At face value, you might think of ratatouille as just a plate of vegetables, but the addition of balsamic, honey and lemon here totally lifts the dish.
Gluten-free and can be made as a vegan dish if you use agave syrup rather than honey. This is a great meal just as it is for lunch or dinner, or you can use it as a side dish great with barbecues and fish, or why not try using it as a beautiful chunky pasta sauce? The choice is yours. Keeps in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Cloves garlic - crushed
- Balsamic vinegar
- A good tsp honey or agave for vegan.
- Half an onion finely chopped
- 2 courgettes - cubed
- 1 red or orange pepper - cubed
- 1 Aubergine cubed
- Tin of chopped tomatoes
- A handful of fresh chopped tomatoes
- Bunch fresh basil leaves - chopped
- 3 sprigs Thyme, leaves broken away from stalks
- Half a lemon
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the aubergines, courgettes and peppers to the pan and add a good dash of balsamic vinegar. Fry for around 5 minutes, moving around the pan. Then spoon the cooked vegetables into a large bowl and set aside.
Drizzle a little more oil into the pan and add the onion, garlic, basil and thyme leaves with a dash of salt. Fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and golden.
Return the vegetables to the pan and stir in the fresh and tinned tomatoes. Add another good shake of balsamic, the honey and season well. Stir, cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until reduced, sticky & sweet.
Finish off with a squeeze of lemon before serving. This is great as a lunch or dinner, as a side dish for fish or a barbecue or as a chunky pasta sauce.
If you like this recipe, check out my gorgeous smokey bean stew recipe. If you are short of ideas for dinners and would like to learn some new ideas and a method for batching meals so that you can healthy every night, then check out my online course, Nutritionally Balanced Dinners Made Simple.
