Ratatouille is not just a Disney movie about a rat that can cook, it is an exuberant dish based out of Southern France using only the finest and freshest vegetables. The beauty of this dish is that it can be enjoyed year round, using vegetables that are in season. It is simple to make as you just combine the vegetable and let them stew in the oven in some hearty tomato sauce.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 3.5 Hours
Ingredients
2 large eggplants, preferably Chinese eggplants, sliced into ¼ inch slices
2 zucchinis, sliced into ¼ inch slices
3 yellow squashes, sliced into ¼ inch slices
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery root, diced,
1 red or green pepper, diced
1small 12oz can of tomato sauce
6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees
- In a large ovenproof pan or Dutch oven, drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions and garlic over a medium flame until the onions become translucent and the garlic golden
- Add the celery, carrots, peppers, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes into the pan and cook until they soften and the mixture thickens. Add the basil, a dash of salt and pepper to taste and mix
- Using a large spoon, smooth out the sauce around the pan so it becomes a base of sauce
- Take the eggplant, zucchini, squash and layer them in any order you wish in a circle around the pan so it forms colorful rings that cover the sauce base
- Drizzle olive oil over the ratatouille and sprinkle a dash of salt, pepper and some of the chopped basil
- Cover in aluminum foil and bake for about 3 hours, or until the vegetables begin to soften
- Afterwards, take the foil off and bake for about half an hour uncovered until the vegetables roast
- Let sit for ten minutes and sprinkle some parmesan cheese to garnish
- Serve and enjoy! You can either eat it as is or use it to accompany a side of rice
Cooking Therapy 
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