For those of you with kids, you may hear Ratatouille and think of the cartoon movie where a bunch of rats run around cooking. But not for this sheet pan ratatouille with creamy polenta.
It’s like a bountiful garden, the result of a challenge set by The Recipe Redux team. This challenge also inspired another recipe, Sheet Pan “Fish” and chips.
Although the Recipe Redux challenges are no longer active, they were a great motivation to try something new.
Sheet Pan Ratatouille
This recipe used to be much more difficult, as each vegetable was cooked separately on the stove. However, you can now make this ratatouille on just one sheet pan, which makes for easier cleanup.
You should peel the eggplant because the skins tend to separate and become tough to eat but you don’t need to salt it to release its moisture unless you want to take this extra step.
You don’t need to peel the tomatoes, though. Just chop all the vegetables into about 1″ pieces and throw them onto some parchment paper or lightly spray your pan with oil.
Leave off the tomatoes until about 20 minutes into the roasting time. Then add them to the pan and roast for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are wilted, steaming, and soft. You don’t want them to get crispy. This sheet pan ratatouille should be moist, so if they’re getting too crisp, bring them together a little more in the pan.
Add these recipes to your easy plant-based dinners:
- Sheet Pan Tempeh Puttanesca
- Sheet Pan Tofu “Fish” & Chips
- Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream
- Vegan Huevos Rancheros Casserole
- Chana Masala with Chickpeas & Yams
One of the ingredients is mushrooms, and you can use your favorite. Mushrooms are so hearty, and each type has its own unique quality it brings to a dish. You may use button or cremini mushrooms, but here’s a list of other delicious mushroom options.
You should use only fresh herbs, as they really make the dish. You will want to chop the fresh herbs to make them more edible and to bring out the natural flavors. Chopping herbs is not the same as chopping vegetables.
Herbs are tricky and require good knife skills or an herb chopper. This recipe calls for marjoram, and many people like to sub oregano if they can’t find marjoram. In this recipe, oregano would work because it pairs well with tomatoes, but marjoram is the better choice since we want to use fresh herbs.
I like to serve it atop creamy polenta. Creamy polenta needs more liquid, and the addition of unsweetened non-dairy milk helps. Add some nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper, and it’s ready. With all of the flavor of the ratatouille, you don’t need a complex polenta.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Vegan Sheet Pan Ratatouille with Creamy Polenta recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!
Sheet Pan Ratatouille with Creamy Polenta
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant chopped 1" If the peel is tough then peel
- 2 medium zucchini chopped 1"
- 1 large onion chopped 1"
- 1 large green pepper chopped 1"
- 8 oz your favorite mushrooms small left whole, large cut in half
- 4 large roma tomatoes chopped 1"
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half
- 2 tbsp fresh marjoram chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
Polenta
- 1 cup polenta
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or homemade)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (more as needed) (or 1/2 cup homemade)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put all of the vegetables except tomatoes on parchment or oil-sprayed pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan and add the chopped tomatoes, stirring to mix all.
- Roast for another 20 minutes, making sure the vegetables stay moist. Remove from the oven when the vegetables are wilted and a bit mushy.
- Add the fresh herbs.
- Serve over polenta.
Polenta
- Heat the vegetable broth over medium in a large saucepan to a slow simmer.
- Slowly add the polenta in a stream, whisking the whole time.
- Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently until thick and creamy. Scrape the bottom to avoid burning the cornmeal mixture.
- Stir in soy milk and nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste before removing the pan from the heat.
Beth Ann Stevens Breen
Wonderful recipes and information for eating healthy and living a longer productive life.
Diane Smith
Thanks so much! ????
Nico @ yumsome
This looks like such perfect comfort food – can’t beat a whole load of veggies on top of a mound of polenta, can you! Fantastic! xx
Karman | The Nutrition Adventure
What a great idea to serve ratatouille over polenta!
Faye
Sounds like a wonderful recipe I would love to try, however I am allergic to mushrooms. What other vegetable would be a good alternate in this? Thanks in advance.
Diane Smith
Hi, Faye, I think a great substitution would be some kind of squash. I just roasted up some butternut squash I bought already cubed from the store. That makes it super easy. The squash was so tender and sweet. Although not traditional, you could try potatoes, carrots, cauliflower or beets, or you could just up the quantities of the other veggies in the recipe. Best of luck.
Sabine Frühauf
Sounds great and I will give it a try tomorrow. 1 question: do I have to use the yeast for the polenta, and if so: why? Thank you for your kind reply!
Diane Smith
Hi, no you don’t have to use the nutritional yeast. It’s there for flavor since there’s no cheese in this recipe. It needs a little something so it’s not bland. I just decided to change from water in the polenta recipe to vegetable stock and that will help with flavor, as well. Of course, salt helps, unless you’re restricting it. 🙂 Hope you enjoy.
Neysa
Can not wait to try this and the oatmeal and quinoa breakfast…after grocery shopping!! Thanks so much!!
Diane Smith
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy them!