1 tablespoon vegetable juice
2 small Japanese eggplants — cut crosswise into 1
1 large red bell pepper — cut into 4 or 5 larg
1 large green bell pepper — diced
2 medium zucchini — cut into 1/2-inch ch
1 small sweet potato — peeled and diced
1 large onion — coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves — minced
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves — chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves — chopped
28 ounces canned tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces ziti — or other tube-shaped
1. In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, sweet potato, onion and garlic. Stir-fry until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons each of the basil and mint. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. 2. Remove the large pieces of red bell pepper from the skillet and place
them in a food processor. Add the 3/4 cup tomato juice and 3 of the canned tomatoes to the processor and process to pur 3. Return the pur
tomatoes, the vinegar, black pepper, sugar, and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you cook the pasta. 4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook until al
dente, 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions. 5. Drain the pasta in a colander and transfer to individual dinner
plates. Spoon the ratatouille sauce over the ziti. Sprinkle the remaining basil and mint on top and serve.