A slow cooker recipe that doesn’t involve beans! This is one of those meals that you just feel good eating. It’s packed full of vegetables and little else and, if you use vegetables at the peak of their season, there is so much flavor. The gentle heat of the slow cook method nudges the vegetables’ flavors into perfect harmony. Bite after bite, you feel healthier (and happier) than the last.
This recipe is for a summer-inspired ratatouille using 6 small zucchini, 1 large eggplant, 2 small onions, 8 baby bell peppers of different hues (red, yellow, and orange), 6 cloves of minced garlic, and 3 hugs handfuls of small heirloom tomatoes. The dish is rustic, so no need to follow exact vegetable portions. Cut all the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and toss in the slow cooker. Add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 cup of water, a long drizzle of olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper.
Stir to combine and then cover and cook over low heat for 8 hours. Use about 2 cups for dinner tonight. Let the remaining ratatouille cool and portion 2 cup servings into freezer bags to store. It will be good in the freezer for up to 2 months. This will allow you to enjoy a bite of summer in late fall!
For dinner tonight, serve the ratatouille over penne pasta. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
Oh my gosh, I made almost this exact same dish. The recipe was in the Sunday paper and I was just about to leave to go to the Farmer’s market. Mine had 2 globe eggplants, 1 big zucchini, 1 yellow onion, 1 red pepper. Also 2 cups of cherry tomatoes for the last 10 minutes of roasting. Oh, and 8 oz mozzarella. I just LOVED the fact that all the veggies were from the farmer’s market. It seemed so fresh. My basket was super heavy on the walk back, though
mmm…adding mozzarella sounds really yummy! I have some stored in the freezer so perhaps I will add mozzarella to that batch.
Mmmm…I love ratatouille. I made an easy 10 minute version, which I discuss here: http://theoncominghope.blogspot.com/2011/09/not-your-grandma-recipe-10-minute.html
It’s been an ultra-delish timesaver!
[...] I did not make vegetable ratatouille again. Instead, I thanked my lucky stars that I slow cook and make big pots of yummy food that I [...]
[...] you have in your refrigerator- roasted vegetables (this would be a great place to tuck in some vegetable ratatouille), leftover meats, or greens. The only requirements, per se, are some sort of cheese and a yummy red [...]
[...] Vegetable Ratatouille [...]