Nutritious Ratatouille Recipe

If you are looking for your go to Ratatouille recipe look no further! This is the perfect ‘eat a rainbow’ everyday dish and combines the best of summer produce together in one beautiful, portable, healthy and impressive one pot meal.

It is the time of the year for alfresco dining, picnics and shared meals over the holiday season which suits our Kiwi Summer way of life. The combination of Aubergine, Zucchini and Capsicum topping a tasty tomato based sauce with added nutrition of butterbeans is a lovely Christmas dinner option or would be perfect to take along to a celebration meal and makes the most of the beautiful abundance of Summer.

Don't be daunted by the beauty of this dish as it is really easy to make. Choose vegetables that are a similar size so they fit into each other more easily and for arranging, start from the outside and arrange the sliced vegetables so they stand upright but lean against each other.

RATATOUILLI RECIPE

~Recipe from The Veggie Tree Spring and Summer Cookbook~

Vegan | Gluten-free

Serves 6-8

Gather your ingredients. Prepare the following:

1 red onion, diced

1 stick celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

In a large pan heat:

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Add the prepared onion, celery and garlic and fry for three minutes, then stir in:

2 T balsamic vinegar

pinch of sugar

700g tomatoes, skins removed (grated, Passata or canned)

200ml water

1 stalk rosemary,leaves roughly chopped

1 T dried oregano

1/4 c olives, pitted

1 x 400g can butterbeans, drained

Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cut the following vegetables into 3mm slices:

1 aubergine (if it’s a large aubergine cut in half lengthways)

1 red capsicum, deseededand chopped into three pieces lengthways along natural lines before slicing

1 orange capsicum, deseeded and chopped into three pieces lengthways along natural lines before slicing

1 zucchini

1 potato or kumara

When the sauce in the pan has thickened remove from the heat and season with:

3 sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

Stir through and pour into an ovenproof dish drizzled with olive oil. Preheat oven to 180°C.

Starting from the outside arrange the sliced vegetables on the top, so they stand upright but lean against each other. Top with:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T rosemary, chopped

Cover and bake for one hour and 50 minutes. This dish doesn't need much to accompany it, maybe a leafy salad and some fresh bread for dipping into the sauce, Enjoy.