Simple Solution to Not Waste Vegetables: Ratatouille

Have you ever had too many vegetables in the house?

Often when you work full-time, it’s hard to find time to cook during the week, let alone the weekend when you need to get errands done. On your day off, you go food shopping, and you stock up on so many fresh vegetables that you don’t even know what to do with.

You don’t want the food to go to waste, and believe me that has happened to me too many times. It’s easy to just pop something in the microwave or toaster oven when you come home from a long day of work.

I try to set at least one or two days aside to cook some meals, and freeze them and take out as I need them. So today on my day off from work, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes; Ratatouille. This dish is so simple to make and you don’t need many ingredients at all. The only task that takes some time is of course peeling and slicing up your vegetables. You may use any vegetables that you desire which is the best part, so if you have a lot of fresh vegetables in the house and you want to use them before they go bad…then ratatouille is the perfect solution.

So what do you exactly need to make your ratatouille?

1. Vegetables (of course!) – and plenty of them!

• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Carrots
• Butternut Squash

This is what I used in my ratatouille, but you could also use sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, edamame, onions, and basically anything your heart desires.

2. Olive Oil

3. Seasonings (Salt + Pepper, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, etc.)

How do you make the ratatouille?

It’s really simple. The toughest part is peeling and cutting up all your vegetables, this takes some time. After that it’s all easy! All you need is a large casserole dish, which you then coat with a little olive oil on the bottom. Then you will layer your vegetables in your dish, and gently toss everything together. Next you will drizzle additional olive oil if desired to coast the top, and season as desired. Finally, in a pre-heated oven at 400 F you will bake your vegetables for at least an hour, tossing half-way through. I like to broil my vegetables for an additional 10 minutes for extra crispiness.

The best part about this recipe? It will last you for days! Unless you’re like my mom and I, and will eat pounds of vegetables! I advise to put these in Tupperware containers, and freeze some and take out as you want them.

Ratatouille is a great dish because there’s many things you can do with it. Besides eating this as a side dish, you could put this over pasta, quinoa, rice, salad, baked potatoes, or even place it into a wrap for a delicious and easy lunch!

Bon appetit!