Ratatouille

I adore ratatouille. It’s fairly easy to make, it’s healthy, it makes the house smell ahhh-mazing, and I don’t know about you, but I feel super domesticated when I make this. Kenneth, however, hates ratatouille – I think it’s mostly the fact that he dislikes tomato sauce? He’s not usually vocal about how much he “hates” something, but he’s made it quite clear that he really dislikes this. So I make this when he’s out of town, this last week he left to visit his family while they were on spring break (I have finals next week, so I got to stay home, go to class, and study…yay me).

Another reason I really like this recipe is that my brother was vegan for several years, while there are some vegan dishes that I don’t mind, it can be difficult to find a recipe that satisfies my family. When I made this for my family I didn’t put cheese on a portion of the casserole. It was perfect! Everyone enjoyed it and we didn’t have to make two separate meals.

There are a couple different ways you can make this – some recipes will have you slice the eggplant, but I’ve had issues while serving, so I started peeling and cubing my eggplant so I can completely cover the baking dish.

Other recipes will ask that you alternate the veggies (see above), while this makes for a lovely presentation, I can’t seem to manage to layer everything correctly and windup with certain places being heavy with a particular veggie. That being said, I highly suggest experimenting and finding a technique that works best for you!

Ingredients

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 eggplant (skinned and cubed)
• 1 zucchini (sliced)
• 1 yellow squash (sliced)
• 2 red tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• 4 large mushrooms
• ½ onion (diced)
• 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (to drizzle)
• Italian seasonings (to taste)
• Crushed red peppers (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 cups rice (cooked)

Optional: ¼ cup wine (to taste)

Directions

• preheat oven to 350
• After prepping the vegetables, pour 1 cup tomato sauce (and wine if you choose) onto the bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish
• Layer in vegetables – I usually begin with the “denser” veggies and work my way up to the ones that will cook faster

• On top add crushed garlic, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper, and crushed red chili peppers, and drizzle olive oil
• Cover with tin foil and set timer for 45 minutes (check it at the 30 minute mark)
• During the last 10 minutes of cooking remove tin foil and add shredded mozzarella, bake until melted and the edges are beginning to turn brown
• Serve ratatouille over the rice with fresh grated parmesan

Bon appétit!