Easy Ratatouille

By the sound of the recipe, Ratatouille seems intimidating, right? A long French word that seems hard to pronounce, the struggles of an adorable mouse just trying to make it as a chef, so many reasons to be afraid of this recipe. But really, it is SIMPLE!

Ratatouille was actually a peasant dish created by farmers as a way to use their summer veggies that had all ripened at once. It was treated almost as a stew, but you will see in my variation it is more of a vegetable side dish or even a main if you are looking for a light meal.

There are only a few main components to this dish, so this is not the time to find “cheap” ingredients. Farmers market produce is great, homegrown veggies even, spices that haven’t been in the cabinet for 7 years…. you know what I mean.

I ate this over a bowl of pasta, with a piece of grilled chicken, on top of a crusty piece of sourdough…. the options are really unlimited with ratatouille to make it even more filling. So without further ado, below is the recipe for my version of Ratatouille.

Ingredients

Vegetables (all thinly sliced)

Eggplant

Zucchini

Vine Tomato

Red onion

Tomato sauce base:

32 oz can Crushed tomatoes (San Marzano - yes it’s worth the $$)

1 tbsp Herbes de Provence

Pinch Crushed red pepper

1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp Salt

5 cloves Fresh garlic

1 Jalapeño (optional, I like it spicy)

I added 2 cubanelles to the sauce for more veg, but also optional

Garnish

Black Pepper

Fresh Basil

Sauté the finely minced garlic in some olive oil on the stovetop in a pot. Cook on low heat for roughly 2-3 minutes, then add in the diced jalapeño and cubanelles (optional) and allow that to cook for another 3 minutes. Add in the can of crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in a pinch of chili flake for additional heat and the Herbes de Province. Simmer sauce for at least 15-20 minutes to allow the tomatoes to cook down and seasonings to all get acquainted.

Spread a layer of this finished sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Layer your sliced vegetables in on top - a slice of onion followed by a slice of eggplant, followed by a tomato slice, followed by a slice of zucchini and continue this process until you run out of veggies or until your dish is full.

Brush the top of your vegetables with some olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper, and bake uncovered. This will go into a 350 degree oven for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, until you see the vegetables have softened and are starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil and more fresh black pepper.

bon appétit!