Ratatouille

Since summer is in full swing, I thought I would share one of my favorite summertime recipes: ratatouille! Don't be fooled by the fancy French name. It is actually a relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive dish to make. Furthermore, it's a perfect summer dish as all the ingredients are in season and many of them can be harvested from your own garden.

If you are a food hobbyist or enjoy food photography, the original recipe can be found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/ but if you prefer the faster, simpler version I've included it below.

Simple Ratatouille

- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1 tsp. minced garlic--it comes in a jar at the store)
- 1 cup spaghetti sauce
- 1 eggplant
- 2 zucchini
- 2 squash
- 2 bell peppers (yellow, orange, or red)
- olive oil
- parsley flakes
- *you can add salt and pepper if desired, but I've found the spaghetti sauce adds plenty of flavor.

- Pour spaghetti sauce into a large casserole dish, spread evenly, and top with onion and garlic.
- Slice eggplant, zucchinis, squash, and peppers. (I usually quarter the eggplant first if it is large.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Arrange eggplant, zucchinis, peppers and squash in neat circles around the edge of the dish, working your way in.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over top and sprinkle with parsley.
- Place casserole dish atop a sheet of parchment paper and use scissors to cut around the bottom. The paper should be the approximate shape of the casserole dish.
- Cover with parchment paper and bake 45-50 minutes.
- Serve hot over rice. Bon appetit!