Surprised by Ratatouille

Here is a Ratatouille recipe I found on Allrecipes.com and cooked tonight. After I had assembled it I realized I was a fool for making it for my family - Daddy doesn't like eggplant, mushrooms or tomatoes, and Big Bro & Little Bro don't like over half the ingredients... I prepared quesadillas and set them aside for when my boys balked at my original plan, but...

SURPRISE! We all cleaned our plates! (We ate the quesadillas too.) The veggies took a while to chop, and I didn't have the use of my kitchen sink (long story), but otherwise it was very simple.


Yield 4 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

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.
Per Serving Calories: 273 | Total Fat: 14.9g | Cholesterol: 22mg

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