Well, one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time (perhaps ever) was on last night, and inspired my meal creation for the evening. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a cartoon before and gotten so hungry, but Ratatouille does it to me every time! It was the perfect kind of gloomy day to labor in the kitchen, and this turned out so delicious, healthy, and comforting. I had never made ratatouille before, so I combined a few recipes to come up with a version that sounded best to me.
I had an eggplant in the fridge that needed to be used, so that got shuffled into the mix. It gave the dish a velvety depth that was sooo good, and I can’t imagine ratatouille without! Some recipes call for parmesan cheese in the casserole, but I think some goat cheese crumbled on top is all you need.
Adapted from: http://www.smittenkitchen.com
PREHEAT OVEN to 375
What you will need:
1 thin zucchini
1 thin yellow squash
½ eggplant
1 long thin red pepper, take out core and keep intact so you are able to slice pretty red rings
Slice all vegetable above with a knife about 1/16 of an inch
12oz crushed tomatoes (Use the best you can find since this is a huge part of the dish, I used Delallo tomatoes from Italia and they were great)
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
½ yellow onion, diced
1 TB Herbs de Provence
Sea S + P
2 TB EVOO
Fresh thyme
Goat Cheese Crumbles (after its done, sprinkle the cheese on top…not to be baked into dish)
Lightly grease pan with 1 TB EVOO. Pour in tomato sauce, garlic, and chopped onion. Season with Herbs de Provence, S+ P
On top of tomato mixture begin to arrange your sliced vegetables, alternating vegetable, concentrically around the outside edge of your baking dish. Overlap them slightly (see picture) to create a pretty pattern. Get creative!
Drizzle top of casserole with last TB of EVOO and sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and thyme Cover with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes
SERVE WITH:
Polenta Cakes
I just bought a package of organic polenta by Food Merchants. It’s good and easy. Pan fry until warm and crispy on the outside!
Simple Arugula Salad
3 c baby Arugula
½ c Sliced English cucumber
2 TB sliced toasted almonds
1 lemon wedge
Splash of EVOO (to taste)
Splash of Mirin (to taste)
healthy food, food for thought
Recycled Lunch 
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