We think the movie Ratatouille is probably more famous than the actual dish and that’s sad. This is one of the best veggie dishes ever with the slow roasted vegetables all coming together at the end. It is one of the reasons it is in this section. When everything is fresh it makes for an even better dish. Some recipes call for just chopping and roasting, but we have found that if you lightly pan fry each item, you end up with a more complex dish. The fancy version has you slice every item with a mandolin, so they are all perfectly even and then arranged in rows in the baking dish. It’s pretty but you get the same outcome much quicker this way.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 70 minutes
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, diced 1 ½ inch
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
Fresh black pepper
1 yellow onion, diced 1 ½ inch
2 red bell peppers, diced 1 ½ inch
2 zucchinis, diced 1 ½ inch
1 (28-ounce) can whole passata tomatoes, crushed lightly
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 sprigs fresh thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the eggplant with some of the Kosher salt and set in a colander to drain for 20 minutes. When the time is up, pat dry with paper towels.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and pour a tablespoon of olive oil in. Once hot, add the eggplant and lightly fry until it starts to brown, 10 minutes. Stir in 1 clove of minced garlic along with a pinch of pepper and cook until the raw garlic smell goes away, another minute. Transfer to a 6-quart Dutch oven.
In the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of olive oil and add in the onions and peppers along with a clove of minced garlic. Sauté until veggies have softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Once done, add to the Dutch oven. Repeat the same process with the zucchini, adding it to the pot once done.
Return the skillet to the stove and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down slightly, 5 minutes, then add to the pot. Give everything a good stir then drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top. Place pot in the oven and roast for 45 minutes.
Scoop the ratatouille into bowls then top with some of the parmesan. You could also serve this over rice if you are so inclined.