This Easy Grilled Ratatouille Salad Recipe is a great way to enjoy all the flavors of traditional ratatouille, with a modern twist. Grill vegetables are transformed into a vegetable salad that’s quintessential summer…in all the most delicious ways.
This post has been updated from the original that was posted July 27, 2016.
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If your garden is flourishing this year…or you have access to a good farmers market, you’re definitely going to want to make this Grilled Ratatouille Salad. Grilled veggies like zucchini, onions, bell peppers and eggplant are so easy to make and taste incredible mixed together with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Too much zucchini? Well, that’s not even a problem…but rather an opportunity to make Vegan Stuffed Zucchini, Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Pizza, Zucchini Muffins, Zucchini Rollatini, Zucchini Brownies….oh, I could go on and on! An abundance of zucchini is what summer dreams are made of.
Why you’ll love Grilled Ratatouille
- Won’t heat up your house.
- Simple…brings out the vegetables natural good taste.
- Grilled zucchini and eggplant….need I say more??
- Ratatouille salad is the ultimate pot-luck side dish recipe. Make it. Bring it.
- Gets better as it sits and the flavors marinate….making it perfect for healthy meal prep.
- Can easily be transformed into a ratatouille pasta salad (see recipe card for instructions).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggplant: Substitute large portobello mushrooms, grill them whole.
- Zucchini: Pattypan squash would also work well. Cut them in half to grill.
- Red Bell Pepper: Yellow bell peppers would be my next choice, followed by orange.
- Yellow Squash: Double up on the zucchini if you don’t have yellow summer squash.
- Red Onion: If you don’t have a large red onion, substitute with a white one. I think the red onions taste sweeter, but it’s important to have a bigger onion so you can make thick rounds that won’t fall through the cracks.
- Tomato: Fresh tomatoes offer flavor, texture and some juiciness. Nothing beats a ripe summer tomato. You can substitute cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or pear tomatoes…just cut them in half.
- Olive oil: If you don’t want to baste the sliced vegetables, at least oil the grates so help the veggies from sticking.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Substitute with red wine vinegar.
- Fresh Herbs: I love to sprinkle this ratatouille salad with fresh oregano leaves, but fresh basil leaves are also a great way to add flavor. Substitute 1-2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning if fresh herbs aren’t an option.
How to make it
Prep veggies for grilling. Eggplant can be cut lengthwise into ¼″ slices after trimming off a sliver of the top and bottom, discarding the stem. Cut zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise in half then into quarters. Slice onions horizontally (not through the stem) into thick rounds, and cut the bell peppers top to bottom on each side for 4 larger pieces.
Pre heat grill. A gas grill can be turned to medium-high heat. If you’re using a charcoal grill, cover and let heat up for about 15 minutes before using.
While the grill is heating, brush the cut side of all the veggies with the 2 tablespoons oil. Alternately, place all cut up vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil until evenly coated.
Place vegetables in a single layer on the hot grill. Leave the vegetables undisturbed, until they’re ready to naturally release.
Use a tongs to flip to the other side. If you’re patient, and resist the urge to move them around, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful grill marks. This will be 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove any vegetables that are tender and cooked through.
If you can’t fit all the sliced veggies in a single layer on the grill, that’s OK. Do them in batches.
Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and dice into similar sized chunks.
Place cut vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with sea salt and crushed red pepper and mix well.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Cut the grilled vegetables into bite sized pieces of similar size.
- Leave veggies undisturbed on the grill until they naturally release.
- Add your favorite protein and make this a meal.
- Make this a day ahead, it will taste even better the next day. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Storage
- Store: Use an air tight container and store in the fridge for 5 days.
- Serve: Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. Delish at any temp.
- Freeze: The texture of the grilled vegetables changes once this is frozen and defrosted. I do not recommend freezing as is. You can puree and then freeze, defrost and use it as a delicious ratatouille dip.
- Reheat: I think this ratatouille salad tastes best at room temperature or cold. If you want to serve it hot, gently reheat at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, until warmed through.
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📖 Recipe
Grilled Ratatouille Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large yellow summer squash
- 1 large red onion
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare veggies for grill: slice eggplant lengthwise into ¼” slices. Slice zucchini and squash into quarters, lengthwise. Cut peppers into large chunks and thickly slice onion horizontally. Brush all veggies on both sides with olive oil.
- Heat grill to medium high and then carefully place veggies onto grill with tongs. Do not move veggies around, be patient and allow grill marks to form.
- Most veggies will take about 4 minutes per side to get nice grill marks, depending on thickness. Peek at the underside before flipping to the other side. Remove when veggies are tender, yet not too cooked that they will fall apart when diced.
- While veggies are cooling, roughly chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Dice grilled veggies in similar size and add to bowl. Sprinkle with vinegar, salt, crushed pepper, oregano and toss gently. Taste for seasoning, adding more S+P or vinegar to suit you.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Elizabeth
Never thought to make ratatouille into a salad but this is genius. Making this weekend!
Valerie
Love how easy this is to make! This grilled ratatouille or the salad would both be excellent sides for summer entertaining.
Debra Klein
We eat it all summer long!
Covita
This is a 5 star Ratatouille! We loved it and will make again
Debra Klein
Fabulous…glad you enjoyed it.
Jerika
Love the twist in this Easy Grilled Ratatouille Salad Recipe.:) So delicious and satisfying can’t wait to make it again.
Debra Klein
Thank you Jerika!
Alexandra
These are all of my favourite vegetables in one delicious recipe. This is the perfect way to enjoy the best of summer produce – so beautifully presented and full of flavour.