Fork it Over | Roommate Ratatouille

Y'all, I finally made time to cook this week! It's a miracle! It took me about an hour and a half after getting off the bus from work, which was kind of exhausting, but it reminded me just how satisfying it can be to make something from nothing. Cooking doesn't have to be a stressful event; sometimes after an 8-hour day and a commute, it seems like the least appealing option... but blending spices and ingredients together into something delicious, and knowing that you made it yourself and that it's (sometimes) healthy, you just feel more adult! This segues perfectly into that whole "do adults call themselves adults" conversation, but we can save that for another time.

This recipe is inspired by something my roommate Leslie made the other night - I didn't ask her for the exact recipe, so bare with me L if it's not quite the same! I tried! Either way, it turned out pretty well, and was very, very, very low energy. I love it. Thanks for the inspiration, roomie!

Want to find out how to make this beautiful bowl of veggie love? Click on through!

Step 1: Chop your veggies!

I used yellow squash, cucumber (by accident - I thought it was a zucchini, but it still turned out fine! By all means, use a zucchini though), and mushrooms. If I was feeling a little more energetic I would have added some onions and garlic cloves.

(Ok wait, step 1 is really preheat the oven to 400 degrees. So, do that, then chop.)

Step 2: Douse your veggies and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt (if you like!) on your chopped veggies in whatever baking pan or sheet or dish you're using and put them in the preheated oven for about ten minutes, stirring them about halfway through. Make sure they're mostly roasted through before moving on to the next step!

Also, prepare your other ingredients: basil leaves; chopped tomatoes with the juice; and couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

Step 3: Add your tomatoes, bake for another 10-15 minutes.

When the veggies are mostly roasted, add the tomatoes to your mixture and stir until they're evenly coated. Don't worry if the tomato juice is soupy and watery - it'll cook down a bit in the oven! Plus, we're basically making a sauce, so some wateriness is fine.

While you're waiting for the tomato mixture to roast for another 10-15 minutes (you won't overcook them, I promise!), plate your basil leaves and make whatever grain you like. You could even use spiral or shell pasta, if you really want! Go crazy y'all!

Step 4: Take out your mixture and let stand for a few minutes. 

Step 5: Poach an egg (use this recent tutorial if you don't know how) and plate!

Add additional salt and pepper if you need to...

And enjoy!

See? Easy. You can change the recipe to suit any of your preferences/needs and can add some kind of meat to the sauce if desired, or parmesan cheese, instead of the poached egg. In fact, some commenters on instagram asked if the egg was Burrata mozzarella - that would be a fantastic swap! I should try that someday. Someday SOON.