First, I have never made ratatouille.. and I always think about the Disney movie with the little mouse, don't you? In reality it is a French vegetable stew made of tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, bell peppers, garlic and onions.

I am a proud new owner of the latest Whole30 book by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig. They are awesome. I honestly poured over every page in two evenings, stack of post-its close by.

This was a recipe I had to try, easy, seemed flavorful and new. You'll notice that this recipe called for alot of nightshades, so is not suited for those watching for FODMAPS.

Ratatouille

Serves 2

1/4 c coconut oil or evoo
1/4c chopped onion
1 c diced zucchini
1 c diced yellow squash
1 c diced eggplant
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 c diced green bell pepper*
1/2 c diced red bell pepper*
2 cloves garlic
1 c tomato sauce*
1 tsp balsamic vinegar*
3 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

1. In  a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat, coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot, add the onions, cook, stirring until translucent - 2-3 mins. 
2.  Add the bell peppers and cook another 2-3 mins, stirring often. Add the garlic, cook 1 min longer. 
3. Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Mix completely and bring to a simmer over low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are tender, about 25 mins. 

Easy. 

We made this into a meal by adding leftover chicken breast and served it over brown rice - ahem, not quite Whole30, but you could sub it for cauli-rice. This would be delish stuffed into a sweet potato. 

*My edits to this recipe include the fact the I used the entire zucchini, squash and eggplant, not only 1 cup of each, which increased the number of servings. I also only had yellow bell pepper on hand, no red or green. In place of the tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar, I found a delicious organic Puttanesca sauce at Trader Joe's, full of whole tomatoes, olives and spices, no preservatives or sugar.