Oven-Roasted Ratatouille

This is a supremely low-effort, high-yield dish. It’s a nutritional tour-de-force, and very pleasing to the tastebuds too. We use flageolet beans in this recipe; they are small immature kidney beans. If they’re not available, using kidney beans or really any other legume is fine.

You will need

• 2 large zucchini, sliced
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 1 large eggplant, sliced and cut into semicircles
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 cans flageolet beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups same, cooked, drained, and rinsed)
• ½ bulb garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp red chili pepper flakes (omit or adjust per your heat preferences)
• ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
• Mixed herbs, per your preference. It’s hard to go wrong with this one, but we suggest leaning towards either basil and oregano or rosemary and thyme. We also suggest having some finely chopped to go into the dish, and some held back to go on the dish as a garnish.

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 180℃.

2) Mix all the ingredients (except the tomatoes and herbs) in a big mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution.

2) Add the tomatoes. The reason we didn’t add these before is because it would interfere with the oil being distributed evenly across the vegetables.

3) Transfer to a deep-walled oven tray or an ovenproof dish, and roast for 30 minutes.

4) Stir, add the chopped herbs, stir again, and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

5) Serve (hot or cold), adding any herb garnish you wish to use.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
• Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)
• Capsaicin For Weight Loss And Against Inflammation
• The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic
• Black Pepper’s Impressive Anti-Cancer Arsenal (And More)

Take care!