Easy Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a great summer dish that really celebrates the abundance of the garden.   In this recipe we use our basic Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce as a time saver, but you can substitute a jar of any good tomato basil pasta sauce.   Also, don’t worry about proportions of the vegetables.   This is a flexible dish; use what you have.   You can also add different herbs such as herbs de Provence, rosemary, a pinch of red pepper flakes, parsley or fresh basil as a garnish.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of our basic Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Traditional Method Red Wine Vinegar
1-2 cloves crushed or minced garlic
2 tsp of fresh thyme or other herbs (1 tsp if using dried herbs)
1 lb of zucchini cut into 1/2 inch slices or quartered into cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lg onion, red, white or yellow, thin crescent slices
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
course ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large baking casserole stir in the basic Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce, the Traditional Method Red Wine Vinegar and crushed garlic, thyme and any other herbs you desire.   Adjust salt and pepper to taste in this sauce.

In a large skillet start by sauteing the onions in the olive oil over high heat.   As they soften add the bell pepper pieces.   As the bell peppers soften, add the eggplant pieces.   Season with salt and pepper to taste, and saute until all the vegetables are lightly coated with oil and slightly softened.   You can add additional olive oil if necessary.

When the vegetables are softened, pour into the casserole dish and fold the tomato sauce into the vegetables to coat.   Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees.   You want the vegetables done but still with some structure.

You can garnish with parsley or fresh basil before serving.

Serves 6 to 8