Dinner, Food, News, Recipes, Vegetables

Ratatouille!!

Yes, this meal was Disney inspired…  Ratatouille was playing on TV a few weeks ago and my 6 year old asked me if WE could ever make Ratatouille.

Now to get off track a bit, I must mention that I recently signed up with a local farmers cooperative here in Chico called GRUB. Every Wednesday we go to the GRUB farm and for only $75 a month we get a weekly hook up of an amazing assortment of organically grown fresh vegetables.  It’s a great experience for the kids. We get to visit the farm where the food is grown and meet the people who harvest and care for the land.  The harvest right now is so bountiful that I am sharing my portion with a friend and splitting the cost, so for around $9 a week we are feeding a family of 5 with fresh organic vegetables.  The moral of my story is, look for local resources and even on a tight budget it’s possible to find fabulous, paleo food!

So, this week we received everything from our GRUB share that is necessary for Ratatouille, and although this is a simple dish, my family gave it 5 stars!  We served the Ratatouille over grass fed ground beef hamburgers.  If time allowed that evening I would have made my meatballs to go with it, but the hamburgers worked just as well.  

Ratatouille

1 large zucchini

1 large red onion

4 garlic cloves

2 green bell peppers

4-5 tomatoes

2 Japanese eggplant

5-6 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

A pinch of cayenne pepper

6 stalks of fresh rosemary

Peel the garlic cloves and with the flat side of a chefs knife, press down hard on the garlic to crush the cloves.  Cut all other vegetables into large chunks.  In a large soup pot heat the olive oil over medium and add the onions and garlic.  Saute until the onions and garlic start to soften and add the remaining vegetables except for the tomatoes. Cook the veggies with the onions and garlic stirring often for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne, and rosemary, mix well and bring to a boil.  Let the Ratatouille simmer for 15 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and the tomatoes are reduced down to a soup like consistency.  Serve immediately over the meat of your choice.

Enjoy!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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10 Comments

  1. Ha! Another reason to enjoy your blog – I graduated from Chico state roughly one billion years ago, when the population hovered around 30-something thousand, when Pioneer Days was still a worthy celebration, and when trout held in Big Chico Creek like ornaments in a tree. Regards, Kevin

  2. John says:

    Great flavors, I had this for dinner and lunch the next day! : )

  3. Made this last night and enjoyed it as did the kids, surprisingly. They like their veggies, but can be picky at which veggies. I made it with hamburgers as we didn’t have much time for anything else. Maybe chicken or sausage(paleo???) next time. Rosemary was a bit overpowering and will add some more garlic.

  4. Jennifer says:

    I had forgotten all about Rattatouielle. This version was wonderful. I used oregano instead of rosemary – personal pref.

  5. Carla says:

    So simple but it looks so delish! :)) Guess what I will be eating tonight!

  6. Billy says:

    I made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful. I had some leftovers with chicken-sage sausage for breakfast and the remainder with a lamb kabob for lunch. This is definitely going to be a regular dish this winter. Thanks for the great recipe!

  7. I made this recipe for dinner tonight! I am currently out of the country which made finding rosemary hard. I added in some Italian style sun dried tomatoes instead and it was absolutely delicious!

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  8. My husband made this last night. His variation – sweet italian sausage, browned, and thrown into the mix. It was delicious!

  9. Bloomin’ lovely!!

    However I was waaaaay to ahead of myself and hadn’t finished roasting the chicken when I made it so threw it in a baking dish and into the oven to keep warm and it sort of condensed and became less saucy and got some nice browny-black bits on it, EPIC!

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