I'm not a fan of plastic for food storage. While there are times that it's unavoidable, my preference is for glass. So I save jars. Lots of them. They're great for dry goods, things like beans, grains, and spices. But they're also fabulous for efficient leftover storage. Take the picture above for example. It's ratatouille and polenta. After the meal rather than packaging up the leftovers into one container of ratatouille and one container of polenta I've assembled them into meals in the jar. Perfect for grab-and-go meals on the road or if I'm trying to save time and energy at home.
By assembling my leftovers into meal containers I avoid having to find a container for the ratatouille, find a container for the polenta, take them out when I want to serve them, put a container with less stuff back in the fridge (which takes up more space). Repeat with consecutive meals until there's just a smidge left in all the containers, the fridge is jam packed, there's no room, but there's not much food either. This is much more efficient and I love it.
The two jars in the picture demonstrate the different ways of filling your jar. It's important to remember that you want to use wide mouth openings, otherwise it's more difficult to get stuff out. Putting your base (in this case the polenta) on the bottom and your saucy stuff (the ratatouille) on top makes a perfect on the go meal. I can heat and eat straight from the container. Yes, I'm talking reheating in the microwave oven. Not my preferred method of heating but when I'm out and about I don't usually have the option of reheating on a stove top.
The other method, with the sauce on the bottom and the base on top is fabulous when you can dump everything out onto a plate. When you turn it over the base is on the bottom and the sauce is on top.
This meal was so delicious I know I'm going to be making it again soon in the near future. And because I know you want to make it too, here's the recipes.
Ratatouille
1 large eggplant
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
2 sweet bell peppers
5 medium to large tomatoes, cored and diced
1/4 cup olive oil plus more if needed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
2 teaspoons fresh basil, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste
Cut the eggplant into 1″ cubes
Sprinkle with salt and let sit 1 hour
Rinse and drain eggplant
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan
Add diced onion and saute until starting to soften
Add another 2 tablespoons olive oil and the eggplant
Stir to fully coat eggplant
Turn heat down to medium and add remaining ingredients
Stir frequently for another 10 minutes
Turn heat down to low and simmer 15-20 minutes
I love this ratatouille over polenta, but it's also great on a baked potato or just by itself.
This polenta recipe is the one from The Pantry Principle, if you'd like you can put fresh mozzarella on top of the polenta after it's been cooked and then put the hot ratatouille on top. This will cause the mozzarella to melt into ooey deliciousness and makes the whole meal delightful.
Polenta
So easy to make at home that you'll wonder why you ever bought it. The homemade version is much more versatile and, by choosing organic cornmeal, can be GMO free polenta.
1 C. cornmeal
1 t. sea salt
3 C. water
Bring water and salt to a boil
Reduce water to a simmer
Very slowly add cornmeal (this is important to avoid lumps)
Cook approximately 20 minutes until mixture thickens
Remove from heat and pour into a pie plate (for triangles) or a cake pan (for squares)
Let polenta set for 10-15 minutes
Cut and serve
Enjoy!