Ratatouille Lasagna

So, ratatouille is by far one of my favorite meals. I love how the flavors blend so seamlessly. I love how simple it is. And I love how light yet filling it is. And this lightness is the main reason I don't eat a lot of lasagna. It tends to weigh me down, and even though I love the taste, I just can't stand the way I feel afterwards. Which is why, when I stumbled on a couple of ratatouille lasagna recipes last week, I fell in love with the idea.

I decided to try my own hand at this delightful idea, and I gotta say, I was sooooo not disappointed. But before we get into all of that, let's talk about the wine and how I chose it. The key to choosing wine to pair with a dish is knowing what's in your dish and what's in your wine. Ratatouille is a veggie dish--eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, onion, and tomato. So a lot of earthy and juicy vegetables with a little zest and spice. All of that is to say, we want a fairly earthy wine, but not too dry.

On my first thought, I was taken with the idea of an Italian pinot noir because lasagna=Italian. But when I got to the store, I remembered, "Duh, ratatouille is FRENCH." Which made my decision a whole lot easier, because let's be real here, finding a good, inexpensive Italian pinot noir at a supermarket is a challenge over which I have zero control. And lucky for me, Publix has a nice selection of French reds. As I scanned the shelves, my eyes kept landing on this beaut: Georges Dubœf's Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais Nouveau is exclsuively made from the gamay grape--a fruity, earthy red grape. And thanks to the carbonic maceration technique used during its winemaking process, Beaujolais Nouveau doesn't have all of the chalky tannins that most people associate with French reds. Even better than the taste, at $11, this red is more than worth the price.

(If you want to read up on some fun facts about Beaujolais Nouveau, check out this article)

Dubœuf's Beaujolais Nouveau has a beautifully rich color and aromas of raspberries and strawberries with a hint of wet earth--you know the way a forest smells just after it rains? That. It smells like that and really juicy berries. For as deep as the color of the wine is, the flavor is light and juicy. Now, that's not to say sweet; we don't do sweet wines over here at Veg & Vine. It has a touch of tartness, almost like a cranberry, but it doesn't dry your mouth out. It stays soft yet bursting, like biting into a ripe strawberry.

Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Price: $10.99

Varietal: Gamay

Region: Beaujolais, France

Vintage: 2017

Retailer: Publix

And on we move to the food portion of our programming. Ratatouille Lasagna. A fusion of traditional Italian and French dishes. Cheese, veggies, lasagna noodles, and a couple of spices. Simple, to the point, and oh so tasty.

The earth of the vegetables pair perfectly with the earthy flavors of the Beaujolais, and the fruit from the wine gives this hearty meal that little bit of oomph that takes it over the top.

So without further ado, let's eat.

---

Ratatouille Lasagna

Prep Time: 55 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hour and 25 min

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 white onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

12 oz. tomato paste

14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's Fire Roasted Garlic)

1 eggplant, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

A handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Lasagna noodles

Italian seasoning to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 º F.

2. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add diced vegetables and toss in olive oil. On medium heat, cook vegetables for 10-15 minutes, or until onions are translucent, stirring frequently.

3. Once onions are translucent, add tomato paste. Simmer on medium for 5 minutes, or until the paste darkens in color and sticks to the bottom of the pan.

4. Add diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes.

5. Cook lasagna according to package instructions.

6. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and basil.

7. While everything is cooking, slice the remaining vegetables.

8. Once the vegetable mixture is thoroughly cooked, begin layering in a baking dish. Spread a layer of vegetable mixture in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of lasagne noodles. Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Top with shingles of the sliced vegetables. Repeat this process until the baking dish is full.

9. Top with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning and a smattering of shredded mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes.

10. Slice and serve with a delicious glass of Beaujolais Nouveau!

And seriously guys, everything about this dish is scrumptious--especially that veggie mixture.

Salud et bon appetit, mes amis!