Ratatouille Penne Pasta

More About This Recipe

• Classic ratatouille flavors (eggplant, squash, tomatoes) are some of my favorite flavors, but the classic dish can be a bit of an ordeal to make. You have to slice everything evenly, layer it perfectly, and roast it for quite a while to get the desired texture. Is it worth it? Sure, but not everyone has that kind of time! This ratatouille penne dish is a bit more realistic, but the flavors are true to the original dish! The trick is to add the veggies in the right order to a big skillet and then simmer the ingredients with some good fire-roasted tomatoes and the results are savory and wonderful. Eggplant is the first ingredient that goes in the skillet over medium-high heat. Don’t bother peeling it, but try to cube it into about 1-inch cubes. It will shrink a bit as it cooks in the skillet. Use a liberal amount of olive oil as eggplant just sucks up the olive oil. Also season it well as it cooks in the skillet. Let the eggplant cook for about 8 to 10 minutes before you add anything else to the pan. The eggplant should brown a bit, start to soften and soak up most of the oil. Then add the onion, squash and zucchini. These will need less time to cook, but still give them a good 5 to 6 minutes so they start to get some color. Add the garlic in very last so it doesn’t burn. Then add in the tomatoes and stir everything together. If there are any bits stuck to the pan, use the liquid from the tomatoes to loosen the stuck bits. Bring the skillet to a slight simmer and let the ingredients simmer for about 10 minutes (turn your heat down to low). Then stir in the cooked penne pasta and if the mixture seems too thick, add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce. Garnish with thyme and serve immediately. It’s a really hearty, but still healthy, dish that everyone will love.