The most delicious veggie concoction to date…Grilled Ratatouille or Gratatouille as my daughter calls it. Even though I’m not a huge fan of eggplant, you?, I love this dish. Why? Because if I learned one thing from cookery school in Ireland, it was if you cook eggplant until it is very well done, it’s delicious. No better to accomplish that well-done cooking (also adding some grilled smokiness) then on the grill. And I promise it does not disappoint!
Before it was an animated feature film (of course one of my favs when the girls were little.) it was a famed dish from France. Using the pepper and tomato end of season harvest. The veg is looking pretty good in the stores right now, so why wait. Perfect for a crowd, you know, that 6 feet away crowd. But this dish stores well in the fridge. I can be added to pasta or as a pizza topping during the week.
Ratatouille is a classic Provencal French vegetable stew recipe. The word ratatouille is derived from the Occitan term “ratatolha” and the French words “rata” meaning chunky stew and “touiller” which means to toss food or stir up.
According to the interwebs
Why are you going to love this dish?
- veg action, you’ll get your 5/day, boom
- so colorful, it’s like spring exploded on your plate
- make any corona-tutions you need, but do try the eggplant
But I don’t like eggplant
I beg you to try this with eggplant (okay, that might be a little harsh but…), grill until it’s soft, and you will really enjoy it. Feel free to use other summer squash if you find some nice ones in the store. Any color pepper is going to work here as well too.
Use this Ratatouille with/in:
- pizza topping
- add to some pasta with a little extra cheese
- make panini sandwiches, it’s a great topper
Grilled Ratatouille
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: French
Description
This couldn’t be easier, and such a versatile recipe. Add to pasta, or use as a pizza topping. You won’t miss the meat, but you might want to gobble it up with some nice grilled lemon chicken or fish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, ends trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick on a strong bias
- 1 large zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick on a strong bias
- 2 large bell peppers, cut in quarters, with seeds and foamy bits removed
- 1 large red onion, sliced wedges (secure with a toothpick so they don’t fall apart on the grill)
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1–pint ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, put on skewers
- Kosher salt (affiliate link) to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves stripped off
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 1/2 crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Heat the grill to high, for at least 15 minutes.
- After cutting all the veg, place them in a large bowl.
- Add olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well.
- Place the cherry tomatoes on skewers. Place all the vegetables and skewers on the grill. The veg will take about 5-7 minutes per side, the tomatoes should only take about 6 minutes total
- Remove the veg from the grill and place it all in the same bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the entire veggie medley.
- Toss with fresh basil and feta cheese and serve.
Options:
Eat as is, or with a lovely piece of grilled fish
Save for day 2, saute the leftovers, add some pasta and more feta. Boom, dinner.
Notes
- Use an indoor grill or broiler, both are great alternatives
- Use yellow zucchini, more eggplant, whatever suits your fancy
- To make this dish a bit heartier, add some toasted almonds or pine nuts
Need some other great grilling ideas for the long weekend? Try a few of these:
- Grilled Steak Salad with Sweet Potatoes
- Grilled Potato Salad (one of my personal favs)
- Three Onion Dip goes with just about everything!
Have a wonderful weekend, and remember, stay six feet.
Cheers!
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