Ratatouille
My last CSA box forced me to get real creative with ways to use my 10+ pounds of tomatoes, I kid you not! There were many heirloom varieties, red and orange cherry tomatoes; they were just BEAUTiful and so full of flavor. I took the plunge and dove into this pretty simple ratatouille and it came out fabulous.
If you have a lot of tomatoes on hand, highly recommend giving this a try! It’s perfect to serve over pasta, quinoa, with some crusty bread, or as a shakshuka base. ENJOY!
Dairy free, gluten free, soy free, Whole 30, added sugar free, nut free
Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
1 T avocado oil
1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/2-1’ cubes
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1’ cubes (I used heirloom but any variety will work well)
1 medium yellow onion
6 cloves garlic, grated or minced
sea salt, to taste, start with 3/4 tsp
ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
red pepper flakes, to taste
fresh basil
optional: your favorite pasta or quinoa cooked according to package and cashew cheese
Directions
In a large dutch oven, soup pot, or deeper frying pan, warm avocado oil on medium heat
Add onion and cook until translucent. Next, add garlic and sauté until fragrant
Add eggplant and stir occasionally, with lid on, until eggplant is almost fully cooked. This may take up to 15 minutes
Add tomatoes and seasonings, besides fresh basil
Let simmer with the lid off until tomatoes have formed a sauce like consistency
Garnish with fresh basil
Serve over pasta, if desired. Top with a spoonful of cashew cheese and enjoy!
Tip: as with any stew, this tastes even better the next day. Leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge
