Ratatouille

A Sprouts market recently opened nearby and I am loving their lower produce prices. I get their advert in the mail each Tuesday, which gives me plenty of time to incorporate some of their cheaper produce in my menu for the next week. Recently they had eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell peppers on sale. Hot diggity! I knew just what I wanted to make with that veggie combo-- ratatouille. It'd been years since I made ratatouille, usually because one or another ingredient always seems too pricey to me. (I'm cheap, if you haven't gotten that from this post yet, ha.) I boiled up a little leftover penne I had in the pantry, just enough for one plate for Josh, and topped it with the vegetable stew. I ate mine plain, and we both had some toasted bread and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan on top. Such a tasty way to get some summer vegetables in your diet.

Ratatouille
Recipe from Martha Stewart; Serves 8

1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggplants (2 pounds), peeled in strips and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 to 5 medium zucchini (2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 yellow or red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

• In a Dutch oven (or other heavy 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in eggplant and zucchini; season generously with salt and pepper.
• Add 3/4 cup water; cover, and simmer until vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring once, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell peppers; simmer, covered, until softened, 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover; simmer, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. If serving immediately, stir in basil. (If freezing, leave out basil.)

My notes: I halved this recipe since it was just the two of us, and that gave us each a dinner and lunch of leftovers. I used yellow squash for half the zucchini too.