My brain is a couple of months ahead and I’m so ready for summer, so I’m going to break out a couple of summer vegetable recipes now instead of waiting. I just can’t wait any longer. I need summer freshness. Thankfully we live in a day and age when we can get produce pretty much all year long. So while this Ratatouille Frittata might be less expensive and a little tastier in July or August when these vegetables are actually in season, it’s also kind of a life saver at the end of winter when spring is trying furiously to break through and you’re just totally over it.
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Ratatouille + Frittata = Love
I love the rich and complex flavors of ratatouille and have wanted to combine them with a frittata for a while. I did have to do things a little differently to bring these two dishes together into one, so I would say this is more like a ratatouille inspired frittata. Ratatouille is usually vegetables stewed down in a pot until they’re soft, complex, and delicious, but all that moisture spells disaster for a frittata. So, I roasted my vegetables in the oven to produce a drier end product, while still achieving a sweet and complex flavor, then transferred them to a skillet to finish off like a traditional frittata. I also added a little Parmesan on top because I love Parm, but you can substitute another cheese (mozz or feta would be awesome), or leave it off if that fits your dietary needs.
How to Serve Your Ratatouille Frittata
This vegetable filled ratatouille inspired frittata is an awesome dish for brunch, but is also a great lunch option for those who follow a low carb diet or are simply trying to work more vegetables into their daily menu. You can serve it with a slice of crusty bread, or with a cup of hot soup and maybe a small simple salad on the side.
Ratatouille Frittata
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 eggplant ($1.29)
- 1 zucchini ($0.69)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.45)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($1.99)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.39)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 6 large eggs ($1.62)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.09)
- 1 oz. Parmesan ($0.47)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the eggplant and zucchini into 1-inch pieces. Slice the onion into 1/2-inch strips. Place the eggplant, zucchini, onion, and grape tomatoes (whole) onto a large baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper over the vegetables. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the olive oil over top, then toss the vegetables until they are coated in oil and spices.
- Roast the vegetables for 50 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so, or until they are wilted and browned on the edges, and all the grape tomatoes have burst.
- When the vegetables are almost finished roasting, add the last tablespoon of olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, or just until it is soft and fragrant. Make sure to spread the oil up the sides of the skillet to help prevent the eggs from sticking.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the skillet with the garlic and stir to combine. Briefly whisk the eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a separate bowl, then pour them over top of the vegetables in the skillet. Finally, top the eggs and vegetables with shredded Parmesan.
- Transfer the hot skillet to the oven (still at 400ºF) and bake the dish for about 30 minutes, or until the eggs have puffed slightly and are golden brown around the edges. The total baking time will vary slightly depending on the type of cookware and the temperature of the contents before they go in the oven.
- Once the frittata has baked, remove it from the oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes, slice it into eight pieces, and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Ratatouille Fritatta – Step by Step Photos
These are the vegetables that I used for my “ratatouille” portion of my frittata. One eggplant, one zucchini, one onion, and one pint of grape tomatoes. Usually there is a bell pepper in the mix, too, but I needed to make sure the vegetables would actually fit in my skillet, so that one didn’t make the cut. If I had a smaller eggplant, I would have included a bell pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the eggplant and zucchini into 1-inch pieces. Slice the onion into 1/2-inch strips, and leave the tomatoes whole. Place them on a large baking sheet and add 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over top, then toss the vegetables until they are coated.
Roast the vegetables for about 50 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so. You want the end product to be soft and browned on the edges, and hopefully all of the grape tomatoes will have burst and wilted. But while the vegetables are roasting…
Whisk together six large eggs, 1/4 cup milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set those aside.
When the vegetables are almost done roasting, add the last tablespoon of olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet (this is a 10″ Lodge skillet). Heat over medium and once hot add 2 minced cloves of garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or just until it’s soft and fragrant. Make sure to get some of that oil up the sides of the skillet to help keep the eggs from sticking once they’re added.
Add the roasted vegetables to the skillet with the garlic and stir to combine.
Pour the whisked eggs over top and sprinkle a little Parmesan on top. The skillet should still be hot at this point, if it’s not, you may need to bake for a few minutes more.
Transfer the skillet to the still hot oven (400ºF) and bake the frittata for about 30 minutes or until it’s slightly puffed and browned on top. The total baking time can vary a little bit depending on the type of cookware used and the temperature of the dish before it goes into the oven.
