Ratatouille with Homemade Sauce
By Emily Buys of Clever Housewife
Valentine's Day is coming up and I have the perfect dish to show your sweetheart you really care. This home-cooked Ratatouille with Homemade Sauce is beautiful and well worth the effort it takes to make it. I wouldn't say this is a difficult dish to make, but it does take time. There is a lot of chopping and some waiting, but the end result is a dish that will warm you all the way through.
All the chopping and carefully placing each vegetable round in your dish full of sauce will invoke happy thoughts of Disney's very own Remy from the film Ratatouille. I highly recommend turning on some French music as you cook and you'll be feeling like a real French chef in no time.
Aside from your loved ones feeling especially loved for your efforts on such an elaborate dish, they'll also be able to feel good about what they're eating. Ratatouille is full of veggies, which means loads of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. While each of the 'fruit' and veggies in this dish have a multitude of health benefits, here's a brief rundown of their highest ranked nutrients.
Red onion - anthocyanins (good for antioxidants),
Yellow onion - vitamin C
Garlic - lowers blood pressure, high in manganese, vitamin B6 and C
Carrots - vitamin A
Tomatoes - polyphenol lycopene, which has anti-cancer and cardioprotective benefits, beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Bell Peppers - vitamin C
Eggplant - fiber, manganese and vitamin B6
Yellow squash - copper, manganese and vitamin C
Zucchini - vitamin A
Red potatoes - potassium and fiber
In addition to the health benefits, this Ratatouille is low in fat and vegan. What says true love more than providing your time and energy to cook a beautifully delicious and healthy meal!
*Tip - For layering to go seamlessly you need vegetables that are similar in diameter. It's okay if they're not exact - just do your best.
Ratatouille
Ingredients:
SAUCE
● 2 bell peppers (red and yellow, preferably)
● 1 Tbsp olive oil
● 1 small red onion, diced
● 1 small yellow onion, diced
● 4 tsp minced garlic
● 1/3 cup diced carrots
● 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
● 1 tsp thyme
● 1 tsp basil
● 2 bay leaves
● Salt and pepper, to taste
RATATOUILLE
● 1 Chinese eggplant (can use regular as well)
● 1 zucchini
● 1 yellow squash
● 2 roma tomatoes
● 2-3 red potatoes
HERB SEASONING
● 2 Tbsp olive oil
● 1 tsp thyme
● 1 tsp minced garlic (dried works)
● 1/2 tsp basil
● 1/2 tsp salt
● dash of pepper
Instructions:
Prepare the sauce
1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cut bell peppers in half and discard the seeds and membranes. Place the halves outside down on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
2. While bell peppers are roasting, heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. To the oil, add onions and carrots and sauté for a few minutes. Add garlic and cook another minutes or two, or until onions are translucent. Toss in crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme and basil. Stir until combined and let simmer.
3. Remove bell peppers from oven and cool slightly. Peel the skin off the bell peppers, using your fingers. Dice peeled bell peppers and add to the sauce. Continue cooking for another 30-60 minutes. This is a good time to start slicing veggies for Ratatouille.
When sauce is ready, discard bay leaves and blend about half the sauce in a blender, until smooth. Return to pan and reincorporate with the remaining chunky sauce. You can blend all of the sauce if you want it all smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare Ratatouille
1. While sauce is cooking, slice all vegetables to the same thickness. You may need more or less vegetables, depending on the size pan you decide to use and the size of your vegetables. This amount should be about perfect for a pie pan.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the potato slices and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. Cover the bottom of a pie dish with half the sauce. Put the remaining sauce in an airtight container and refrigerator for another meal, or layer in a 9x13 dish (this will require more veggies for the Ratatouille).
4. Begin stacking vegetable slices, alternating the type, in your hand. Place in the sauce going around the edge of the pan first, then around the middle. Continue grabbing stacks of vegetable discs until pan is full of veggies.
Prepare herb seasoning
Combine oil and seasonings in a small dish. Drizzle over the top of the vegetables.
Bake
Preheat oven to 300º. Cover pan with a sheet of foil or Parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove covering and roast another 25 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
