Ratatouille
We’re honoring all things Parisian this week; to be fair, we make some version of this traditional French dish about once a week. It heats up easily in the microwave, freezes well, and is hearty and filling. Plus, it’s easily portable to school in Tupperware. We eat ratatouille with steak, with chicken, or over rice or quinoa when we’re feeling especially vegetarian. It’s such a great way to pack in lots of different colors, and therefore lots of different nutrients
What You Need:
EVOO, salt, and pepper
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
4 zucchini, sliced into rounds
2 yellow squash, sliced into rounds
1 small eggplant, sliced into rounds
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes or 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can tomato sauce
8 oz low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
Fresh basil for topping
What to Do:
Slice all vegetables into similar sized pieces.
Sautée onions in olive oil, salt, and pepper until translucent. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Place your raw veggies into your pot or baking dish until they’re snug and squished in tight.
Pour can of tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle chopped garlic, basil, cooled onions, and remaining Italian seasoning on top.*
Pour chicken broth around the edges.
Cook on medium at 375 uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. You want the tomatoes to reduce and all the vegetables to be very tender.
The sauce will start to thicken and brown around the edges. Leave uncovered if you want a thicker sauce. Cover the pot for more liquid.**
Cool and serve with more chopped fresh basil.
Serving Suggestions:
On top of rice or couscous with poached or soft boiled eggs.
Tossed with shrimp or chicken.
As a soup by adding more broth
As a side to most fish (salmon, white fish), chicken or sausages.
Topped with sautéed mushroom and parmesan.
Notes
*Instead of tossing in chilies or red pepper flakes at the garlic stage, add spice to taste at the end. (It’s also a crowd-pleasing solution.)
** If you’re going to mix the ratatouille with rice, pasta, or runny egg, aim to include more liquid. If you’re going to freeze a good portion of it, air on the side of juicy so you have some extra liquid to evaporate when you reheat. Consider adding another can of low sodium chicken broth if you’re heating up a frozen batch.
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