Click the stars to rate!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Jump to Recipe
Today I’m sharing my recipe for Confit Byaldi (also known as Confit Bayaldi), an easy dish that still feels super elegant. It’s inspired by two traditional Provençal dishes from southern France (more on that in the article) and was made famous by the Pixar movie Ratatouille It’s beautiful on the table, full of fresh summer flavors, and perfect for impressing guests without spending all day in the kitchen.
Is Confit Byaldi the same as Ratatouille?
Confit Byaldi was created by chef Thomas Keller for the Pixar movie Ratatouille. In the film, it’s the elegant, layered dish served at the end, but it’s not the same as traditional French ratatouille.
Classic ratatouille is rustic: vegetables are diced, simmered in tomato sauce, and served soft and saucy. Confit Byaldi, on the other hand, is arranged like a tian, another Provençal dish where thin slices of zucchini, tomato, and eggplant are layered in spirals or rows. The difference is that a tian usually bakes without sauce, while Confit Byaldi sits on a bed of rich onion and tomato sauce, baked low and slow until tender and fragrant.
In short:
- Ratatouille: diced vegetables, simmered together in sauce.
- Tian: thinly sliced vegetables, layered without sauce.
- Confit Byaldi: the look of a tian + a tomato sauce base for extra juiciness.
My 5 Tips for a Perfect Confit Byaldi
This recipe is fairly simple, but here are a few tricks to ensure your vegetables are tender, flavorful, and never dry.
- Take your time: The secret to great Byaldi is slow, gentle baking. Keep the oven at or below 325°F (160 °C) and bake for at least 1 hour 15 minutes. The slow roast allows the vegetables to confit, releasing and blending their flavors beautifully.
- Cover at the start: This keeps the top from drying out or browning too quickly and helps keep the vegetables tender.
- Choose similarly sized vegetables: This matters both for even cooking and presentation. I often halve the tomatoes and eggplants since they’re usually wider than zucchini.
- Regular the slicing: Use a mandoline if you have one for thin, even slices. This makes arranging the vegetables much easier and prettier.
- Think about the final look: Alternate colors and place the slices close together. When you set it on the table, that vibrant, organized pattern is what gets the “oohs” and “aahs.”
Recipe card
Confit Byaldi (The Ratatouille Movie Recipe)
Click on the stars to rate!
This is the famous recipe from the movie Ratatouille: thin slices of summer vegetables arranged over a fragrant tomato sauce, for a dish that’s tender, colorful, and full of flavor.
Print Recipe
Prepare the tomato sauce
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and herbes de Provence; cook 1 more minute.
Add tomatoes (canned or fresh), season with salt and pepper. Simmer 10–15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 325°F (160 °C).
Wash and slice vegetables into thin, even rounds (a mandoline works best).
Spread the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 10-inch baking dish or pie dish. Arrange the vegetables in a circular pattern over the sauce, alternating colors: green zucchini, tomato, yellow squash, eggplant.
In a small bowl, mix olive oil, dry herbs (herbes de Provence or thyme), and salt. Brush over the vegetables.
- Cover the dish with parchment or foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes to lightly brown the top. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread, rice, or creamy polenta.
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 1157mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1501IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 4mg
How to Vary Your Confit Byaldi
Did you like this recipe? Here’s how you can vary it next time:
- Add thin slices of mozzarella or sprinkle parmesan cheese in the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Swap the tomato sauce for homemade piperade, a Basque-style sauté of bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
- Stir a few spoonfuls of black olive tapenade into the sauce before layering the vegetables.
- Play with heirloom varieties: black tomatoes, or graffiti eggplant. The dish will be even prettier, and tastier.
More Provencal recipes
FAQ – Confit Byaldi
The name was invented by French-American chef Thomas Keller, who created this elegant twist on ratatouille for the Pixar movie Ratatouille. Confit refers to the slow, gentle cooking that makes the vegetables soft and full of flavor. Byaldi comes from the Turkish dish İmam bayıldı, a Mediterranean classic made with eggplant slowly cooked in olive oil.
Ratatouille is a rustic vegetable stew where diced vegetables are simmered together in a pot with tomato sauce. Confit Byaldi combines the best of both: it has the beautiful, neatly arranged vegetable slices of a tian, but they’re baked on top of a flavorful tomato sauce (piperade), which keeps them extra moist and delicious.
Yes! In fact, it works beautifully. You can prepare the sauce and layer the vegetables the day before, then bake or reheat it right before serving so the texture stays perfect.
It’s incredibly versatile. Serve it alongside grilled fish, roasted chicken, or enjoy it as a main dish with bread or creamy polenta. For a chic appetizer, slice it up and serve it on toasted baguette slices.
lacuisinedegeraldine.fr (Article Sourced Website)
#Confit #Byaldi #Ratatouille #Movie #Recipe