Food: Grilled Ratatouille with Rotini

Hi everyone, it’s Lauren from Perpetually Chic, back with another recipe that takes advantage of fresh vegetables from the market.

Your parents always told you to "eat your vegetables," right? Well this healthy recipe is not only loaded with seasonal veggies, but it's also a crowd pleaser with the addition of pasta. The classic French version of ratatouille pairs eggplant and zucchini with onions, tomatoes and peppers, but you can substitute in any favorite vegetables as you please.

So head to your farmers' market or grocery store to stock up, put on a pot of water and light up the grill...that's really all there is to it. Keep reading for the recipe! 

White balsamic vinegar is best for this recipe--it's not as sweet and syrupy as your typical dark balsamic, though the flavor is similar. Once you have it in your pantry, you can substitute it for regular balsamic vinegar in lighter dishes and dressings.

Ingredients

• 1 box of rotini pasta
• 4 large tomatoes
• 8-10 button mushrooms
• 1 small eggplant, cut lengthwise into quarters 
• 1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise in half
• 1 bell pepper (any color), cut lengthwise in half and seeded 
• 1 small red onion, peeled and cut into large quarters
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• Red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra sprigs for plating
• Parmesan

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain and return pasta to pot.
2. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Cut all vegetables and place them on a large baking sheet or in a shallow dish. Lightly brush all veggies with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill vegetables, turning halfway through, until cooked through and tender. Remove tomatoes and mushrooms first, then once cooked, transfer remaining vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly. 
4. Coarsely chop all the veggies and add to the pot of pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the balsamic, garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes to taste. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water if needed. 
5. Plate pasta into bowls, sprinkle with extra parsley, top with grated Parmesan and finish with freshly ground pepper. 

Extra credit: Slice part of a French baguette on the diagonal, brush each piece with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder, and throw on the grill at the very end. Voila--garlic bread!


-post & images by Lauren Craig