Ratatouille

This looks just like the movie Ratatouille :)  Who knew it was inspired by Julia Child ?!?!.  I will now have to make this and talk like her the entire time I am cutting up veg.

The recipe is from 12 Tomatoes

Whats even better is there are no changes to make it Phase 1 friendly.  Really watch the onions though.  They can not caramelize or the sugars come out.  You could easily replace the onions with leeks for the same flavor and a safe Phase 1 option.

It does have eggplant and tomato paste so its definitely on the restricted veg list, but that's OK with me.  Its a treat and should only be had every once in a a while.

I almost didn't make it this weekend.  Had lots going on and didn't want to slice a lot of veg.  And then, lo and behold, the grocery store had sliced peppers, sliced zucchini and yellow squash and sliced eggplant.  How could I not make it when all I had to do was make the sauce which took all of 5 minutes and layers stuff in a baking dish.

Oh and I had to make a chiffonade of the fresh basil (I opted for basil instead of thyme), but I love making the pretty little basil ribbons so that was a piece of cake.

This really was amazingly good.  The sauce was rich, the veggies were roasted to perfection, and the flavor was out of this world.

Here is the recipe from 12 Tomatoes (copied for your convenience)

Ratatouille Casserole
Ingredients

• 1 six-ounce can tomato paste *
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (garlic lovers can add another tablespoon!)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced **
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (we recommend one red and one yellow)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (can substitute basil leaves)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place a skillet over medium heat and add the chopped onion, sautéing the onion until tender and translucent (only a few minutes - do not let it carmelize!!). Then, add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
• Get a 10x10-inch baking dish and lightly grease with cooking spray. Mix the tomato paste, sautéed onion and garlic, water, and one tablespoon of olive oil together in a bowl until everything is thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then spread this mixture along the bottom of the dish. 
• Toss sliced vegetables in a bit of olive oil, just enough to very lightly coat them.
• Take the thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, squash, and peppers and begin arranging them along the outer edge of the dish – alternating between vegetables. You’ll follow the outer edge of the dish and then work in a circle toward the middle, until you get to the center.
• Finish by drizzling the top of the vegetables with two tablespoons of olive oil and adding salt and pepper to taste. Then, sprinkle the top with thyme leaves.
• Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper, trimmed enough to fit inside the dish and cover the vegetables.
• Bake until the vegetables are tender and fully roasted, about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

*If you don’t have tomato paste, then simply replace the paste, onions, garlic, water, and one tablespoon of olive oil with your favorite pasta sauce.

** If you’re going to use eggplant, you might want to salt each side of the sliced eggplant and let them sit for about 30 minutes before adding them to the recipe. This helps get some of the moisture out of the eggplant so it doesn’t get soggy.