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1
Make the sauce: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F. Cut 2 yellow or red bell peppers in half and discard the seeds.
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2
Put the halves on a baking tray with the outside facing up and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
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3
Meanwhile, chop and saute 2 onions and 3 cloves garlic in a skillet over medium-heat.
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4
Peel and grind carrots and add them to the skillet.
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5
Add 7-9 diced tomatoes (or 2 cans), bay leaves and 3 sprigs of thyme.
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6
When bell peppers are done and have cooled enough to handle, peel off the skin with your fingers.
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7
Chop and add to the sauce.
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8
Let the sauce cook for as long as possible, stirring occasionally (from 30 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes).
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9
When the sauce is ready, remove the herbs and blend until smooth.
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10
Season with salt and black pepper.
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11
Prepare your vegetables: Finely slice eggplant, zucchini, remaining tomatoes and remaining bell peppers in 2-3 mm (0.1 inch) thick circles and arrange them in any order you like.
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12
I put a slice of eggplant, then zucchini, tomato, onion, bell pepper.
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13
Fill your form tightly with overlapping vegetables, arranging them in circles or rows, depending on the shape of your form.
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14
We are going to dry-fit them first to be sure you have enough vegetables.
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15
You may need to slice more vegetables so that they fit tightly.
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16
Its hard to predict how many vegetables you need, as it depends on their size and on the size of your dish.
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17
If the difference between the sizes of your slices is too big (normally, the eggplant has the biggest diameter), you can cut rounds out of the large slices.
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18
Cut a section off the bell pepper rings to make them smaller and hide the cut-out pieces on the bottom.
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19
After you are done determining the amount of veggies needed for your ratatouille, empty the dish.
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20
Roast: Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C or 300 degrees F. Pour the sauce in your baking dish and arrange the vegetable slices just like the first time.
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21
Sprinkle with the mixture of olive oil, remaining 2 cloves chopped garlic, salt, black pepper and the rest of the thyme leaves.
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22
Cover with aluminum foil and roast for at least 1 hour 30 minutes (up to 2 hours 30 minutes) on low temperature.
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23
Uncover and roast for 2040 more minutes.
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24
The longer you roast it, the richer the taste and the thicker the sauce.
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25
When you uncover the dish, the liquid from the veggies will evaporate and they will caramelize and develop an extra rich flavor.
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26
You can eat this once it cools down a bit or make it ahead, freeze and enjoy it later.
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27
You can refrigerate it for up to 1 week.
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28
Ratatouille only gets better the next day.
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29
Serve it with bread, rice, pasta or potatoes.
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30
Or just enjoy its unique taste by itself.
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31
Bon appetit!
