I’ve been keen to make this dish ever since watching that cute little Rat cooking it in the movie “Ratatouille”.

Making this dish is quite satisfying as it is mindfulness in practice, creating swirls with courgette that look so pretty.

Courgetti or zucchini noodles are a big thing right now but I much prefer this dish when I have a couple of courgettes in my fridge.

It tastes deliciously sweet thanks to the slow cooked tomatoes and peppers and the added balsamic at the end complements the flavours perfectly.

Ingredients:

3 courgettes

1 red pepper

1 red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 punnet of baby plum tomatoes

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon maple syrup/honey

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar (2 Tablespoons)

Method:

• Finely slice the courgettes creating delicate discs and arrange them in a swirl pattern, slightly overlapping each other in a lightly oiled (I used coconut oil) dish.
• Slice tomatoes and arrange on top of the courgette
• Cut the red pepper creating pepper rings, use the large ones to arrange over the courgette, keep the rest for the sauce.
• In a pan, brown the sliced red onion and cook for five minutes, then add the garlic and the  remaining chopped pepper, tablespoon of maple syrup/honey followed by the tinned tomatoes.
• Allow to cook for ten minutes on low to medium heat.
• Pour the sauce over the courgettes, tomatoes and peppers and spread evenly.
• Cover the dish with tin foil, creating a seal at the edges leaving a lot of room for steaming.
• Cook in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (fan oven) for one hour.
• Once cooked, allow to cool slightly before adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
• Serve as a salad side or heated with rice/pasta as a main dish.
• I slice it with a pizza cutter making it easy to dish out portions.