Crock Pot or Oven Ratatouille
User Reviews
5
Crock Pot or Oven Ratatouille
Description
The Crock Pot or Oven Ratatouille features a medley of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes seasoned with parsley, basil, oregano, and tomato paste. The eggplant is salted and drained beforehand to remove excess moisture, which prevents sogginess. When baked, the vegetables soften evenly under foil, with occasional stirring to ensure uniform cooking and flavor distribution. The slow cooker method offers a hands-off approach, gently infusing herbs into the vegetables over several hours.
This vegetable dish is a mellow, mildly tangy blend from tomato paste and fresh herbs, with a soft texture from slow cooking. It serves nicely as a side or vegetarian main course and can be garnished with capers, crushed red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, or fresh herbs to enhance complexity.
For the slow cooker, cooking times vary between high and low settings, and checking for desired tenderness is recommended. Draining eggplant and patting it dry before use helps maintain a good texture regardless of cooking method.
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant
- salt Kosher salt
- black pepper Kosher salt
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced, sweet
- 2 Sweet Bell Pepper seeded and sliced into strips, any color
- 3 small zucchini halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into slices
- 4 medium tomato quartered and seeds removed
- ¼ cup parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, chopped, fresh
- ¼ cup basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, coarsely chopped; fresh
- 1 tablespoon oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, fresh leaves
- 6 ounce tomato paste canned
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for serving
- 4 teaspoons garlic about 4 large cloves, minced
- caper optional garnish: drained capers, grated Parmesan cheese, additional fresh herbs, crushed red pepper flakes, additional olive oil
- Parmesan Cheese
- fresh herb
- crushed red pepper flakes
- olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into chunks. In a colander, toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let the eggplant sit and drain for about 30 minutes. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels.
- Meanwhile, spray a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl (or in the prepared dish), toss together the eggplant, onion, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, tomato paste, olive oil, and garlic.
- Transfer the vegetable mixture to the prepared dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour, or until the vegetables are all tender. Stir once or twice during the baking time to make sure that the vegetables cook evenly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Garnish with capers, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes; and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
- Drain and salt eggplant before cooking to reduce bitterness and moisture.
- Slow cooker cooking times vary; check vegetables for tenderness and avoid overcooking.
- Use garnishes like capers, Parmesan, or fresh herbs to add flavor and texture contrasts.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 936 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cup | |
| Calories | 93.6kcal | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | 18.2g | 6% |
| Protein | 3.3g | 7% |
| Fat | 2.3g | 4% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.3g | 2% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1.3g | 7% |
| Sodium | 179mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 799.4mg | 17% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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