It isn't actually summer until the farmers' market is bright with jewel-toned eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes. And usually when I see these summer garden stalwarts all together in one place, I dream of ratatouille pizza, based on the stunning French casserole of thinly sliced or cubed summer vegetables.
For this ratatouille pizza recipe, I made a roasted version of ratatouille using cubed instead of sliced veggies to save my fingers from the mandoline.
After the vegetables came out of the oven, I scattered them on the dough over layers of no-cook marinara sauce and shredded Gruyère cheese, then topped them with sliced olives and some freshly grated Parmesan. The result was, how they say, magnifique!
A note to ratatouille purists: Yes, I know I Italian-ized the dish a bit for this pizza recipe. If you want to keep it as true to the original as possible, make sure to use Gruyère, not mozzarella, and either skip the olives altogether or use niçoise.
Ratatouille Pizza
Equipment
- large rimmed baking sheet
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 baby or ¼ medium eggplant
- 1 small yellow bell pepper
- ½ medium zucchini
- ½ small yellow onion
- 2 small plum, Roma, or San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the pizza
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Super Simple Marinara Sauce (or your favorite red pizza sauce)
- 1 large garlic clove, very thinly sliced
- 4 ounces Gruyère or low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup pitted niçoise or kalamata olives, sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or basil
Instructions
- If you're using a baking steel or stone, place it on a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Set the other rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Trim and chop the eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and tomato into small (roughly ½-inch) dice; you should have ¾ cup diced eggplant, pepper, zucchini, and tomato and ½ cup onion. Put the vegetables in a large bowl, add the herbes de Provence, salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and the olive oil, and toss well. Spread out the chopped vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast the vegetables for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and browned in spots. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool while you roll out the pizza dough and grate the cheese. (Or roast the veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you're ready to make the pizza. They will last in the fridge for up to 1 week.)
- Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel). Let the oven preheat for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Prick the dough all over with a fork and brush the edges lightly with olive oil. Add the sauce and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border all around, then arrange the garlic on top, sprinkle with the gruyere or mozzarella, scatter on the roasted vegetables and olives (if using), and finish with the parmesan.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden around the edges and evenly browned on the bottom and the toppings have browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel. Remove the pizza from the oven.
- Drizzle the pizza with a little olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper, and sprinkle with the chopped oregano and/or basil. Slice and serve.
Looking for more summer vegetable pizzas? Here are a few to try:
Bryan Jones says
Delicious and fresh tasting pie. I made this years ago when you first published, but the new photos are great!
Peggy Paul Casella says
Thanks, Bryan! Glad you like the refreshed post!