What Do I Serve with Ratatouille – Five Amazing Answers
How do you serve ratatouille? Is ratatouille a side dish or a main dish? The answers to all your ratatouille questions are right here—including five best ways to serve ratatouille. Read on!
Ratatouille in my Le Creuset Braiser. It’s the perfect pan for quintessential South-of-France recipe.
FAQ – All About Ratatouille
What Is Ratatouille?
Ratatouille is a classic South-of-France specialty that’s made with sauteed-then-simmered onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini, flavored with a great olive oil, garlic and herbes de Provence.
Is Ratatouille a Side Dish or a Main Dish?
Both! Ratatouille can be served as a first course with bread; it can also be served as a side dish, as you would any vegetable side. However, I most enjoy serving ratatouille as a main-ish dish; that is, as an anchor to a summer’s dinner. I love serving it with flatbread or artisanal crackers and a good array of cheeses. Maybe a summery salad or two.
Indeed, there’s no best way to serve ratatouille, just a lot of best ways to serve ratatouille! Read on for my favorites.
Do You Serve Ratatouille Warm or Cold?
Neither! I serve ratatouille at room temperature. You can certainly serve it hot, especially if you’ll be serving it as a vegetarian entrée. But I never serve it straight-from-the-fridge cold. The flavors are definitely best warmed to room temp.
How do you serve ratatouille?
If you haven’t enjoyed ratatouille all that often, it’s hard to know what to serve with ratatouille. But once you make it a couple times, believe me, you’ll think of all kinds of ways to this great summery dish. Below are my favorites.
Serve Ratatouille with Cheeses and a Salad or Two
One of my all my favorite ways to serve ratatouille, especially in summer, is with a salad and cheese. In this case, a couscous salad and a couple crackers with a washed-rind French cheese. Oh, and I throw in some Oeufs-Mayo for good measure.
Serve Ratatouille with a Poached Egg Salad and a Cheese Plate
Of all the great ways to serve ratatouille, serving it with a poached egg salad ranks right up there!
I adore poached egg salads, and ratatouille goes fabulously with eggs. Just add a few cheese-topped crackers for a satisfying, flavor-charged meal
Serve Ratatouille as a Side Dish to Meats
Ratatouille goes great with grilled meats, especially lamb and veal.
Ratatouille goes well with all kinds of grilled meats—I love it with flank steak, lamb, and veal, especially. A gourmet burger, served open face. Yes. A good steaky fish. Indeed. Can you serve ratatouille with chicken. Yes! But a good crackly-skinned roast or grilled chicken is best, not a dull boneless, skinless breast.
Serve Ratatouille as a Vegetarian Main Dish
Ratatouille makes a terrific main dish for meatless eating. Serve with a hearty side, such as a rice pilaf. Pictured is a creamy rice dish (a kind of sturdy risotto). I couldn’t resist serving corn on the cob with this, since it was in season. However, the French usually serve epis de maïs (corn on the cob) as its own course, if they serve it at all.
Serve Ratatouille with an Omelet
Allow me to repeat myself. Ratatouille goes beautifully with eggs, so give it a go with a French Rolled Omelet like the one pictured above.
Those are my top ways to serve ratatouille. So, what about a recipe? Believe it or not, I’m not including a recipe for ratatouille in my upcoming book. I decided that there are plenty of good recipes out there, and if I couldn’t improve on, for example, Melissa Clark’s version of ratatouille, then I’d save precious space for another recipe. Try her recipe, but enjoy my ways with it!
Cheers.
