Ratatouille. A French peasant dish made into an inspiration and widely known from the adorable chef mouse movie. There is something so satisfying about the simplicity of the dish, allowing the fresh ingredients to speak for themselves. You won’t regret trying out this easy and impressive dish.

Ratatouille Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1  zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tomato, whatever kind you love 🙂
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 12 oz. Cento Pureed Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. Cento tomato paste
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. butter
• EVOO
• Pinch of sugar

Preheat your oven to 400F.

In a saute pan over medium/low heat, melt the butter. Sautee the sliced onion low and slow until it’s caramelized. Set aside in a bowl. (Should take about 30 minutes at least.)

Reuse the same saute pan. Over medium heat, add olive oil and minced garlic. Once the garlic becomes nice and fragrant, add the tomato paste and stir in with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato puree and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add torn basil leaves.

Meanwhile, slice your washed zucchini, eggplant, squash, bell pepper, and tomato thinly with a sharp knife or a mandoline. (A mandoline is your friend at this stage.) Keep neat piles of each vegetable.

In a round pie dish, rub with olive oil or oil spray. Place your tomato sauce from the stove in the bottom, covering it completely. Then scatter your caramelized onions over it. Begin layering your vegetables in a color pattern (such as purple, yellow, red, green, etc.) I find the easiest way is to layer them in your hand, and then place in the dish. Start around the outside moving to the inside of the pan until it fills completely. Drizzle with EVOO and a pretty generous salt and pepper. Cut a parchment paper circle and cover the vegetables loosely.

Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until tender. If you would like to, top with some freshly grated parmigiano and finish in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Buon appetito!