Because the holidays are usually filled with decadent dishes and over the top flavors, we wanted to present a fun alternative to some of the unhealthy staples of holiday meals that is still plant-based and great tasting – Ratatouille.
The traditional ratatouille actually has all the vegetables rough cut, but we wanted to make the look more vibrant, so we decided to create a style that they used in the Pixar movie Ratatouille (which was actually developed by Thomas Keller and is called Confit Byaldi, but our version is for home cooks and much simpler than the original.).
The most complicated thing about this recipe is the slicing the vegetables evenly, which you can do if you own a mandolin or a food processor, but is achievable with patience and a sharp knife!
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes, sliced thin
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
- 4 springs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon of oregano
- 2 eggplant (thin Asian style), sliced thin
- 2 yellow squash, sliced thin
- 2 zucchini, sliced thin
- 3 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- spray oil (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Boil two cups of water and precook the potato slices for 4 minutes and remove from water.
In a pie pan or round baking dish, coat the bottom with the tomato sauce (should be about a quarter of an inch thick). Add the garlic, basil, thyme and oregano evenly across the pan.
Arrange your sliced vegetables into a small stack in your hand coordinating them in alternating layers (example: eggplant, yellow squash, red pepper, zucchini, then potato). Lay the vegetables staggered along the outside of the pie pan and repeat the process until you form a circle around the outside edge of the pan. Repeat the process in the middle of the pan until you have a uniform look and the sauce goes up half of the vegetables. Lightly spray the top with oil (optional), then cover with aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, then take the foil off and cook an additional 10 minutes (if you want a crispy top, broil on high for 4 additional minutes).
Serve by scooping out about four inches of the vegetable rounds and scoop out the sauce to cover.
