Step 1

Peel and chop onion and garlic.

Step 2

Wash and chop zucchini/yellow squash and eggplants. Cut them into 1-inch (1-1,5 cm) thick slices and then cut the "discs" into quarters. No need to peel them.

Step 3

Wash and cut tomatoes first into wedges, then cut them in half or in third. You need to end up with pieces in the size of an inch (1-1,5 cm) cubes.

Step 4

Wash and slice bell peppers. First cut them in half, and remove the seeds and the stem. Lay it on the cutting board and slice vertical stripes. Now, cut the stripes in half horizontally so you have 2-3 inch long (3-4 cm) stripes.

Step 5

Heat your stockpot or a Dutch oven to medium heat and add olive oil.

Step 6

Cook the chopped onion, stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 7

Add chopped garlic, stir and cook for a minute.

Step 8

Add chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, salt, and pepper. Start with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and adjust at the end. Cover it with a lid and cook it on medium heat until it is boiling. Remove lid, stir and cook for 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy and there are juices.

Step 9

Finally, add the chopped zucchini and eggplant. Stir and cook until they are tender, not mushy. The zucchini should be a bit crunchy to bite on. The eggplant should be soft and not crunchy at all. The juices should be evaporated mostly and it should get a stew-like consistency. It takes us about 10 minutes to get this texture in our Dutch oven.

Step 10

Stir in some freshly chopped basil or thyme and you are ready to serve. Enjoy!