Ratatouille with Goat Cheese Polenta

This is officially the first meal that I have made in my new apartment in Boston. It’s been on my ‘to make’ list for a while- another inspiration from my dinner at the Big Sur Bakery. I’ve been in transition the past few weeks as I’ve moved up here so I have been eating out way too often. This felt very healthy and simple. And easy! I made it after returning from an exhausting IKEA run and it came together very quickly. The most time consuming thing is all the chopping but chopping relaxes me so I never mind. Whenever I’ve made ratatouille in the past I’ve served it with parmesan polenta but I think it is so much more flavorful and delicious with goat cheese! You can also put it over pasta or grains, or use it in an omelet or crêpe. Typically ratatouille includes eggplant as well but I’m weird about eggplant (sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t) so I didn’t add it here. The measurements below are an estimation of what I did- basically it all goes together and then cooks for a while and tastes delicious no matter what you add. Unfortunately I need to work on the lighting in my new apartment so the pictures are less than stellar.

Ratatouille with Goat Cheese Polenta
makes ~4 servings

2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
½ onion, medium dice
1 red or yellow pepper, medium dice
1 zucchini, medium dice
1 yellow squash, medium dice
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tomatoes*, medium dice
1 pint grape tomatoes, medium dice
Polenta (I used instant since I was in a rush)
Goat cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic along with the sprigs of thyme. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften, then add the peppers, zucchini, and squash. Once these soften, add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and let the vegetables simmer until they release liquids and become soupy (about ten minutes).
Meanwhile, make the polenta according to package directions, remove from heat and stir in goat cheese until it tastes delicious. Serve the vegetables over the polenta and enjoy!

*If tomatoes are out of season, you can substitute canned tomatoes