Baked Ratatouille Rice

Baked Ratatouille Rice

This one is genuinely special to us. Baked ratatouille rice is the kind of dish that makes your whole kitchen smell incredible, and once you pull it out of the oven you'll understand why we keep coming back to it. You get those deep, jammy roasted tomatoes and vegetables all baked together with rice that's soaked up every bit of that garlicky, herby olive oil goodness. The cinnamon and fennel are a bit of a secret weapon here, giving it this warmth you can't quite put your finger on but absolutely love. Make this on a weekend when you've got a little extra time and want something that genuinely impresses.

Cook: 70 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large roasting dish
  • Tin foil for sealing

Ingredients

  • 650g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • small bunch of parsley
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground fennel
  • ½ tsp Italian herbs
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 large courgette
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 600ml boiling water
  • 300g basmati rice
  • 5 medium tomatoes
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • green salad to serve

Method

1

Prepare the base 

  • Peel, halve and slice the onion 
  • Halve the cherry tomatoes 
  • Peel and slice the garlic 
  • Pick the parsley leaves and set them to one side 
  • Add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, parsley stems, cinnamon, fennel, Italian herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil to the roasting dish and gently stir everything together 
  • Put the dish in the oven and roast for 50 minutes
2

Prepare the topping vegetables

  • Trim the aubergine and courgette and cut into 3–4mm rounds 
  • Cut the medium tomatoes into 5mm thick slices
3

Carry on cooking 

  • Remove the dish from the oven and increase the temperature to 220°C 
  • Add the stock cube, tomato purée and boiling water to a jug and stir until the stock cube has dissolved 
  • Sprinkle the rice evenly over the roasting dish 
  • Gently pour in the stock to cover the rice 
  • Arrange the aubergine, courgette and tomato slices over the rice in sequence, working in a spiral from the outside to the middle, until the rice is completely covered 
  • Season with salt and pepper, seal the dish tightly with tin foil, put it in the oven and roast for 15 minutes
4

Finish the dish 

  • Take the dish out of the oven and carefully remove the foil (watch out for steam) 
  • Turn the grill to max and put the dish underneath 
  • Grill for 10–15 minutes, until the top has turned golden and lightly crispy
5

Time to serve 

  • Garnish with the parsley leaves 
  • Spoon into serving dishes and serve immediately with a simple green salad

Tips & Variations

  • Use good olive oil: This is one of those recipes where the quality of your olive oil really comes through, so use the nice stuff if you've got it. It makes a difference.
  • Don't rush the roast: We know 50 minutes feels like a long time but trust us, that's where all the flavour comes from. If you pull it early the base won't be nearly as good.
  • Rest before serving: Give it 5 minutes out of the oven before you dish it up. The rice keeps absorbing liquid and it all comes together beautifully.

Why This Works

The trick is that long 50-minute roast at the start. It lets the tomatoes, onion and garlic go properly soft and caramelised before the rice even goes in, so you're building a really deep flavour base rather than just cooking everything together at once. That's what gives this dish its richness, it tastes like it's been cooking for hours.