Ratatouille with Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 3 tomatoes, cored and diced
• 1 (13.5 ounce) jar tomato and olive pasta sauce (such as Papayiannides Tomato & Olive & Ouzo Sauce)
• 2 Japanese eggplants, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; stir onion and bell peppers into garlic. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Remove lid; cook and stir until all liquid has evaporated and onion begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Stir tomatoes into onion mixture; cover and simmer until tomatoes release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir tomato sauce, eggplant, zucchini, chickpeas, parsley, basil, and thyme into tomato mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Cover pot with a lid; cook until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove lid and simmer ratatouille, uncovered, until thick, about 5 minutes; adjust salt and pepper to taste.