If you’ve ever visited Provence in late summer, you’ll know how abundant and beautiful the local produce is, with plump tomatoes, firm zucchini, and fragrant herbs adorning every market stall. 

The tian de ratatouille is a classic way to showcase these sun-ripened vegetables, layered artfully and baked slowly until tender and full of flavor.

While traditional ratatouille is more of a rustic stew, this tian version brings a little elegance to the table. It's perfect as a light lunch or a colorful side dish and it’s surprisingly easy to prepare. It will look like you’ve gone to much more trouble than you actually have!

Laura ready to cook

Laura ready to cook the tian, ©Laura Crotet

Instructions

  • Slice the eggplant into thin rounds. Put them in a bowl and lightly salt them. Let them sit for about 15-20 minutes to give their water, then rinse and pat dry. You can brush a little olive oil on each round, but I do not think this is necessary.
  • During this time, slide the zucchini, the tomatoes, and the onions into rounds.
  • Preheat the oven to 360°F.
  • Rub the bottom of your dish with a garlic clove that you did not cut, then put some olive oil in the dish.
  • Begin assembling the tian by arranging the sliced vegetables, alternating the colors. If you have a square dish like me, you can do this by lines. If you have a round dish, start on the outside and make a circular arrangement. As I did not want too much on an onion taste, I skipped every other turn for the onion.

The tian ready for the oven

The tian is ready for the oven, ©Laura Crotet

  • Sprinkle the top with the chopped garlic, herbes de Provence, salt & pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
  • Cook in the oven for about 1 hour, until the vegetables are soft and are starting to turn golden on the top.

It is a great side dish for a BBQ, or can be enjoyed as is with a salad, a baked potato, or a crusty baguette (and of course, some rosé from the south of France).

 

The tian finished

Looks delicious! ©Laura Crotet

 

- Laura Crotet, France Just For You

If this recipe brings water to your mouth, you may want to check out our recipe for Pistou soup, another Riviera specialty.

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

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Cathy
France Just For You planned the trip of a lifetime for my husband and me. We traveled to Normandy, St. Saint Michele, the Loire Valley and Provence. We are typically not road trip travelers, but this adventure brought us closer to the wonderful people of France than any group tour or "drop and plop" vacation could ever do. The bed and breakfasts …
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When we received our packet, I was amazed with all the info. Emilie put into it for our trip. We needed more time in the day for places on our daily agenda that we did not get a chance to visit. We will just have to return and finish them on the next trip to the Loire. Flo and Phil's, Les Bournais was a charming place with wonderful accommodations …
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My wife and I and two friends decided we would like to visit France and by chance I found Emilie's website and initiated an online conversation with her over a year ago. We really did not know what we wanted to do, nor where we wanted to go and so our planning became a moving feast, most ably supported by Emilie. How she ever put up with our …
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A fantastic well-planned self-drive tour We had the most amazing time on our 6 week self-drive tour designed by Laura, travelling through Brittany, Loire, Dordogne, Medoc, Basque France, Languedoc, Provence, the Alps, Alsace and Champagne. This was a big trip for us and it was everything I’d hoped and dreamed and even more besides. All our …
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