Smoky Ratatouille Casserole

Ingredients:

Sauce

  • 2 lb tomatoes (vine-ripened, roughly chopped)
  • ½ lb mushrooms (button, chopped)
  • 2 carrots (minced)
  • 2 stalks celery (minced)
  • 1 red pepper (roasted, skin, seeds, stem removed)
  • 1 yellow bell pepper (roasted, skin, seeds, stem removed)
  • 1 poblano pepper (roasted, skin, seeds, stem removed)
  • 8 fresh basil leaves (minced)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (divided)
  • 2 tsp garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp oregano

Vegetable Topping

  • 4 tomatoes (Roma, sliced very thin)
  • 2 zucchini (sliced very thin)
  • 2 Japanese Eggplant (sliced very thin)
  • 2 yellow summer squash (sliced very thin)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic cloves (crushed)
  • salt
  • black pepper (ground)
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
  • 2 tsp fresh basil leaves (chopped)

Instructions:

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes

  1. It's important to have your vegetables chopped, sliced and fully prepared before you begin.
  2. Roast peppers in the oven at 400 deg, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the peppers to steam for 15 minutes.
  3. The Roma tomatoes, zucchini, Japanese eggplant and yellow squash should be sliced very thin, about 1/8 in thickness.
  4. Once your peppers have finished steaming, peel off the skin and remove the seeds and ribs under cool running water. Roughly chop the peeled peppers and set aside.
  5. In a food processor, combine the chopped vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped peppers, basil, 2 tsp crushed garlic, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, paprika and oregano and pulse until you have a rough puree with texture.
  6. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium high until hot. Cook mushrooms until they are nicely browned throughout and set aside.
  7. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the pan and sauté the minced onions, carrots and celery, scraping up any brown bits as you stir. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
  8. Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
  9. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Start to layer on the sliced vegetables by first overlapping them in a circle around the outer edge. Layer them close to each other and cover the whole surface. If you have extra vegetables you may want to double the layer.
  10. Combine 2 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tsp crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle over the top of the sliced vegetables. Sprinkle the top lightly with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the fresh thyme.
  11. Cover the pan with a lid or a layer of parchment paper. Bake for 90 minutes. Remove the the lid or parchment and increase the heat to 350 degrees F. Cook for an additional 45 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve hot over cauliflower couscous, mashed potatoes or your favorite starch.

Servings: 10

Source: http://theshiksa.com/2014/04/08/spicy-smoky-ratatouille-casserole