Slice the Ratatouille Frittata into eight pieces and serve! YUM. 😍
How big is an eggplant? A zucchini? An onion? Prices change over time, and vary greatly from store to store. Weights are very useful things!
I made this recipe using Chinese eggplant (what I had on hand), but “1 eggplant” is useless information in that case.
When we don’t list a weight for a vegetable it is because the recipe is flexible. I don’t want people to get hung up on trying to get an eggplant that is exactly .75 lbs., for example. Yes, prices change pretty much daily, not to mention from region to region and store to store. For that reason, the prices listed are just for example purposes. You can read more about how and why we calculate the prices here.
When we don’t give a specific size for the vegetables it’s because the recipe is flexible. :) I don’t want people to get caught up on trying to get an exact size or weight. Just use what you’ve got and roll with it.
It was the best breakfast , i did add mushrooms,bell pepper and Pablano
peppers and a little red pepper seed. thanks.what away to start a diet.
This recipe was so delicious! Thank you for sharing it.
It brings back the memories of RATATUOILLE movie
How many days ahead can you make this? Thank you!
This one will probably hold up in the fridge for a few days. It’s definitely best when fresh, but I wouldn’t turn down the leftovers. :)
So excited to try this tonight! Do you have any suggestions on what to do if I don’t have a skillet that’s oven-safe?
Just in case anyone else is wondering, I did mine in a glass pie pan without any issues :) it wasn’t preheated, just poured in the veggies, egg mixture and cheese and put it in my toaster oven
Do you think you can do the same without putting it in the oven at the end? The same as a regular ratatouille? Or it would get a little too mushy?
The oven part at the end is mostly to cook the eggs through. If you try to cook the eggs through on the stove top, you might end up with the bottom burning before the eggs in the middle and on top get cooked. In the oven they get heat from all sides and cook at a more even pace. :)
Yum! The roasting really transforms the vegetables, and they taste much better than ratatouille. The tomatoes become jammy and wonderful. This serves four in our house, and it’s going to enter my brunch rotation.
Could I use cream instead of milk?
Yes, that will work. :)
I wanted to ask if you added fresh mushrooms, in order that they don’t get all “mushy”, would you put them in at the end of the roasting time along with the eggs? Thank you in advance for your help. Laura
Hmm, I’m not exactly sure what you mean by mushy. Mushrooms always soften when they cook, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a mushroom that was actually mushy. I would suggest roasting the mushrooms with the rest of the vegetables so they dry out a bit and don’t end up releasing a lot of water into the frittata.
cannot wait to try this recipe it looks awesome:)
Can I meal prep this for a week’s worth of lunch? . Do you think the eggs will turn out well after a few days
It holds up fairly well, IMHO. Just keep in mind that when you reheat it, you want to just warm it through and not try to get it piping hot. If it gets too hot the eggs will begin to overcook, seize up, and seep water.
This was delicious and a big hit at brunch this weekend. The grocery store near me (wegmans) sells this awesome bag of frozen grilled vegetables that you heat up in the oven, so I used that as a short cut (and omitted the tomatoes) but did everything else the same and it was GREAT. super easy and I can see how you could do this with probably any leftover veggies after a good roast.
This was so so good! I did sub 2 bell peppers for the zucchini… because I hate zucchini! Added 2 extra eggs to fill out a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Served with a strawberry/balsamic salad and a glass of pinot grigio.
Hi Beth,
This is exactly what I need! I’m getting sick of scrambled eggs.
Would much change if I left out the milk? Could I substitute more eggs (or just more yolks or whites?)
What could I use instead of tomatoes?
Myi don’t see that leaving out the tomatoes would be any particular problem but my favorite ratatouille recipe calls for bell peppers–who about either roasting some diced red bell pepper with the other veggies, or adding some jarred or canned roasted red pepper later with the roasted veggies? There are other things you can add for additional flavor, too–my ratatouille recipe also has fresh basil, and black olives, either of which could be added to this.
I fixed this as is for supper last night–it was delicious!
Reckon this would freeze well? Thinking about doing it in advance to use for school lunches!
I want to make this for my weekly lunches next week! Do you know if using a milk substitute would work? Any suggestions for making this dairy-free? Thanks!
It’s such a small amount that I think you could probably use a non-dairy milk. It’s really just to produce a little extra steam in the eggs and keep them light and fluffy.