My Dad, Dale, is an incredible cook & his favourite recipe for adding veggies into our diet (as kids) & ensuring no veggies went to waste was Ratatouille.
Ratatouille originated in the south of France; it's colourful & packed with summer veggies. It's the perfect meal to prepare in advance - in the oven or the Air Fryer & stock the freezer for an easy, nutritious mid week meal. We stored ours in the largest Eco Stow Rectangle 2600ml.
It can be made 100% Vegan, vegetarian or with the protein of your choice. This one has halloumi but mix it up to find your favourite combination. You can make this a one dish cook up or batch cook veggies low & slow on baking trays. Depends on your cooking style! Either way, we recommend using Un-Baking Paper to reduce your single use waste.
Remember to wash your veggies with The Vege Bar feed your Compost with all the scraps!
Ingredients
350 grams of halloumi
x2 Red capsicums
x2 Yellow capsicums
x1 Green capsicum
x2 Zucchinis
x1 Eggplant
x1 800ml tin of crushed tomatoes
x2 teaspoons of tomato paste (optional)
x1 Spanish Onion
x1 head of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
Fresh basil leaves (torn)
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Method
1. Choose your baking vessel - you can cook in the Oven or Air Fryer. We recommend Air Fryer Bowl -Round or Square or Eco Stow in Rectangle. We'll assume you've chosen the Eco Stow. This recipe is for Oven cooking - if you're using an Air Fryer - put all ingredients in together & cook at 180 degrees until it smells delicious!
2. Heat oven to 180 degrees (if using oven) & line your baking tray with Un-Baking Paper.
3. Keep garlic whole but chop all other veggies into cubes - keeping them separate (they bake at different speeds). It's best to cook each component separately but this adds time (& additional dishes to wash). Using a couple of baking trays will speed up the process. Always line with Un-Baking Paper & drizzle olive oil & season with salt & pepper for each veggie.
4. Place whole garlic into oven & cook for 15-20 mins. You'll smell when it's ready! Remove and set aside to cool.
4. Add sliced onion into oven & cook for 10 mins until slightly caramelised. Set aside to cool.
5. Add eggplant into oven & cook for 15-20 mins depending on size of cubes. Set aside to cool.
6. Add zucchinis into oven & cook for 15-20 mins depending on size of cubes. Set aside to cool.
7. Set garlic aside & combine all the cooked veggies into the largest Rectangle Eco Stow. If you're meal prepping for a a single serve or a side dish a Dip Bowl or smaller Eco Stow would be a better option.
8. Add crushed tomatoes & combine by stirring gently. Add the garlic by squeezing out the roasted garlic from each bulb or add whole if you prefer.
9. Slice the halloumi into small sticks & place on top of the dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper & add fennel seeds (& optional chili flakes).
10. Bake in oven for 25 mins or until bubbling & halloumi sticks are golden brown. If you plan to freeze & reheat - slightly undercooking is the best method to ensure the halloumi isn't overcooked.
11. Serve immediately or allow to cool before placing in the fridge or freezer.
12. Seal Eco Stow with silicone air vent & store in fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days in fridge or up to 3 months in freezer. To defrost, simply place in oven (remove glass lid first) & heat for 20 mins on 180 degrees or reheat in microwave on defrost setting (remove the glass lid).
Eco Stows are oven, freezer, microwave & dishwasher. When heating always remove the lid. To lock in freshness in the fridge or freezer - use the silicone air vent to remove air to create a perfect seal.
