Recipes Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese 4.0 (1,138) 3 Reviews In traditional ratatouille, vegetables simmer together until they're falling-apart tender. Here, Melissa Clark cooks them quickly in batches, so they retain their flavor and texture. F&W Editors' Favorite Vegetable Dishes By Melissa Clark Melissa Clark Melissa Clark is a food writer and the author of more than 40 cookbooks. She has been a staff reporter at The New York Times for more than 10 years, where she writes about food trends, develops recipes, and appears in cooking videos linked to her column, A Good Appetite. She is a regular guest on the Today show, Rachael Ray, and NPR.Experience: Melissa Clark's introduction to the world of culinary journalism came while she was pursuing her MFA from Columbia University, where she took a food writing course taught by Betty Fussell. Upon graduation, Melissa worked catering and front-of-house restaurant jobs, did freelance writing for publications such as Time Out New York, and began developing recipes.Melissa has been writing for The New York Times since 2007. She's been a staff writer there since 2012, turning out her weekly column, A Good Appetite, and writing about 65 recipes for the paper each year.Melissa has authored more than 40 cookbooks, including collaborations with renowned chefs Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, and Claudia Fleming. Her work has been recognized with awards from the James Beard Foundation and the IACP.In 2019, Melissa hosted her own podcast, Weeknight Kitchen with Melissa Clark. She has been featured as a judge on Iron Chef America and regularly appears on the Today show, Rachael Ray, and NPR's The Splendid Table. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 22, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Johnny Valiant Total Time: 1 hrs Yield: 4 Ingredients 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice 5 large garlic cloves, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice 2 pounds tomatoes, cored and finely chopped 1 cup loosely packed shredded basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup crumbled aged goat cheese Directions In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add one-third of the garlic, season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant to a plate. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the casserole along with the zucchini and yellow squash and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add another one-third of the garlic, season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetables to the eggplant. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the casserole, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, two-thirds of the basil and the reserved vegetables and cook over moderate heat until the tomatoes have broken down and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil along with the lemon zest and juice. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. Make Ahead The ratatouille can be refrigerated overnight. Suggested Pairing Citrusy Chenin Blanc. Rate it Print