Ratatouille is a delicious mix of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic and herbs and seasonings to create the perfect simmered blend of summer produce with a twist of added quinoa.
Ratatouille.
I don’t know what your thoughts on Ratatouille are but if they aren’t good ones then I think we need to wipe the slate clean and try it again. This method is very straight forward, a little time consuming, but in the end very worth every tasty bite!!
To change things up a bit, I added quinoa to this ratatouille recipe to make it just a tad less vegetable-y. The result = AMAZING!!
I will admit a few things about my own experience with ratatouille:
- I made ratatouille for the first time after watching the Pixar movie when it came out. I’m pretty sure I didn’t know what it was prior to watching that movie.
- I have a hard time finding any other good use for eggplant besides ratatouille.
- This ratatouille tastes just as delicious if not better the next day so if you are looking to make it ahead of time, do it!
- I was shocked how well my husband (the steak guy) loved this ratatouille. It still makes me so proud to see my family eat their veggies! 🙂
- It tastes equally as good spooned over some baked cod versus some ciabatta bread.
- Your house will smell so amazing when you are done which totally gives me good vibes.
Traditionally, ratatouille isn’t made with quinoa but for me it helped balance things out. If there are two things that I believe are important in keeping me or anyone away from diving into the diet world it is balance and portion control.
You want dessert, sure go for it but be reasonable about it. I eat dessert everyday. I just have to because it’s the only way I can balance out all of the salads and green things we eat!
Ingredients for Ratatouille
Eggplant
Quinoa
Zucchini
Onion
Green Pepper
Tomatoes
Garlic
Tomato Paste
Fresh Lavendar
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Basil
Salt/Pepper
Best Ever Ratatouille with Quinoa and Baked Cod
Ingredients
Ratatouille
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 eggplant diced
- 2 medium zucchini chopped
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 green pepper diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 5 on the vine tomatoes chopped with juices
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lavender chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- Fresh basil chopped
Baked Cod
- 1 lb wild caught Cod
- Fresh lavender
- Pinch Herbs from Provence seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Ratatouille
- In a small saucepan, cook 1/2 cup quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons over medium heat. Add eggplant and a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil plus the chopped zucchini. Cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and toss in the onion and green pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and stir in.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lavender, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for nearly 10 minutes until mixture reduces to more of a sauce.
- Toss eggplant back in to the skillet, increase heat to medium high and once mixture begins to sizzle reduce heat to low, add zucchini back in and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt plus 1 cup cooked quinoa to skillet and stir.
- Serve topped with fresh chopped basil.
Baked Cod
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Season fish with salt and pepper and Herbs from Provence and a sprinkle of fresh chopped lavender. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes apart.
Notes
More Great Vegetable Dishes
Grilled Sweet Corn with Parsley
Best Summer Picnic Cucumber & Herb Salad
