This recipe can be made in an oven safe skillet, creating the sauce and then adding the squash before transferring to the oven. I love to use my 9” cast iron skillet for this purpose. You can also assemble the ratatouille in a spring form pan, adding the sauce to the bottom before placing the squash and eggplant. After removing the spring form pan from the oven, simply run a sharp knife around the perimeter and remove the ring before slicing and serving.
Servings: 8people
Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm
Ingredients
For the sauce
1red bell pepper
1yellow bell pepper
1orange bell pepper
2Tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
1clovegarlic, minced
1large shallot or small onion, minced
1poundfresh tomatoes, diced
1teaspoonfresh thyme, minced
1bay leaf
For the squash (select similarly sized small to medium squash for the best results)
2zucchini
2yellow summer squash
2eggplant
1Tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil
1teaspoonfresh thyme, minced
salt and pepper
Instructions
Make the sauce
Cut each pepper in half, removing the stem, seeds, and ribs. Place the halves cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 15 – 25 minutes until the skins brown and blister. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Using a sharp knife, remove the skins from the roasted peppers before dicing into ½” pieces.
In a large skillet (I use my 9” cast iron skillet), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2-4 minutes until translucent, stirring to prevent scorching. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant for one minute, taking care not to brown. Add the tomatoes, diced peppers, and thyme to the skillet. Stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook gently until the ingredients soften and combine. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Transfer 1 cup of the tomato sauce from the skillet to a small pot. Add ¼ cup bone broth or stock to the pot and warm over low heat as you assemble the ratatouille. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Add 1 Tablespoon butter and stir to incorporate as it melts. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and keep warm until serving.
Prepare the squash
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the stem and blossom ends from each of the squash and eggplant. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice each of the squash and eggplant lengthwise into thin strips. The strips should be thin enough to allow the slices to be flexed into shape without breaking. I set my mandoline on the 1/8” setting for this recipe. Set the slices aside.
Spread the remaining tomato sauce to evenly cover the bottom of the skillet or spring form pan. Select a small slice of squash or eggplant to form into a tight coil and place in the center of the pan, nestling it into the tomato sauce. Alternate the different colors of squash and eggplant, wrapping thin slices around each other. Overlap the slices slightly and hold them together if necessary. As the coil grows larger, it will be held together by the sides of the pan. Continue to add slices until the pan is so full that additional slices cannot be added.
Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the surface of the squash with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and the fresh thyme leaves. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Transfer the pan to the hot oven and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the squash and eggplant has softened and browned slightly. If you prefer a deeper browning, place the pan under a broiler for 1-2 minutes taking care not to burn the edges.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.Place a wedge of ratatouille on the plate and spoon a bit of the sauce over the top.
Notes
You can adjust this recipe to fit what is in season in your garden or at the local farmer’s market, adding more or less of a particular squash or pepper if needed. If you don't enjoy eggplant, you can omit it entirely. When time is short, I often make this ratatouille in a more rustic way. You can easily chop the peppers and cube the squash, sautéing the combination of squash before adding the peppers and then tomatoes to the skillet, allowing the tomatoes to become a sauce around the other ingredient squash. Ratatouille is equally delicious served hot or at room temperature. Any leftovers can be used as a base for delicious pasta, rice, or couscous dish the following day.