Spicy Sausage Ratatouille

Spicy Sausage Ratatouille is an easy, incredibly robust and versatile 1 dish meal that everybody loves … plus very nutritious.

This Spicy Sausage Ratatouille is a favorite recipe I’ve been making fairly often for quite a while … except without the sausage. I was serving it as a side dish. I’ve made many variations, mainly by varying the vegetables, adding things like winter squash or mushrooms. I naturally figured sausage would be a natural, so this sausage version has replaced my usual version of this dish. It’s great on rice or pasta, or in a bowl all by itself (where it qualifies as paleo or keto). It’s not just tasty – it’s very nutritious.

I particularly like the Trader Joe’s Italian Chicken Sausage in this; it comes in brat-sized links. I cut the casings off and cook the sausage up in chunks. Also, I now tend to use the McCormick’s Bruschetta seasoning (I buy the large 19- oz bottle at Costco) all the time in recipes that call for a combination of Italian spices (oregano, basil, onion, garlic). It has a great balance of the flavors … never-fail great taste.

This has become a regular staple for me – now I make it just guesstimating amounts instead of measuring. It’s basically a forgiving, fail-proof recipe.

Hope you like this one – it’s a family favorite in our house!

Spicy Sausage Ratatouille

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: Anita

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant (1 lb), diced into ½ inch cubes
• 2 large yellow, orange, or red bell peppers, cut into 1" to 2" strips
• 2 medium-large zucchinis (about 1 lb total), diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 mediu)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 3 tbsp McCormick Bruschetta Sweet Basil & Oregano Seasoning Mix (available at Costco)
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage (I used Trader Joe's Italian Chicken Sausage)
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup mild diced green chiles
• optional: grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Dump the zucchini into a plastic bag (I recycle the ones from the produce department), then pour 1 tbsp olive oil on top. Hold the bag shut and shake to coat the zucchini with the oil. Open the bag, pour in 1 tbsp of the Bruschetta seasoning, then hold the bag closed and shake it; then keep it shut and massage it to distribute the oil and seasonings.
3. Pour the zucchini into a large baking dish (9" x 12") and put in the oven; roast for 15 minutes.
4. While the zucchini is roasting, dump the eggplant into the bag then pour remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in and shake, add remaining 2 tbsp Bruschetta seasoning and massage as you did with the zucchini.
5. When the zucchini has finished its 15 minutes of roasting, take it out of the oven and stir it up, adding the eggplant in with the zucchini. Place back in oven and roast another 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, break up the sausage into chunks in a large pot. Cook until starting to brown and drain off excess fat (the chicken sausage produces very little fat); you may want to add up to 1 tbsp oil if the sausage is very low fat.
7. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.
8. Add the crushed tomatoes. When the vegetables come out of the oven, dump them into the pot and stir in the green chiles, adding seasoning and more chiles to taste, if desired. Cook over medium heat another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Serve in bowls or over rice. Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
10. Keeps for up to a week in the fridge and freezes well.
11. Enjoy!

3.5.3208