Summer Ratatouille

As we head into midsummer, we’re already enjoying the first early harvests. This summer ratatouille is the perfect choice for showcasing and enjoying the very best of the summer season’s produce.

Whether you’re serving it as a savory vegan and vegetarian main course or as a generous side dish for some backyard barbecue, this dish is sure to impress all your guests.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 80 minutes

Notes: The ingredients are broken down by type of vegetable for easy arranging later on, but you can cut down on bowls and prep by combining the zucchini and squash/bell pepper ingredients together. Allowing the eggplant to marinate separately ensures the slices stay moist and flavorful while cooking. You can also experiment with different herbs and herb blends with this dish, including basil, rosemary, herbs de provence, etc. Your options are endless! The vegetables are arranged in an oven-safe dish and covered with aluminum foil prior to baking. If you’d like to avoid foil, make this dish in a lightly greased dutch oven and cover it with a lid instead.

Ingredients:

Eggplant mix:

• 2 cups sliced eggplant
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen® Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Pinch of salt

Zucchini mix:

• 2.5 cups sliced zucchini
• 1 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Squash mix:

• 1 1/2 cups sliced yellow squash
• ½ cup sliced and halved red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Tomato and shallot mix:

• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pinch of salt

Garnish: parsley and thyme

Instructions:

Combine the eggplant ingredients in a bowl and toss until all of the slices are well coated. Set aside and marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine the shallot ingredients in another bowl and allow the tomatoes and shallots to marinate for 30 minutes.

Toss the sliced zucchini ingredients in a bowl.

Toss the squash and pepper ingredients in another bowl.

Preheat your oven to 350 ºF. Grease a square or round baking dish or small dutch oven with a little olive or avocado oil.

Carefully arrange the eggplant, zucchini, and squash rounds and red pepper slices in an alternating pattern around the dish, being sure to arrange them so the rounds are perpendicular to the bottom of the dish. Continue arranging the slices; you can work from the inside out or the outside in depending on what’s easiest to you. Continue until the dish is either very full or you run out of vegetables. If you have some slices left over, you can push some slices aside to make room for the remaining slices.

Top the dish with the shallot and tomato mixture, drizzling all of the liquid from the bowl around the dish. Tightly cover the dish with foil or pop the lid on if you are using a dutch oven. Place the ratatouille in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Remove the foil/lid to check to see if the vegetables are just tender. If the vegetables aren’t tender, you can place the dish back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Uncover the dish and place it back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with extra thyme and parsley.

Nutrition Information (¼ of ratatouille):

• Calories: 242
• Total Carbs: 12 grams
• Net Carbs: 8 grams
• Fat: 22 grams
• Protein: 3 grams

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