The Everyday Chef: Roasted Ratatouille with Simple Marinara

Andrew Dole, RDN
Everyday Chef, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters

Roasted Ratatouille w/ Simple Marinara
This roasted version of ratatouille uses the oven to do all the heavy lifting while we create a quick marinara to complete this simple dish.  Available all year round, yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant are the stars of this recipe.  Served with a ten-minute marinara, it can be a hearty meatless meal or paired with things like rigatoni pasta, grilled chicken, and poached eggs.

Why I Chose Roasting?
Roasting is one of the most versatile cooking techniques available and happens to be my personal favorite.  It isn’t the fastest or most glamorous of all the cooking methods, but it is hands-off and extremely reliable.  For busy cooks minimal effort cooking with consistent results are desirable characteristics.

Roasting is also a powerful flavor developing tool.  At home I roast between 425°-450°F so that water is quickly evaporated away and allows for the natural sugars and amino acids to be transformed through two processes; caramelization and the Maillard reaction.  These processes are responsible for the browning of food and add a depth of flavor many refer to as the mysterious “restaurant flavor.”

Roasted Ratatouille Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Canola	1.5 Tbsp
Eggplant	1 Medium Sized	Diced 1” Cubes
Yellow Squash	2 Each	Sliced ½” Rounds
Zucchini	2 Each	Sliced ½” Rounds
Bell Pepper, Green	1 Each	Seeded, Cut to 1” Shapes
Kosher Salt and Pepper (S&P)	To Taste

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Spread 1Tbsp oil around the edges of a large bowl. 

3. Add diced eggplant. Toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle lightly with S&P.


4. Spread eggplant evenly onto an unlined sheet tray.  Reserve bowl.

5. In the reserved bowl add remaining ½ Tbsp oil.

6. Add cut yellow squash, zucchini, and bell pepper to bowl. Toss to coat in oil. Sprinkle lightly with S&P.


7. On separate unlined sheet tray spread out squash and pepper mixture.

8. Place both sheets trays in the oven and roast for approximately 20-25 minutes, turning once.
Note: Don’t worry if the squash is only slightly browned, remove it when it is tender but firm and has some browning on the bottom.

9. While vegetables are roasting use this time to work on the marinara sauce.

10. When eggplant is browned, remove from oven and scrape into a bowl and keep warm, but do not cover tightly.

Simple Marinara Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Canola	1 Tbsp
Tomato Paste	1 Tbsp
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes	1 Pint	Leave Whole
Vegetable Stock	1 Cup
Canned Tomatoes, Fire Roasted Dice	14 Ounces
Red Pepper Flake	¼ tsp
Thyme, Fresh	3 Sprigs	Rough Chopped
Flat Leaf Parsley	¼ Cup	Rough Chopped
Onion Powder	½ tsp
Garlic Powder	½ tsp
Kosher Salt	¼ tsp

Procedure
1. In a large sauté or sautoir pan add oil and tomato paste.

2. Over medium heat brown tomato paste, stirring frequently, until a brown, rust color is reached.

3. Add tomatoes; stir gently scraping the tomato paste from bottom of pan. Cook until tomato skins wrinkle.

4. Add stock (deglaze), stirring and scraping browned tomato paste from bottom of pan.

5. Reduce stock by 50%.

6. Stir in canned tomatoes with juice, red pepper flake, garlic and powders.

7. Reduce heat, simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If a thicker consistency is desired simmer longer.

8. Finish by folding in parsley, thyme and salt.

9. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Serve

Photo Credit: Andrew Dole