Summer Bounty Ratatoullie

Preheat Oven to 375.

Veggies Needed:

2 Green Zucchini

2 Yellow Zucchini

1 Large Aubergine Eggplant /or 2 Long Millionare Eggplant

3-4 Tomatoes (Roma)

For Base Sauce:

1 Yellow Onion

1 Red Bell Pepper

3 Cloves Garlic

& Veggie Scraps left over from slicing

Other:

Butter / Can sub Earth Balance

Salt & Pepper

Panko Breadcrumbs

Parmesan

Parsley

To make Sauce:

In Large Sauce pan dice up onion and bell pepper. The smaller the pieces the quicker they cook. On Medium heat add oil in pan, once oil is hot add in peppers, onions and whole garlic cloves. Season with Salt and pepper. Slice the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes nice and thin. (A mandolin makes quick work of this.) Any poorly cut pieces or ends of the vegetables can be tossed in the pan with the peppers. I like to make sure there are a few good chunks of both zucchini and eggplant, it adds great flavor to the sauce. (Don’t toss in the hard vine tops of the zucchini or the leafy greens from the tomatoes or eggplant.) Let this pan cook down until the veggies look glossy and ‘gummy’. Add the pan of cooked veggies to the blender, season with salt and pepper, and add 4 tbsp. of butter. (To make vegan sub Earth Balance Vegan Butter.) Blend until you have a smooth sauce.

The Ratatouille:

In the bottom of a baking pan. Circle/Rectangle, either is acceptable, spread a thin layer of sauce. Now take your thinly sliced veggies and start arranging them in the pan standing them up vertically. Once you’ve filled the whole pan, top with panko bread crumbs, more salt and pepper, & parmesan cheese (Exclude for vegan recipe.) Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for 15 more minutes until cheese and crumbs look crispy. Serve with extra sauce on the side and chopped parsley sprinkled on top.