Ratatouille is a bright and beautiful vegetable-based dish rich in olive oil and fragrant with garlic and herbs. This dish originates from Provence, a region in the south of France near the Mediterranean Sea. Making it properly takes a bit of time, so we suggest cooking a big batch on a lazy Sunday so you’ll have a tasty and colorful addition to meals throughout the week. This dish took 2.5 hours to make from start to finish and made 8 servings.

Ingredients:

VEGGIES

2 eggplants
1 field or roma tomato
1 yellow squash
1 large zucchini

SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots
1 hot pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 red peppers roasted, peeled, and diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 field tomatoes blanched, crushed (or 1 large can of crushed tomatoes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (8-10 leaves)

HERB SEASONING

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (8-10 leaves)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Provence Spices
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆ inch (1-mm) rounds, then set aside.
Make the sauce: Make a cross on the tomatoes, boil water, pour on top, and leave to Blanche for 10mins. Remove peel and then place in the food processor
Roast 4 peppers in the oven at 375 for 30min while you get everything else ready. Sweat the peppers when they have finished roasting and remove the peel. Slice and dice.
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, and carrots for approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully combined. Remove from heat, then add all the spices. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.
Add roasted diced peppers and let this entire mixture simmer and reduce over medium heat for another 10 mins. Once done, puree in the food processor.
Pour sauce into the bottom of the baking dish, then arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan.
Make the herb seasoning. In a small bowl, mix thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Serve while hot as a main dish or side.

Pro Tip:

The ratatouille is also excellent the next day. Simply cover with foil and reheat in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 15 minutes, or microwave to the desired temperature.

Not only is ratatouille delicious, but it’s also packed with dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. It can also help you meet your recommended daily veggie intake for optimal health. Although once considered a ‘peasant food’ or ‘poor man’s meal’ due to its preparation style and economy of the dish, today ratatouille is served in some of the finest restaurants in the world. We highly recommend giving this recipe a try!

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