I’ve always loved ratatouille, even before the animated movie came out which I also love 😉 Ratatouille is a simple, French vegetable dish that traditionally contains zucchini, tomato, onion and eggplant and can be made many different ways. You can make it as a thick and chunky stew for cold nights or when you need comfort food, or in a layered, fancy presentation that is super simple but super impressive at the same time. I prefer the stew quality, so that’s what I always make. The idea was to use the freshest of summer ingredients, which were always on hand to farmers and peasants in the french countryside, for an affordable and filling dish.
For my ratatouille, I decided to give it a little more depth of flavor by including sun dried tomatoes along with the fresh tomatoes, and I added to the good-for-you part by throwing in a can of chickpeas. Chickpeas, if you didn’t know, are loaded with fiber and they are a good source of protein.
Everything cooks together with some vegetable broth and gets silky in texture while still holding its shape. This was even better the next day, so you could make it ahead for lunches or the day before for dinner when you know the following evening is going to be hectic. Serve it with some good, crusty bread and goat cheese or even some fresh ricotta.
The Cheerful Kitchen
A delicious vegetable stew that is hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 2 yellow squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 oz sun dried tomatoes (I used the prepackaged, julienne cut ones from TJ's)
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Goat cheese or Ricotta
- A loaf of french bread or ciabatta
Instructions
- Cut zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers and onion into roughly bit sized pieces. Dice tomatoes. Mince garlic and set aside.
- In a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, heat 2T oil and add all vegetables. Cook on medium/high heat for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, while the tomatoes break down. Once the juices of the tomato have been released, add the herbs, garlic, garbanzo beans, SDT's and vegetable stock. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook with the lid off for half an hour or until the liquid is almost all evaporated.
- Add salt and pepper, stir and serve with crusty bread and some goat cheese or ricotta!
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Beth says
Robert Kazmayer says