Molly Gilbert
Molly Gilbert is a cooking instructor and food blogger (DunkAndCrumble.com). This recipe is from her new book Sheet Pan Suppers: 120 Recipes for Simple, Surprising, Hands-Off Meals Straight from the Oven (Workman).
In this delicious twist on traditional ratatouille, the vegetables are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The secret? Using a sheet pan. The shallow sides of a sheet pan allow your oven’s dry, even heat to fully surround the food, making it crisp and tender while enhancing the natural sugars—with no stirring needed!
Olive oil cooking spray
1 can (12 ounces) tomato puree
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large red bell pepper
1 large Chinese eggplant
1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
3 or 4 smallish Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled (about ¾ pound)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, with one rack about four inches from the broiler and another in the center position. Mist a sheet pan with cooking spray.
2. Dump the tomato puree onto the prepared sheet pan. Add the garlic, onion, one-half teaspoon of salt and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper, and toss together to combine. Use a rubber spatula to spread the puree evenly over the pan. Cut the butter into small cubes and scatter over all.
3. Cut off the top of the bell pepper. Pull out the seeds and membrane. Slice the pepper into one-eighth-inch-thick rounds, then slice the rounds into thirds.
4. Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and squash. Slice each into one-eighth-inch-thick rounds. Slice the potatoes. Arrange the vegetables over the tomato sauce and butter, overlapping them.
5. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake the ratatouille on the center rack until the vegetables are tender and the tomato sauce is bubbling at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn the oven to broil. Break the goat cheese into crumbles, and scatter over the ratatouille. Broil on the top rack to melt the cheese, about one minute. Sprinkle on the basil. Serves eight.
