about 3 tablespoons. Let it melt over medium-high heat. Then add the flour and whisk it together for about 2 minutes until the mixture becomes lightly golden. Don’t skip this step, because apparently the sauce will have an unpleasant floury taste if you do.
Add 2 cups of milk and continue whisking, eliminating any lumps that may have formed. The end result should be a smooth, creamy sauce. Bring the sauce up to a boil, then simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken. If the sauce is still too thick, you can either add more milk, or even water.
To give this white sauce the cheesy flavor, add 2 tablespoons each of grated parmesan and goat cheese. Sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Finish it off with a pinch of nutmeg to bring out more flavor from the milk, butter, and cheese. Whisk until combined and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Assembling Flatbread Ratatouille
Prep time is over! Now let’s put this thing together!
First, lay out your high quality flatbread. Spoon out an even layer of our red sauce, just like on a pizza. Then add those roasted vegetables and spread them out to cover the surface. I added some mushrooms and onions as well. In retrospect, I should’ve added some halved cherry tomatoes. That would have worked perfectly!
Resist the urge to add the white cream sauce until after it comes out of the oven. It will get puffy and start to burn, which is not desirable. I want it to be nice and creamy. So keep it warm while the flatbread bakes.
Place the flatbread on a pizza steel, directly on the oven rack, or on a pizza pan. Whatever you’ve got works. The steel bakes it evenly and more quickly for about 6-8 minutes. Direct on the rack, it cooks a little longer (9-11 minutes) and gets a little crispier. In a pan, it’s a little softer.
You’ll know the flatbread is done when it’s golden brown and all the toppings are sizzling hot. Remove it from the oven and immediately drizzle the creamy white sauce over those veggies and it’s ready to cut and serve!
Did you make this? Share your experience with us in the comments below and post your photos on Instagram with @theflavorfanatic1
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Flatbread Ratatouille
Equipment
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan with lid
- 1 large non-stick pan
- 1 Blender (traditional or immersion)
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 parchment paper sheet
- 1 measuring cups and spoons
- 2 mixing spoons
- 1 vinyl whisk (metal is okay as long as it won't damage your pans)
Ingredients
Tomato – Red Bell Pepper Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup dry red wine (such as Merlot, Sangiovese, etc.)
- 1 jar roasted red bell peppers (including juice)
- 28 ounces peeled plum tomatoes, canned
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 1 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced horizontally to create rings (remove the seeds and white ribs)
- ½ red onion, cut in half moons
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
Cheesy Bechamel Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk (2% or skim will work here too, or vegan bechamel)
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled (or 2 more tablespoons of parmesan)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder or grated
Flatbread
- 1 flatbread (or naan, French bread, focaccia, etc.)
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
Making the Red Sauce (Tomato-Red Bell Pepper Sauce)
- Preheat medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil shimmers, add diced onions and salt. Then let it cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften.
- Pour in red wine, followed by the red bell peppers, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sauce cool slightly. Blend into a smooth sauce and set aside.
Making the Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 400 °F
- Rinse, then slice eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet potato.
- Place parchment on baking sheet pan. Spread out the sliced veggies. Drizzle with oil. Then sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and herbs de provence.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating at 10 minutes.
Making the White Sauce (Cheesy Bechamel)
- Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add oil. Once it shimmers, add chopped garlic and coat it with the oil. Cook for about a minute until it just starts to turn golden. Remove the garlic and set it aside.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high. With the same pan, add butter and let it melt.
- Add flour and whisk together for about 2 minutes to let the flour cook.
- Add the milk and continue whisking to smooth out the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cooking at a simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, you can either add more milk or water a tablespoon at a time.
- Add parmesan and goat cheese, salt and pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Whisk to combine. Keep sauce warm while the flatbread is baking.
Assembling the Flatbread
- To the flatbread, spoon on an even layer of red sauce. Then add the roasted veggies, spreading them out to cover the sauce. Add mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. Then bake 6-8 minutes on a steel, or 9-11 minutes if using a pan or directly on the rack.
- Once the bread is golden brown and the toppings are hot, remove from the oven. Immediately, drizzle the white sauce over the veggies.
- Then cut the bread into quarters and serve!