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Ratatouille
My Cheesy ratatouille is made with thinly-sliced vegetables layered on top of a sweet and tangy tomato & red pepper sauce, melty Gouda cheese and basil pesto and finally brushed with a an aromatic and flavorful garlic olive oil before baking until the vegetables are tender.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large roasted red bell pepper from a 12oz jar
- 1 can tomato sauce (15oz)
- ¼ teaspon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning or any mixed dried herbs of your choice
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup shredded gouda cheese optional
- ¼ cup basil pesto
For the vegetable layer:
- 1 large asian eggplant (use 2 if small)
- 2 zucchini see notes
- 2 red onions
- 2 roma tomatoes
For the vegetable marinade:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning or any mixed dried herbs of your choice
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- Heat a saute pan on medium heat. Add in the oil and red onion and saute until translucent (around 5-7 minutes). Now add in the garlic and saute for a minute before adding in the red pepper flakes, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss the spices around for 30 seconds and then add in the tomato sauce and roasted red peppers. Cover the pan and let it simmer on medium low heat for around 15-20 minutes.
- After 15-20 minutes, turn off the heat and puree the sauce using a hand blender. Alternatively, you can let the mixture cool before pureeing in a regular blender.
- Transfer the sauce to the bottom of a baking pan/dish. I like using my cast iron pan for a rustic oven to table presentation. Top the sauce with the shredded gouda cheese (optional) and then spread over the basil pesto evenly.
To assemble the ratatouille:
- Preheat oven to 400F or 200C.
- Slice all the vegetables thinly (around ⅛th inch slices) either using a knife or a mandoline.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade (except fresh parsley) in a large bowl. Toss the vegetables gently in the marinade using your hands.
- Now arrange the different vegetable slices once after the other and place them in concentric circles on the sauce mixture. If you are using a rectangular or square pan, you can arrange the vegetables in rows so that the entire pan is tightly packed. The vegetables will shrink while baking, so pack them in tightly.
- Bake in preheated oven for around 30 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned around the edges and the sauce is bubbling.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread of your choice.
Notes
- Using cheese is totally optional in this recipe. To make it vegan, simply skip the cheese and using a vegan basil pesto.
- It is best to use vegetables that are around the same diameter for the most beautiful presentation.
- Use any fresh summer vegetables that you can find in this recipe. Bell peppers, yellow squash and fennel will make great additions/substitutions to this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @LimeThymeRecipes and tag #limethymerecipes
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