Dishing Up the Dirt

Summer Harvest Ratatouille With Pasta

This simple dish was the recipe of the week for our CSA members. Late August is definitely a great time of the year to whip up a pot of ratatouille because all of the key ingredients are ready for harvest at the same time. And while Tumbleweed Farm’s version is not a traditional French version (where the dish originates from) this take on a classic is catered towards busy folks who don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen. We love how simple, quick and delicious this meal is and can’t wait to eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

The days continue to be quite warm here at the farm but the evenings and early mornings are cool enough to warrant jackets and giant mugs of hot coffee in the fields. We feel Fall creeping around the corner and our meals are a reflection of the slightly changing weather. This dinner was warm and comforting and we savored every single bite. I hope you all enjoy our farm-to-table version of the French classic ratatouille. The recipe below uses only ingredients that were included in our CSA members boxes so feel free to swap out some of the ingredients for things you have on hand ie: onions for scallions, bell peppers for anaheim peppers, etc. As with all of my recipes use this as a guide and adjust ingredients as necessary. My hope is that the ingredients included in all of my meals are easy for you to find at your local farmers market. Play around in the kitchen and always have fun while you prepare your food. Cheers from Tumbleweed!

Summer Harvest Ratatouille With Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 30 minutes    Serves:

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch of scallions, diced, white and light green parts only
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium-small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half others left whole
  • 1 heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped, about 3/4 of a cup worth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
  • fresh parmesan for serving
  • Salt + pepper for serving
  • squash blossoms for garnish (optional)

Preparation

  1. Over medium-low heat add the olive oil to a large skillet with the scallions, garlic and bay leaf. Stir often until the vegetables soften a bit and become fragrant. About 3 minutes.
  2. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally until the eggplant has softened. About 5 minutes. Stir in the summer squash/zucchini, Anaheim pepper, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato and salt. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil and squash blossoms (if using).
  3. While the vegetables simmer for the last 10 minutes bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 5-7 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on your specific pasta so look at the suggested cooking time on the label)
  4. Drain the pasta and add it to the simmering vegetables. Stir well and divide the pasta between plates. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few pinches of salt + pepper.
 

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go *Have fun in the kitchen


Leave a Reply

9 thoughts on “Summer Harvest Ratatouille With Pasta

  1. Caitlin Greenlee says:

    Looks delicious! I want to try this with plenty of crushed red pepper flakes for serving, and a glass of good red wine! Yum!

  2. Ahh, nothing screams summer more than a good summer harvest ratatouille. I always find myself making some sort of ratatouille end of summer because even though I’ve been cooking with the produce all season long I don’t feel like I’ve gotten enough of it or celebrated it enough until it all comes together into a ratatouille. So I’m loving this dish Andrea!

  3. I love how you made the ratatouille recipe with busy people in mind!! I love cooking a lot but many days after work I just want to go home and whip something up really quickly! This looks like a perfect way to use my latest farmer’s market haul 🙂

  4. Shelley says:

    I saw acorn and butternut squash out today at the farmers stand and wanted to scream, “No, not yet!” I love these dishes that pack in all the great summer flavors and colors. Thanks, as always!

    1. Andrea says:

      Shelley, I’m with you! We’ve waited all year for the summer vegetables and all of the winter squash can wait. Even after we harvest it I’m not cooking anything up until the last ripe tomato of the season has been eaten!

  5. francesca says:

    Oh this is just great. I love both of these thigs!!

    well done, lady 🙂

  6. […] this week that you might  actually have a few left over by the time you get home from pickup.  Here’s a pasta version if you’re interested.  And I get the sense that there’s not a whole lot of Italian […]

  7. Jan Mowbray says:

    Great looking recipe that I will try in September. Please advise how many servings this makes. It’s blank above. Thank you.

    1. Andrea says:

      it serves 4. Hope that’s helpful!

Sign up

Fresh recipies delivered to your inbox!