Turn your ratatouille into a complete meal! My Easy Ratatouille with Feta Croutons completely hits the spot! Tomatoes, courgette, butternut squash and red onion all nestled together on a little bubbling river of thick, rich tomato and pepper sauce, then topped off with crispy, cheesy bites. Plus I've got a great idea for those leftover ratatouille veggies!

Definitely more homely looking than the Ratatouille recipe served up on the movie, but oh my, it's very very tasty!

That ratatouille in itself is a tasty meal, but I still haven't got out of the mind-set of thinking of veg as a side dish. I'm training myself slowly. So I decided to go for some lovely salty feta to add a bit of tang.

Cold feta just wouldn't have been right, so I gave it a breadcrumb coating and shallow fried it until it was golden and crispy on the outside, and just slightly soft on the inside. Perfect combination for the ratatouille! It turns a vegetable-rich probably side dish into a full and satisfying dinner.

And that sauce was so good I made another batch of it (with the addition of a chilli pepper) to go with some coconut prawns for the following day.

Start making the sauce by frying onions, garlic and red pepper. Then mix in tomato puree, and add in tinned tomatoes, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then cool slightly, transfer to a jug and lightly blitz with a hand blender.

Spread the sauce onto the base of a deep baking dish, then arrange those veggies on top:

Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, then cook in the oven until tender and lightly browned.
Whilst the ratatouille is cooking, coat chunks of feta in flour, egg and seasoned breadcrumbs.
Then fry in a little oil until you get crisp, golden cheesy nuggets.
Top the cooked ratatouille with the feta croutons and serve.

Tips for the perfect ratatouille:

Try to make sure your pieces of veg are approx. the same size. This will ensure they cook evenly (and look pretty of course!). A mandolin (<-- affiliate link) is a great advantage in getting your veg sliced evenly and quickly. Just please be careful and use the guard. Ever since I chopped a tiny bit of my finger off many years ago I've been a bit of a wuss about these things (btw, if you do have a mandolin, then you've got to try it out making skinny fries from this recipe too).
Cook the ratatouille in the oven with foil on first (don't let the foil touch the veggies or it may stick), then remove for the last 15 minutes of cooking. This stops the ratatouille from drying out, and ensures it's perfectly lightly browned on top.
Let it cool a little before serving. The flavours are more pronounced when the ratatouille isn't piping hot.
For the feta crouton topping: It's a good idea to place your feta in the freezer for about 15-20 mins before you chop it into chunks. This ensures you get a cleaner cut without it crumbling to pieces whilst you're cutting. Even better, wipe your knife down after every couple of slices too.
Even better than that, buy those little tubs of feta that have already been cut into cubes - that's what I did last time I made it and it works a treat.

What can I make with any leftover bits of vegetables from my ratatouille?

I love to boil them up with some stock and a few red lentils for a lovely vegetable soup. If you have a few bits of cooked vegetables and feta leftover, you can arrange them on top of the soup too.

Make extra sauce!

Make a double batch of the sauce, and add a bit of chopped chilli into the second batch for a great dip for coconut prawns or fried ravioli.

Can you eat Ratatouille cold?

Yes! It makes a great picnic food or lunch box filling served cold. Personally I prefer leftovers served at room temperature, so I take it out of the fridge about an hour before serving leftovers.

Can I freeze Ratatouille?

You can freeze ratatouille, but I'd recommend just cooking it (covered with foil) for approx 20 minutes, before cooling, covering and freezing. Then defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat covered, in the oven for approx 30-35 minutes. Take the foil off for the last 15 - 20 minutes of cooking.
Only par-cooking the ratatouille will help prevent the vegetables from becoming soggy when you reheat.

If you're wanting to freeze leftovers - which have been fully cooked, you can do this too, but you may find the veggies are softer when you reheat them. If you find they're too soft for your liking, you could always transfer the contents to a heat-proof blender and whizz up for a delicious soup.

Is feta cheese vegetarian?

Not all feta cheeses are vegetarian - some use animal rennet in the cheese making process. However, vegetarian (animal rennet-free) feta cheese is widely available, so check your brand if you want a vegetarian version.

More Vegetarian Main Meals:

Cheesy Veggie Chickpea Burgers - cheesy, filling and loved by everyone in our family
One Pot Mushroom Ragu with Pasta - less washing up!
Vegetarian Loaded Mexican Tortilla Pan - Stick on the table and let everyone dig in!
Asian Mushrooms with Cashews and Veggies - A total winner for mushroom lovers like me.
Vegetarian Summer Tomato Pizza topped with amaaazing Basil Garlic Butter
Tuscan Style Stuffed Mushrooms in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

The Ratatouille with Feta Croutons Recipe:

This post was first published in September 2014. Updated in August 2019 with new photos and tips. No change to the recipe - it's perfect!

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Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.