Ratatouille

Prep Time Cook Time Difficulty Easy Yields 6 Servings Serves 6

  •  
  •  
Smart Swap Replace potato with sweet potatoes for a delicious twist!

Ingredients

Ratatouille
Béchamel Sauce
  • 1-2 Cup Tomato Sauce  (good quality tomato basil sauce) 
  • 2 Garlic  (cloves, minced) 
  • 3-4 Thyme  (sprigs) 
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil   
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes   
  • 1 Egg Plant Or Brinjal  (thin eggplant, thin sliced) 
  • 1 Yellow Squash  (thin sliced) 
  • 1 Zucchini  (thin sliced) 
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper  (thin sliced) 
  • 2-3 Potatoes  (medium size, thin sliced) 
  • Salt and Black Pepper   
  • Oil Spray   
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter   
  • 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour   
  • 1 Cup Milk  (2% or whole milk) 
  • 1/8 tsp Nutmeg   

Directions

  • 1. Preheat oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit. Bring 2 cups of water to rolling boil. Season with salt. Slice red potatoes. Drop in water and boil for 3-4 minutes or until par cooked. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. While potatoes cook and cool down, slice rest of veggies - squash, bell pepper and eggplant.
  • 2. To make Béchamel - Microwave 1 cup of milk in microwave safe container. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp butter in sauce pan. Add 1 tbsp flour and cook until raw flavor of flour goes away. 1-2 minutes. Don't let flour turn brown. Add warm milk 1/4 cup at time and stir well to avoid lumps. Add all of milk and continue coking until sauce thickens and coat back of a spoon. Season with salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Set aside.

  • 3. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Spread layer of tomato sauce, minced garlic, thyme, red chili flakes, salt and olive oil. Mix well while still leaving well spread. Drizzle béchamel sauce on the top, swirl into the tomato sauce.

    Additional Notes

    I spread 1 cup tomato sauce at the bottom. You can use more or less as per liking.

  • 4. Layer sliced veggies on top. I like to make a spiral stack of vegetable slices for presentation just like ratatouille. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, thyme, and black pepper on top.

    Additional Notes

    For quick layering, pick slices of each veggie, make a small stack in hand, and then stack into the casserole. This saves time instead of arranging one slice at a time.

  • 5. Cover with parchment paper. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until all veggies are tender. You will see tomato sauce bubbling on the sides.
  • 6. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Serve with side of crusty bread to scoop the sauce. Enjoy!