Servings
Four
Ready In:
About an hour
Good For:
Dinner
Cheesy Baked Ratatouille
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1 large eggplant (or 3 small zucchini – about 1 lb in total), cubed (small)
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2 medium zucchinis (about 2 cups), cubed (small)
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1 medium onion, cubed (small)
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1 yellow pepper, cubed (small)
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4 tbsp butter for sauté
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1 tsp salt, divided
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1 tsp thyme
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1 tsp garlic granules
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½ tsp chili flakes
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Long drizzle of olive oil
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3 ripe tomatoes, cubed
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1 c strained tomatoes
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½ c flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
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¾ lb (or more!) Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Time Saver: This recipe calls for a lot of chopping! To make good use of your time, use the sauté time for one ingredient to chop and prep the next.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and ½ tsp salt and sauté until the eggplant begins to brown and has released a lot of its water content (about 10 minutes), then remove to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Add another tbsp of butter to the pan and sauté the zucchini for 2 or 4 minutes until tender crisp, then remove to the bowl with the eggplant, sprinkle with a little salt, and set aside.
Set the oven to 375°.
Add the last tbsp butter to the skillet and sauté the onion and yellow pepper for about 3 minutes, then add the strained tomato, chopped tomatoes, garlic granules, thyme, ½ tsp salt, 10 cracks fresh black pepper, a good drizzle of olive oil, and chili flakes.
Turn up the heat and bring to a hard boil and let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened a bit.
Step 3
Add the eggplant and zucchini back to the pan and maintain a medium boil for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce further then turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
Grease a large baking dish with olive oil (9×13 is a great size) and scoop the contents of the pan into the baking dish, Scatter the cheese evenly over top and pop the dish into the oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
Step 4
When the pan is done in the oven let it rest for 5 minutes on the stove top, then cut into it with a sharp knife and serve over 4 plates. All that’s left to do is sit down and enjoy the fabulously delicious and incredibly satisfying vegetarian dinner that you have created! There will be some left over for lunch tomorrow – lucky you!
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