Easy Vegan Ratatouille

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tablespoons dry red wine
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 dash ground rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 eggplant, cut into small cubes
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaf, red wine, and tomato juice and stir to combine well.
4. Then add the garlic, basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper and mix until well blended. Cover the saucepan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
5. Add the zucchini and the green and red bell peppers, stir well, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the eggplant, tomatoes, and tomato paste and stir again to combine everything together well. Cover the pan and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Once the veggies are tender and cooked, remove the pan from the heat immediately to make sure the vegetables don’t overcook and become soggy. Serve your vegan ratatouille over rice or pasta with French bread. This vegetarian and vegan ratatouille recipe is reprinted with permission from “ The Compassionate Cook Cookbook .“