Ratatouille

I've been wanting to try this dish ever since we got eggplant last fall. Unfortunately, last fall we JUST had the eggplant and nothing else. But today my kitchen was full of all the right vegetables and so I gave it a try. Wow, this was a delicious and flavorful blend of vegetables and was pretty quick to make! I ate WAY too much!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Ready In: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley (I used a few bunches of fresh parsley and fresh oregano)
  
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used mozzarella instead, since that is what I had on hand)
  
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 squash, sliced
  
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (I think if I had sliced them, it would have been "prettier" - I'll probably try that next time)
• 1 cup rice
  

Directions:

1. 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.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add zucchini and squash. Saute for approximately 5 minutes more, or until eggplant is soft. Season with salt to taste.
3. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of cheese. Spread zucchini/squash in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 - 60 minutes.
5. Prepare rice according to package instructions. Serve with rice.

Serves: 4