Ratatouille - classic French vegetable casserole

Heather
20 minutes ago
2 min read

Hungry for more? This recipes was featured in a podcast episode!

This classic French casserole ticks all our boxes for a lightly seasoned vegetable side dish, perfect to accompany any main.

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook time: 1 hr

Yield: 4-6 side servings

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant, peeled and sliced (see instructions)
1 lb zucchini or summer squash, sliced (see instructions)
4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 cloves mashed garlic
Approx 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper to taste
2 bell peppers, sliced
3 tbsp minced parsley
1 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded, sliced (see instructions)
Note: If you are using canned tomatoes, you will need about 1 1/2 cups.

Directions

Peel the eggplant using a sharp knife. Then slice the eggplant lengthwise into pieces approx. 3 inches long, 1 inch wide and about 3/4 inch thick.
Slice the squash into pieces the same size as the eggplant.
Put the eggplant and squash into a bowl and toss with one teaspoon salt. Set them aside for 30 minutes. After the 30 mins, blot thoroughly with a towel to remove excess water.
Put four tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the squash and eggplant, in a single layer, for about one minute until they vegetables are lightly browned. You'll need to do more than one batch. Take them out into a dish.
Add a little olive oil if needed and cook pepper and onions in the same skillet - cook about 10 minutes until they are tender. Add the garlic and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Slice the peel off the tomatoes using a sharp paring knife. Cut each tomato in half and scoop out the seeds and any juice. Cut the remaining into 3/8-inch strips. Layer the tomatoes over pepper and onions, and season them with a little salt and pepper.
Cover the skillet and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes on low heat until the tomatoes start to render their juice.
Check the seasoning and raise the heat. Boil the vegetables in the tomato juice until the juice evaporates. Remove from the heat.
Layer your ratatouille: Remove most of the tomato and pepper mixture into a separate dish and spread what's left over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Next, add half the remaining eggplant and squash on top. Then, half the remaining tomatoes. Next, the last of the eggplant and squash, and finally, the rest of the tomatoes.