oven roasted ratatouille

When we're not doing Yoga, we roast a lot of vegetables around here, lol 😂 I start by preheating my oven to around 400F. I line a few baking sheets with parchment paper, eventually load them up with cut veggies sprinkled with sea salt, a few grinds of black pepper, a liberal drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and often fresh herbs sprinkled on top. Fresh rosemary is good on potatoes, fresh thyme is good on oven roasted ratatouille, fresh sage is good on butternut squash and so it goes. I roast veggies in the oven when it's cold outside and I've been known to grill veggies, like corn or peppers when it's hot outside. I'm ready for cold weather and even some rain, should we be so blessed to have it. Anyway, there you have it baking dishes filled with ratatouille which I removed from the baking sheet, placed ever so nicely in the lively red baking dishes and served with grilled lamb chops, marinated in rosemary, garlic and olive oil.

Ingredients and Recipe for Oven Roasted Ratatouille
Serves 4-6

2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

2 red bell peppers, halved, cored, sliced into 1/2" pieces

2 medium zucchini, cut in half and sliced

1 large eggplant, cut into cubes

5-6 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the tomato 🍅 sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup red wine

1 28 ounce can chopped plum tomatoes

3-4 small fresh bay leaves

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra chopped for serving

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the prepared veggies on the baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Roast in the oven for about one hour or until veggies are tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile back at the stove, make the tomato sauce.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the garlic and let sizzle for about 30 seconds, add the red wine, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cook and stir tomato sauce on a simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens.

Stir the tomato sauce into the oven roasted veggies, check seasoning and sprinkle with the chopped thyme.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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