Roasted Ratatouille

Use this recipe as a guide: It’s best to use a balanced mix of vegetables, but the roasting process is forgiving. For instance, I’ve made this with and without zucchini; I’ve used a mix of vegetables that leans heavy on the eggplant at times and heavy on the tomatoes at others. I’ve used all sorts of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc.

Also, I often omit the thyme altogether: I simply season each layer of vegetables with salt as I add them to the pan. Then once all of the vegetables are in, I pour over the olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients

For the roasted ratatouille:

12 ounces eggplant, (about 1), chopped into 1-inch pieces, see notes above re quantities

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces

12 ounces zucchini (about 2), chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 red bell (or other) peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 yellow or white onion, chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 to 1/2 cups olive oil, see notes above

2 to 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, optional

1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the pasta:

dried pasta

roasted ratatouille

freshly grated parmesan

basil

Instructions

·      Preheat the oven to 400° F.

·      In a large roasting pan or casserole, combine the tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, shallot, and garlic. Note: I add the vegetables to the pan as I finish chopping them, and sprinkle each layer of vegetables lightly with salt.

·      In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Pour over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Season with pepper. (Alternatively: If you’ve seasoned each layer of vegetables generously with salt, simply pour the olive oil and vinegar over the vegetables. As noted above, I omit the thyme.)

·      Bake for 30 minutes, then stir well. Bake for another 30 to 45 minutes (or longer, especially if you’ve increased the quantities: if my roasting pan is really loaded, I roast the vegetables for 3 hours, stirring once every hour, until the juices really begin to reduce/thicken) until the vegetables are all very tender and the released juices are beginning to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper as desired.

·      To serve, spoon over toast or toss with cooked pasta, grated parmesan, finely chopped basil and enough of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to make a nice sauce.

Find it online: https://alexandracooks.com/2017/09/01/roasted-ratatouille-pasta/