Ratatouille

This recipe for Ratatouille is pretty easy, the only difficulty comes from the mis en place, or the French word for set up. There are a lot of vegetables that need to be sliced before you can start cooking, but as always the end result is absolutely delicious.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 100 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

Vegetables

• 2 zucchinis
• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 yellow squash
• 2 eggplants
• Make sure each vegetable is similar in diameter

Herb Topping

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.

Vegetables and Herb Mix

1. While the sauce is cooking down, slice the veggies into 1/16 to 1/8 inch slices, the smaller the better. I recommend using a mandolin on the smallest setting to get consistently sized slices.
2. Place each in separate plates or bowls so you can begin stacking.
3. Combine all of the ingredients of the herb mixture and combine throughly.

Final Assembly

1. Now that everything else has been completed it is time to begin stacking. Create a pattern (for example tomato, eggplant, squash, and zucchini) and begin layering the vegetables in the shape of the pan. Continue stacking until all of the veggies have been placed or the pan has been filled.
2. Cover with tinfoil and place in an oven preheated to 375 for approximately 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes remove from the oven and remove the foil. Drizzle the herb mixture on top and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Serve straight out of the oven.