RATATOUILLE REDO

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Ratatouille Redo image

I love a good vegetable casserole and ratatouille is one of those wonderful concoctions that gives all the freshness of summer no matter what time of year it is. I updated some techniques by smoothing out the vegetables into a delicious sauce that's spread over layers and not in a more traditional stew mixture. Delicious, healthy, and vegetarian for your meatless days, it doesn't get much better than this!

Provided by Glenda Purvis @photolady63

Categories     Casseroles

Number Of Ingredients 12

BODY
2 chinese or japanese eggplants
2 medium zucchinis
SAUCE
2 bell peppers
1 anaheim pepper
1 big onion
3 teaspoon(s) minced garlic
28 - 30 ounce(s) of fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon(s) herbes de provence
1 teaspoon(s) salt
pepper

Steps:

  • Slice eggplant into 1/4" rounds, place in a bowl or baking dish, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
  • Fill a medium saucepan about halfway full of water and heat until it's almost boiling. Place the tomatoes in the hot water and leave until the skin starts peeling, or 3 minutes. Remove from hot water and set aside to let them cool.
  • Chop bell peppers, Anaheim pepper, onions, and garlic. Keep the garlic separate, as it will be added to the mix later.
  • Pour 2 - 3 tablespoons of oil in a 12" saute pan and heat until oil is shimmering. Add the peppers and onion at this time. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until onions start becoming transparent.
  • Add garlic.
  • At this time, transfer the veggies to a large saucepan to accommodate the tomatoes.
  • By now the tomatoes should be cool to the touch. Peel them with your fingers, chop them up then add to the veggie mix, juice and all.
  • Let simmer on low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Check your salt at this time, and add more if needed.
  • While the veggies are simmering, drain the now sweaty eggplant slices and place them on paper toweling for them to dry.
  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Slice the zucchini into 1/4" rounds.
  • Using an emulsifier or blender, mix the veggies, in shifts, until the texture is smoothed out to your liking.
  • Spoon 1 - 1 1/2 cups of the sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 9 casserole or baking dish. Layer eggplant and zucchini slices any way you want. I went with the circular look and ended up being a little short on the second layer - oh, well! Due to the wide variance of vegetable sizes, this may or may not be an issue for you.
  • Pour another 1 - 1 1/2 cups of sauce on first layer, and repeat the layering process. Add any leftover sauce on the top, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil and place in your now hot oven for 30 minutes, then remove cover and let cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes or rice for a heavenly vegetarian meal, or eat it all by itself. Enjoy!

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