Having a sous chef named Remy, you must have known that it was only a matter of time before I offered up some sort of ratatouille recipe. Well, my friends, that time is now.
I love local farm stands, and as soon as they open up I get all excited because, to me, that signals the beginning of spring, warmer weather, beautiful flowers, and the most delicious fruits and vegetables.
This year was no exception and as soon as the farm stand just a few miles from my home opened up, I had to stop by. After all, I was driving right by it. How could I not?
Predictably, like a kid in a candy store, I ended up buying too many vegetables or, at least more than we could eat in a reasonable amount of time. Also predictably, there came a day when a serious clean out was in order before a science experiment commenced in my fridge.
Eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes were still in beautiful condition but had to be saved by my overzealous shopper self.
I knew immediately that I wanted to make ratatouille, which is one of the most healthy and delicious French creations on earth that also happens to be one of the easiest dishes that you’ll ever make. Simply put, this is the world’s most flexible vegetable stew.
Tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, eggplant and onions are sautéed in olive oil along with some garlic, a bit of tomato paste and red pepper flakes, then topped off with parsley and basil. That’s it.
Eat it hot or cold, for lunch or dinner, over pasta, on top of some crusty bread, with poached eggs for breakfast, alongside cheese and crackers or, with a big spoon, straight out of a bowl with a glass of ice cold Sauvignon Blanc (as is my go to method). Anything goes and, once you make it, ratatouille will last for days in your refrigerator, making it the perfect make ahead meal. The possibilities are endless and if you’re looking for a real show stopper, you had to look no further than a tart, that is, until now.
Years ago before kids, dog, stressful demanding office job, etc., (aka, life) I used to make a gorgeous ratatouille tart based on a Bon Appetite recipe. Although, undeniably delicious, this tart had a crust of stacked layers upon layers of phyllo dough, each one smothered in butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Too much work if you ask me and most likely the reason that I had stopped making it in the first place. No thank you.
Although I love to cook and often challenge myself to complicated recipes, I always find phyllo a bit intimidating. It’s tissue paper thin, dries out in minutes which requires you to work quickly and keep it covered with a dish towel at all times and it breaks into a million little shards which are always a pain to clean up. But, then I stumbled upon a recipe in an old copy of Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan for an ice cream sandwich made of sliced unrolled phyllo dough that had been simply tossed on a sheet pan, sprinkled with butter and sugar and baked then topped with ice cream and whipped cream. No covering the dough with a towel or trying to patch it back together after it falls apart. Genius!
And so I thought, if this works for sweet dishes, why not a savory one? So, I followed the same method. Defrosted some phyllo dough, sliced it, dumped handfuls of the fettuccini like strands of dough onto a baking sheet, sprinkled it with melted butter and some parmesan. Into the oven it went for about ten minutes.
Then, once cooled, I sandwiched some ratatouille between two baked phyllo stacks and topped them off with some cream cheese whipped cream and a generous sprinkle of pepper and fresh basil. Let me tell you, this stack was nothing short of fabulous. The crispy, buttery phyllo, combined with the rich and flavorful ratatouille, the fresh herbs and the savory cream cheese whipped cream is a treat for the senses. Bursting with color and flavor, this dish is perfect for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner. And best of all, because the ratatouille can be made days in advance and then assembled with the stacks in a matter of minutes, this recipe has the makings of an easy weeknight meal as well as a stunner for entertaining.
I hope that you’ll decide to give this Ratatouille Phyllo Stack recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and to see pictures of anything that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.
Ratatouille Phyllo Stack
Ingredients
Ratatouille:
- 6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 red or yellow peppers, ½ inch diced
- 1 large yellow onion, ½ inch diced
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large eggplant (about 1½ lb), ½ inch diced
- 1 large zucchini (about 1 lb), ½ inch diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbs tomato paste
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1½ lb ripe plumb tomatoes, ½ inch diced
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 6 large basil leaves, torn (plus extra for serving)
Phyllo Stacks:
- 1 lb phyllo dough, defrosted
- 4 tbs unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tbs parmesan, freshly grated
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream:
- ¼ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly grated black pepper
Instructions
Ratatouille:
- Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers have softened slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, eggplant and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue to cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the ratatouille has reached a thick stew-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool and refrigerate until ready to use. *See note.
Phyllo Stacks:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll the pastry, remove the paper liner and re-roll it back up. Cut the dough horizontally in ½ inch slices.
- Divide the dough into 12 stacks, drizzle each one with one teaspoon of melted butter and sprinkle with one teaspoon of parmesan. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream:
- Combine the cream cheese, whipped cream, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment beat until the mixture is smooth and stiff peaks have formed.
For Assembly:
- Just before serving lay one phyllo stack on a plate, top with the ratatouille, another phyllo stack and then a bit more ratatouille. Finish off with a few dollops of whipped cream and some torn basil leaves.