A lighter meal that is packed with flavorful goodness from lots of vegetables, ratatouille is a comforting and simple dish to make. When I first made it I was surprised how easy it was. The dish itself is also quite versatile, serving as a solid side or a hearty main course over couscous, quinoa, or pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1-3 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-4 eggplants, thinly sliced
- 2-4 zucchini (or substitute with cucumber), thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup potato or pumpkin thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or substitute with basil, rosemary)
- green onion to garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C
- Place a skillet over medium heat and add the chopped onion, sauté the onion until tender and translucent. Then, add the garlic and basil, and sauté for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- Get a baking dish and lightly grease with oil. Mix the tomato puree, sautéd onion and garlic, and one tablespoon of olive oil together in a bowl until everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then spread this mixture along the bottom of the dish.
- Toss sliced vegetables in a bit of olive oil, just enough to very lightly coat them.
- Take the thinly sliced vegetables and begin arranging them along the outer edge of the dish alternating between vegetables. Start with the outer edge of the dish and then work in a circle toward the middle, until you get to the center.
- Finish by drizzling the top of the vegetables with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and adding salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the top with thyme leaves.
- Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper, bake until the vegetables are tender and fully roasted, about 45 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped green onions or sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top for added flavor.
note: You can salt each side of the sliced eggplant and let them sit for about 30 minutes before adding them to the recipe. This helps get some of the moisture out of the eggplant so it won't get soggy.
Ready for all that juicy goodness from the combination of vegetables to reach your belly? Let that natural sweetness and umami warmth travel from your mouth all the way to your stomach. It almost feels like you have a nice warm pack on your stomach-it's a happy, warm kind of filling!
