Ratatouille for Two

I have a few recipes in the memory bank for nights when I feel like cooking up something healthy with very little effort. Ratatouille is one of these recipes. I mean, what could be simpler/healthier/more satisfying than chopping up veggies, tossing them in a little olive oil + salt + pepper, and roasting for half an hour?

I don't know if what I make is considered a classic or particularly traditional ratatouille. My memory may have failed me with specific proportions throughout the years. But this is how we make it in our house. And if you need some veggies in your life, it's well worth trying out yourself.

RATATOUILLE FOR TWO

What you'll need . . .

• 2 medium cooking onions, chopped 
• 5 large cloves of garlic, chopped 
• 1 medium to large eggplant, peeled and chopped 
• 1 large green pepper, chopped 
• 1 large zucchini, chopped 
• 4 fresh or canned tomatoes, also chopped 
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt 
• 1 teaspoon (or to taste) black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. And you'll need a rimmed, non-stick baking sheet for this recipe.
2. As you may notice, all veggies are to be chopped. Coarsely is the thing to think of here. Like in one-inch chunks. 
3. Once all your veggies are chopped, pour your olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs into a large mixing bowl. Then pour in the veggies. 
4. Mix with your hands until well-coated. Pour mixture onto your rimmed baking sheet and distribute evenly. 
5.  Place in the oven and set the timer to 20 minutes. Then take out and mix around. 
6. Return sheet to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once during that time to make sure everything cooks/doesn't burn. 
7. Veggies should be tender but not mushy.

I love making this dish in the summer when I'm able to easily get all the vegetables locally. It's a fantastic feeling when we are able to pick most of them out of our very own garden, too. Which reminds me -- we're in the planning stages of this year's garden and simply don't know what to do.

Last year's planting was a bust and few of our veggies did well. Those that did were eaten by animals and bugs.


Since we have signed up for a CSA this year, we were thinking of making a more elaborate herb garden. Who knows. I figured mentioning it on the blog might get me to actually start planning. What are those of you with green thumbs doing this year?

If you're following Writing Chapter Three, we wrote a post about phase two of our cloth diapering process -- CLOTH WIPES. In our house, cloth diapering isn't a trend. It's a way of life!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!