Who didn’t love the movie Ratatouille?? With that cute little Remy, who wanted nothing more than to cook his little heart out!! I lived in a place a few years ago where there was evidence of mice… as I set the trap one night, I thought to myself, maybe the little guy just wants to cook! Ha. Animated, cooking mice in movies are adorable. Little, scurrying, mess-making, disease-carrying critters on your kitchen counters…. NOT adorable.
Back to the cute, animated mouse… this recipe is a recreation of that gorgeous layered ratatouille. I discovered it a few years ago over at Smitten Kitchen, but haven’t made it since. Served over yummy whole grain pasta with extra sauce and some fresh grated asiago cheese, it makes a beautifully presentable meal.
Ratatouille
1 small italian eggplant
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
1 small shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large can crushed tomatoes
fresh thyme
evoo
fresh asiago cheese
cooked pasta
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. If you have a mandolin, great! If you don’t (like me), using a very sharp knife, thinly slice the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash into rounds. Cut a circle around the top of the pepper and remove the seeds, leaving the remainder of the pepper intact. Thinly slice the pepper into rings.
2. In a shallow baking dish, like a 9×9, add one cup of tomato sauce. Stir in a drizzle of olive oil, shallot, and garlic slices. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the sliced veggies, alternating between vegetable types, concentrically from the outer edge of the dish.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a generous helping of thyme leaves. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
4. On the stove, heat the remaining tomato sauce (add garlic and spices to taste, if desired). Cook the pasta.
5. In a shallow bowl, spoon some extra tomato sauce on top of pasta. Top with a serving of ratatouille and some fresh grated cheese.
