Delicious Deconstructed Ratatouille

I adore ratatouille because I think vegetable medleys are awesome, especially if they include eggplant and zucchini (more of my favorite veggies, in addition to spinach). The only downside to ratatouille is that it can get a little mushy and not look very attractive when all the veggies are sauteed together...so when I saw Deb Perelman's beautiful presentation, I knew I had to try it. This recipe is awesome- easy to assemble, looks amazing and tastes delicious! I served it with polenta for a perfect summer vegetarian dinner.

Veggies sliced and ready to be lined up on top of the diced tomatoes and onions in the baking dish

Delicious Baked Ratatouille

This Ratatouille dish is perfect served on top of a bed of polenta

 Delicious Deconstructed Ratatouille

1/2 sliced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 eggplant
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 teaspoon oregano or thyme
salt and pepper

Pour diced tomatoes in baking dish and top with sliced onions and minced garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice rest of vegetables thinly and layer on top of tomatoes in baking dish. I had leftovers and sauteed them in a non stick pan with olive oil and enjoyed them as a side dish the next day like regular ratatouille. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place piece of parchment paper cut to the size of the baking dish on top of veggies. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Remove parchment paper and bake 10 minutes longer until the edges of the vegetables look a bit brown and crispy (I like them this way- you can remove them after 45 minutes if you want them soft and just cooked).  Serve on top of soft polenta  and enjoy!