- 1 tbl olive oil
- 1 onion minced
- 1 small chili pepper minced (optional)
- 3 garlic cloves sliced (or however your prefer)
- 1 28oz can of whole tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- handful of basil
- 1 eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- mushrooms
i am totally embracing this meatless monday thing. i have been referring back to all of my cookbooks to refresh my mind. all sorts of great dishes have come to me but this one reminded me of a meal my mom always made for us growing up.
my mom went through this whole vegetarian thing. i remember tofu burgers and weird grains…meatless meatballs and lots of dried fruit and vegetables. this is probably why i love butter (insert big smile here). although i still lean to the healthy side of meals, my sister still makes fun of me for my tofu phase, i still know how to rock a good veggie meal.
this is totally inspired by my mom, she makes a great ratatouille, although mine is a touch different it is basically one of my favorite meals (it might have something to do with the pasta too). everything in this meal, except for the can of tomatoes were from local providers. i donated the eggplant and zucchini from my garden as well as the basil and chili pepper. my farmers market provided the garlic, onion and the mushrooms. love that this time of year it’s easy to do this, winter time might be a little tough. what are you making for meatless monday?
- preheat your oven to 350, cut the veggies, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms, to your liking (we cube because the kids prefer it that way), toss with a touch of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, roast for 30-40 minutes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (makes for an easy clean up).
- meanwhile in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add 1 tbl of olive oil and saute your onions for a minute, add your garlic and chili, cook for about 4-5 minutes more till onion softens.
- to pot add tomatoes, sugar, basil and mix, let simmer until veggies are ready.
- when roasted veggies are ready, add them right to pot and cook for a further 30 minutes to an hour on a low simmer.
Can't wait to make this one. Why do you roast in oven first?
i find that roasting the veggies enhances their flavor. the eggplant tastes better and the veggies become hardier.