Welcome again to our five-ingredient dinner sequence! This week’s entry is from my pal Brooks Reitz, who runs an empire of standard eating places in Charleston and can be the steward of a beautiful way of life publication I learn religiously known as A Small and Easy Factor.
It was on that publication the place he lately shared his recipe for ratatouille. However not your typical ratatouille. At this stage of life, he doesn’t have time for large cooking tasks. “A meal requiring a number of steps, cautious measuring, or intensive planning will not be a meal I’m fascinated with,” he writes. If he did have time for mission cooking, although, he concedes ratatouille can be one of many dishes that might make the minimize. “I’d like to take the time to fastidiously fry the person components in olive oil, every reaching peak doneness earlier than fastidiously combining the components into a superb, symphonic entire.” However till that day, there’s Lazy Man’s Ratatouille, a vegetarian dinner that leans on jarred tomato sauce for just a little help — and requires solely ONE pan within the kitchen.
Lazy Man’s Ratatouille
From Brooks: It is a lovely stew, simplified for a straightforward weeknight dinner. I really like this dish room temp (or chilly) with a scoop of ricotta and crusty bread. Serves 2-3, and will be scaled up or down. (The greens shrink significantly within the oven, so don’t fear in case your baking sheet or roasting pan appears to be like actually crowded.)
2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2-inch items
2 Japanese eggplant (or any eggplant), chopped into 1/2 inch items
1/2 medium crimson onion, chopped into wedges and layers separated
6-8 small tomatoes, quartered
olive oil*
kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper*
1 cup jarred tomato sauce, equivalent to Rao’s
Non-compulsory add-ins: 3 tablespoons capers, contemporary herbs like basil or parsley, contemporary ricotta or yogurt, hunk of crusty bread
Warmth oven to 400°F. Chuck the zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and onion into a giant roasting pan or baking sheet and season the entire mess in a lot of olive oil (sufficient to coat, however not drench) and a bathe of kosher salt. After baking for quarter-hour, pull out the dish and add tomato sauce. (I take advantage of Rao’s as a result of I find it irresistible, it’s simple to search out, and it’s acquired a number of easy components.) Put this again into the oven and roast for one more 35-45 minutes, till every little thing is mushy however not collapsed. The zucchini ought to nonetheless have a little bit of life, and one of the best ways to verify is to check it out about half-hour in.
Let this cool on the stovetop, and when it has reached room temperature, you may choose your add-ins (I’d argue the ricotta is a non-negotiable).
* We aren’t counting olive oil, salt, or pepper within the ingredient complete.
Thanks, Brooks!
P.S. Extra five-ingredient dinners, together with a tomato-feta tart.
