As summer starts to wind down, I find myself thinking about how to use up the last of the seasonal vegetables in my kitchen. The days are getting shorter, the weather is calmer, but the garden still offers ripe tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.
That’s when I like to make ratatouille – a simple oven-baked dish that’s perfect for the transition between summer and fall. All the ingredients are fresh, the preparation is easy, and the result is always a success. I simply slice the vegetables, layer them in a baking dish, and roast them without any extra frying. At the end, I add a quick tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes and return it to the oven for a few more minutes.
This is my favorite way to wrap up the season in the kitchen – with a dish that’s colorful, flavorful, and made with minimal effort.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggplants
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 bell peppers (red and yellow)
- 2 onions
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- a few fresh basil leaves
- olive oil, salt, pepper
For the sauce:
- 5–6 ripe tomatoes
- 1 onion
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, basil
Instructions:
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Slice the eggplants, salt them and let them sit for about 1 hour to release bitterness. Rinse and pat dry.
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Slice the zucchinis, peppers, onions and garlic into thin rounds.
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Layer the vegetables in a baking dish lined with parchment paper, alternating by color or type.
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Season with salt, pepper, add basil, and drizzle with olive oil.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 40–45 minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce: sauté chopped onion in olive oil, add chopped tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Season with basil, salt, and pepper.
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Pour the sauce over the roasted vegetables and return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes.
Although ratatouille is delicious straight from the oven, it gets even better the next day. As it sits, the flavors blend and deepen beautifully. You can serve it cold or reheat it – either way, it's perfect for lunch or dinner even one or two days later.
So don’t hesitate to make a larger batch – it won’t last long in the fridge anyway.
