Dinner Tonight: Ratatouille

I decided I would make one last trip to the Green Market before the school year starts. It was a beautiful day and the market wasn't very crowded so, I could do a bit of shopping. Of course, I got another large bag of apples (can't resist a good deal). I also got an eggplant, a pepper, an onion, an a demi baguette.

All of the things you need for Ratatouille! (Except a little animated rat to help me cook it.)

I've been wanting to take a stab at this recipe since I saw eggplant on sale last Fall. (Unfortunately, I stabbed my finger while chopping the eggplant.) While I love eggplant parmesan and eggplant rollatini, I needed something a little more healthy. Finally, I happen to have all of the ingredients for a less than traditional ratatouille!

The Cooked Eggplant

Layering the veggies

The uncooked Ratatouille

I went through several different recipe options. I know that this is not your typical recipe but, I LOVE cheese! So, it was appealing to me. I can't wait for the hubby to get home to enjoy our yummy dinner.

Ratatouille (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

The original recipe calls for three cloves of garlic. I didn't have fresh garlic so I used three tablespoons of chopped garlic. I love the flavor, so extra garlic never hurts! (Since the hubby and I are both eating it, I guess it doesn't really matter.)

Also, I omitted the mushrooms and fresh tomatoes. I used the diced tomatoes that we had in the pantry and reserved the liquid. No substitute for the mushrooms. Maybe next time!

There was so much food that it didn't fit into the prescribed casserole dish. So, I made another dish that I can freeze. We will be able to have it in the winter, when I'm too tired to cook!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 zucchini, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.