Category
Main
Serves
6
Prep
1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed 2 cartons or bottles passata or crushed tomatoes (400g or 500ml each) Few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (or 1 tsp dried thyme) Salt and black pepper 2 yellow peppers, thinly sliced 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 2 large courgettes, thinly sliced 2 small aubergines, thinly sliced Fresh basil 6 White fish fillets, simply baked with herbs and lemon Salads and fresh bread
Instructions
- Heat your Disney inspired shallow cast iron dish over medium heat and add 1 tbs olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds then tip in the passata or crushed tomatoes and a splash of water. Add the fresh thyme sprigs (or dried thyme) and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat.
- Meanwhile, slice the onion and courgette into thin slices/rings. Halve and de-seed the pepper then cut into thin half-circles. Slice the aubergine (you may need to cut it in half lengthways first, so the slices aren’t too big).
- Turn off the sauce and layer the vegetables on top of the sauce in the dish, at about a 45-degree angle. Alternate in a pattern so that you have for instance courgette, red onion, yellow pepper and aubergine, then repeat, starting at the outside of the dish and working towards the middle.
- Drizzle over a little more olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper and scatter over a few more thyme leaves.
- Pop on the lid and bake in the oven at 160°C fan for about 35 minutes, then check that the vegetables are just cooked. Return to the oven, uncovered for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are starting to turn lightly golden around the edges.
- While the vegetables are finishing off, cook the fish fillets either in your Disney themed frying pan or on a tray in the oven alongside the ratatouille.
- Scatter plenty of fresh basil over the ratatouille and serve with the fish, summer salads and chunks of fresh bread
The gentle baking allows the vegetables to become tender and absorb all the delicious flavors. Topped with fragrant basil, this ratatouille makes a gorgeous and nourishing main meal, served alongside simply baked white fish and fresh bread or salads. It's an easy yet impressive recipe and whether enjoyed as the centrepiece of a meal or as a hearty side, this baked ratatouille is sure to delight.
