It’s July and we’re in the middle of zucchini season! This recipe from The Kitchn possibly will give purists a moment of pause, but for me, I was a great way to take advantage of summer vegetable overloads while the kitchen was not overheating from roastings or stove-top cooking.

Easy Slow-Cooker Ratatouille

By Christine Gallary, The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 pound eggplant
• 1 pound zucchini or summer squash
• 2 large red, green, or yellow bell peppers (about 1 pound)
• 1 pound tomatoes
• 4 cloves  garlic 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until completely softened and light golden-brown, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the vegetables.
2. Trim the eggplant and zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes, and place in the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Trim, core, and cut the bell peppers into 1-inch dice and add to the slow cooker. Core the tomatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch dice, and add to the slow cooker. Finely chop the garlic and add to the slow cooker.
3. When the onions are ready, add the tomato paste to the pan and stir to coat the onions. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat all the vegetables.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the vegetables are extremely tender, 4 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low. If you’d like to cook off some of the excess liquid in the slow cooker, cook uncovered for the last 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the basil and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving if desired.

For Noomers: This recipe serves 8-10. Calories 98, Fat 5.9 g, Carbs 11.4 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Sugar 5.1 g, Protein 2.2 g, Sodium 31.3 mg