Italian Sausages with Ratatouille

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium chopped onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound of zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 small eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 pound of fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3/4 pound of sweet or old fashioned Italian sausages
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 sprig of rosemary

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a large oven-proof pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and cook the onions until they start to relax, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then turn the heat down to low.
2. While that pan stays gentle, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into another large skillet and place it over high heat. When the skillet is hot, scatter in enough zucchini cubes to cover the bottom in a single layer.
3. Keep the heat high and stir the zucchini as it cooks, letting the pieces pick up a little color all around. Scoop the zucchini into the pan with the onions, then do the same with the remaining zucchini. Follow with the bell peppers, and then the eggplant cubes, moving each browned batch into the onion pan as it finishes. Add more olive oil whenever the skillet needs it.
4. Stir the tomatoes and their juice into the oven-proof pan with the vegetables, then add the salt, black pepper, red pepper, thyme, rosemary and 1/4 cup of water. Bring everything to a boil.
5. Tuck the sausages into the vegetables. Move the pan to the oven and bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until the sausages are cooked through.