Ratatouille
Ever since I saw the movie, I have wanted to make this dish. I guess I hung back because I am not a huge fan of eggplant. But I finally took the plunge and “Look Mom! No Eggplant(we don’t need no stinking eggplant!)”. A lot of slicing but I think the results work well.
Ingredients:
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
½ onion, chopped
¼ cup minced garlic
1 Tbs capers, drained
¾ cup water
1Tbs olive oil
3 small to medium beets, peeled, trimmed, and very thinly sliced
3 zucchini, trimmed and very thinly sliced
3 yellow squash, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme leaves, or to taste
salt substitute and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Spread tomato paste onto the bottom of a 10-inch square or round baking dish. Sprinkle with capers, onion, and garlic. Stir in water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange alternating slices of beets, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper, starting at the outer edge of the dish and working concentrically towards the center. Overlap slices a little to display colors.
- Spray the top of the dish with olive oil spray; season with salt substitute and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover vegetables with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside.
- Bake in the preheated oven until vegetables are roasted and tender, about 45 minutes.
- If you would like the top to be a bit browner or crispier, remove the parchment paper, switch to broil and watch closely for the color changes you want.