Ratatouille recipe

What happens when you have zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and bell peppers lying around? Yep, that's right, you make ratatouille.  Not only is it a delicious combination of some of my favorite veggies, but it's also fun to say!

Every recipe is very similar, with the only major differences being how the veggies are cut (cubed vs. sliced) and how it's cooked (oven vs. stove).  According to Laura Rebecca, technically it's called a tian if veggies are sliced and baked.  I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I decided to go with the cube and stove version.

This was the perfect dish to enjoy the last bits of summer.  I've enjoyed it hot and I've enjoyed it cold, but my favorite part is looking at all of the amazing colors!  I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is particularly fitting given that I adapted this recipe from Kalyn, the creator of WHB.  Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once organizes WHB, and this week's host is Chriesi from Almond Corner.  If you haven't already, go make yourself some ratatouille before it's too late!

Ratatouille (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)
(Printable version)

1 medium eggplant, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini, cubed
1 red onion, chopped
3 bell peppers (I used red, orange, and green), chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 30 min.  Then rinse eggplant slices and chop them into cubes.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute eggplant and zucchini for 5 min.  Set this mixture aside and add more oil to the pot if necessary.  Add onion, peppers, and garlic to the pot and cook for a few minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and salt and pepper and cook for another 5 min.  Add zucchini and eggplant back to the pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally.  Stir in basil and cook for another few minutes.  Serves 6.