Hopefully I’ve converted all of you eggplant haters out there over the past few weeks. And if I haven’t, don’t worry, this week’s recipe marks the end of the “month of the eggplant,” since I’ve finally depleted my fresh eggplant supply I received from my friend’s garden.
This week’s recipe is ratatouille.
I know what you’re thinking and yes, it IS a movie.
But it’s also the name of a super tasty dish.
It’s a flavorful melding of a lot of different vegetables cooked down into a chunky stew. The traditional recipe requires each individual veggie to be cooked separately and then combined together just prior to serving. Some chefs say this allows each vegetable to keep its own flavor. I say—ain’t nobody got no time for that! Plus, I think when you cook the right ingredients together their flavors only intensify.
I made ratatouille for the first time in culinary school. I fell in love with the flavors of the dish (and yes, if you’ve been paying attention at all, I frequently “fall in love” with food—don’t judge!). What I didn’t love was the amount of oil we used to make it. Fat is flavor, yes. But too much fat requires extra gym time. Not to mention extra napkins to wipe all of the oil off my face.
So, this week, I’m presenting a healthier, less time-consuming version of ratatouille.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hr 5 minutes
Yields: 6 cups
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
½ onion, diced
1 zucchini, cubed
1 red pepper, cut into 1 in squares
1 eggplant, cubed
1 plum tomato, cored and chopped
1 can whole, peeled tomatoes and its juices
3 sprigs of thyme, reserve 1 to garnish
1. Heat oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add onions and cook ~ 2 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add zucchini, peppers, and eggplant and sauté ~ 3 minutes.
4. Add plum tomato and using your hands, squeeze canned tomatoes so they break apart and drop into pan. Cover with tomato juice.
5. Reduce heat to low. Add 2 sprigs of thyme and cook uncovered ~45 minutes.
6. Remove garlic and garnish with remaining thyme.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
· To easily remove thyme from its stem, use your fingers to pinch the top of the stem. Swipe down the length of the stem with the fingers of your other hand from top to bottom.
· I have found that the brand of canned tomatoes really makes a difference in flavor. My favorite brand is “sclafani.”
· Initially I thought I needed to peel the eggplant, because the skin is really tough. I was sad about this because the skin is the most nutritious part of most vegetables. I found that if it cooks long enough the skin becomes really tender. Which is the reason why this recipe calls for 45 minutes of cooking time. If you see that the skin has become soft prior to the 45-minute mark, your dish is done!
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 cup
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories: 77 Fat: 3g Sodium: 8mg Carbs: 12g Fiber: 5g Sugars: 6g Protein: 2g
