Ratatouille style easy roasted vegetables to pair with your favorite protein
Inspired by the visually captivating appeal of ratatouille
It is no secret that many people struggle to consume enough vegetables. I think one of the reasons could be limited experience with cooking vegetables in ways that beg you to dig into them immediately upon sight. I must give endless thanks to my family’s cuisine where vegetables were always the star of the meal over other ingredients. The first question prior to cooking was always - what sabji (vegetable) are we going to cook for this meal? I must also thank the Indian cuisine’s spices that sing and enable any vegetable to shine with immense flavor.
In my mother’s kitchen I grew up savoring vegetables like gobi aloo (cauliflower potato), bhindi masala (okra), baingan bhartha (eggplant), matar (peas) that were spicy, tangy, earthy, and always finger-licking-good. But whenever I dined out in restaurants, vegetables like roasted carrots, poached green beans, sautéed broccoli with butter opened me up to appreciate flavors that were simple and elegant. Both styles of vegetables are prepared and enjoyed in my kitchen today:
complex vegetable dishes layered with many exploding flavors
simple vegetable dishes with authentic, elegant, and subtle flavors
In my view, vegetables become ten times easier to consume if they look beautiful and inviting. Since I am naturally drawn to shiny colorful things (as we all are), I buy all kinds of colorful vegetables at the supermarket or the farmer’s market. While sometimes this gets me into a culinary pickle, most of the times the result is delicious!
One afternoon, in my vegetable forward menu planning, I could not decide which vegetable to cook or how to cook them. Did I want to turn the eggplant into a spicy tangy baingan bhartha or did I want to roast some zucchini and sprinkle it with parmesan? Or perhaps I just wanted simple boiled potatoes or cook them with onions in a tomato sauce? Did I want to be hands-on with the veggies on the stove or did I want to throw them in the oven and walk away?
Please tell me I am not the only one who has these paralyzing cooking dilemmas. You too? Yes?
My palate could not decide if it wanted something complex with loud flavors or if it craved something simple and down to earth. I did this mental sword fight over the kitchen sink devouring while some fresh blueberries and daring myself to make a decision when the bowl was empty. Once the blueberries vanished, one side of my brain made an executive decision (and dared me) to prepare something with all the vegetables on the counter. I stared at the vibrant and inviting produce in front of me for a few more mins. Then, thankfully, a light bulb turned ON in my head and a ratatouille style roasted vegetable dish was born in my kitchen!
Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew, made world famous by the animated movie, that I have never made. But I was always drawn to the beauty of it, especially the hypnotic pattern of the bright vegetables harmonizing together in a luscious sauce. Sadly I did not have all the ingredients to prep the sauce but I was not going to let that stop me. After all, I had a dare to be won against my brain! I decided to forge ahead and make patterned roasted vegetables for today while the traditional ratatouille would have to wait for another day. I’m oh so glad I did, especially since it was super easy (slice, arrange, bake). It almost felt like I was cheating when I claim I cooked the vegetables; at least the second part of my brain was constantly accusing me with this thought.
Pfft, brain be damned, the process was effortless and the reward was scrumptious!
Slice 'em: an easy, simple, meditative step (recall chopping is my favorite part)
Pattern 'em: arrange them in a pattern that delights you, season with your heart (mine was olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder) <3
Cook 'em: bake at 400C for 30-45m and we’re done (yup, it’s really that easy!)
Devour 'em: pair with any protein you crave and savor each delightful bite!
My palate was more cooperative this time and thought a fried egg and avocado would pair nicely with these inviting roasted vegetables. The texture of the soft vegetables with crunchy tops made this simple lunch super satisfying. My taste buds did their happy dance as I ate half of this bountiful plate standing in the kitchen (much to my brain’s annoyance). I am sure your taste buds will be dancing too when you make this. I am also sure you will be more elegant than me and eat this sitting at the dining table because you are a civilized human.
Dish Debrief:
Is this my winner or disaster? winner
How would I rate this dish out of 10? 7 out of 10
What would I change next time? Add sauce to take it to the next level (aka make Ratatouille)
Would I make this again? for sure