Your order is up - Homemade Ratatouille. This baked and hearty vegetable stew is a classic French, specifically Provençal, based dish. It starts out with a tomato, onion and red pepper sauce, which is cooked over the stovetop, and is flavoured with garlic and herbes de Provence. This vibrant and fragrant sauce serves as the base of this dish and is adorned with thin slices of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Not only do these vegetables add a ton of flavour and colour but the way in which they are arranged make for the most beautiful presentation. Spoon the bold basil and garlic oil over top and into the oven it goes. It’s that easy! Now, it’s only a matter of time before you get to enjoy this satisfying dish.
My Ratatouille recipe is a great way to get your vegetables in and make use of an abundance of summer produce. Not only is it nutritious but this dish is sure to impress even the most discerning critics! Serve it with your favourite protein - chicken, turkey, lamb, pork or beef and a side salad and you’ve got yourself a lovely lunch or dinner. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me! Enjoy!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Total Time: 90 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
Ratatouille
2 small eggplants, thinly sliced and cut widthwise (approx. 1/8 inch)
2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced and cut widthwise (approx. 1/8 inch)
9 small vine tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 Tbsp olive oil, for greasing the baking pan
Extra basil leaves, as garnish
Tomato, Onion and Red Pepper Sauce
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
255g or 1 small package cherry tomatoes
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Basil and Garlic Oil
3 Tbsp olive oil
16 basil leaves, chiffonade (See Notes below)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp coarse salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375F and a grease a circular 10” baking or pie dish with 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil. Set aside.
Preparing the Basil and Garlic Oil: To a small bowl, add the olive oil, basil leaves, garlic and salt and give it a good mix. Set aside.
Making the Tomato, Onion and Red Pepper Sauce: To a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil, red pepper and onion. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional) and sauté for 6 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Stir the mixture frequently.
Add the cherry tomatoes and herbes de Provence to the red pepper and onion mixture, stir and cook for 3 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and have broken down. Then, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Transfer the sauce to the baking dish and, using a spatula or backside of a spoon, spread it out evenly so that the bottom of the baking pan is fully coated in sauce. Set aside.
Assembling the Ratatouille: Arrange the sliced vegetables in a circular pattern, starting with the eggplant, followed by the zucchini and then tomato. Working your way inwards to the centre of the baking dish, continue this pattern until you run out of vegetables or space in the baking dish. Drizzle the basil and garlic oil over the ratatouille and cover it with aluminum foil.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven to bake for 50 minutes. Then, carefully remove the aluminum foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the ratatouille from the oven and let it cool slightly. Garnish with basil leaves and serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Basil Chiffonade: Chiffonade is a French culinary technique used for slicing basil and other leafy greens, resulting in thinly sliced ribbons. I love using this technique with basil. Not only does it add tons of basil flavour throughout the tomato mixture but it also makes for a prettier presentation. Start by gathering all your basil leaves and stacking them, one on top of the other. Then, lengthwise, start rolling the basil into a log. Hold it in place with your fingers and then, using a sharp knife, thinly slice the basil. Check out my Bruschetta video for a demonstration and additional guidance.