Roasted Ratatouille = The Best Ratatouille

This is adapted from Food52 Vegan by Gena Hamshaw. Use this recipe as a guide: It’s best to use a balanced mix of vegetables, but the roasting process is forgiving. For instance, I’ve made this with and without zucchini; I’ve used a mix of vegetables that leans heavy on the eggplant at times and heavy on the tomatoes at others. I've used all sorts of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Also, I often make a quadruple (or more!) recipe, so don’t be afraid to load up your largest roasting pan. The key is to be patient with the roasting. Let the vegetables cook until the liquids reduce, and the mixture becomes thick and stewy. When I double/triple/quadruple the recipe, I scale the dressing as needed. When my roasting pan is completely loaded, I use 1 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (or 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar), and I cook the vegetables for 3 hours. Also, I often omit the thyme altogether: I simply season each layer of vegetables with salt as I add them to the pan. Then once all of the vegetables are in, I pour over the olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. After 1 hour, I stir it; then I stir it again every hour after that until it has roasted for 3 hours total.

📝 Ingredients

• 12 ounces eggplant, (about 1), chopped into 1-inch pieces, see notes above re quantities
• 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces zucchini (about 2), chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 red bell (or other) peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cups olive oil, see notes above
• 2 to 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, optional
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
• dried pasta
• roasted ratatouille
• freshly grated parmesan
• basil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. 2In a large roasting pan or casserole, combine the tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, shallot, and garlic. Note: I add the vegetables to the pan as I finish chopping them, and sprinkle each layer of vegetables lightly with salt.
3. 3In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Pour over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Season with pepper. (Alternatively: If you’ve seasoned each layer of vegetables generously with salt, simply pour the olive oil and vinegar over the vegetables. As noted above, I omit the thyme.)
4. 4Bake for 30 minutes, then stir well. Bake for another 30 to 45 minutes (or longer, especially if you’ve increased the quantities: if my roasting pan is really loaded, I roast the vegetables for 3 hours, stirring once every hour, until the juices really begin to reduce/thicken) until the vegetables are all very tender and the released juices are beginning to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper as desired.
5. 5To serve, spoon over toast or toss with cooked pasta, grated parmesan, finely chopped basil and enough of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to make a nice sauce.