If I could cook everything in the oven, I think I probably would. I love the freedom that the oven gives me. I don't stress about a dish catching on the bottom of the pan and burning, and I can carry on with other things whilst dinner is cooking. I can even put something in the oven and dash out to run errands without fear of burning the house down. Hence Oven Roasted Ratatouille.
There are many things to love about ratatouille. It is packed full of vegetables, so big tick on the nutrition front. It is delicious served hot or cold, and works well as either a side dish or the main event with crusty bread.
To turn ratatouille into a more substantial meal, layer it in lasagne, fold it through pasta, or serve it with poached or fried eggs. Load up a baked potato for lunch, or spread it over pizza base for a simple after work dinner. Ratatouille freezes well, so is great to keep on hand for a quick meal.
The key to this dish is roasting the zucchini, capsicum, onion and eggplant before adding the tomato passata. Roasting concentrates the flavours of the vegetables by removing some of the water, which will result in a thicker sauce. I like to roast my garlic at the same time as the vegetables, then squeeze the silky puree into the base of the pan when adding the tomato.
This dish will take a good hour and a half in the oven. Whilst this might seem like a long time, aside from the occasional stir nothing more is required of you, leaving you plenty of time to finish those other chores or put your feet up. Me, I'm off to the shops.
