Hearty Ratatouille

  

This casserole is full of the goodness of summer and is substantial enough to be a meal all on its own. It is very much a heartier ratatouille and one that tastes even better the day after you bake it, making it great for days when you don’t feel like heating up the kitchen. The added layer of croutons not only adds flavor and substance, they soak up the juices of the roasted vegetables so you get even more of their flavor. You will probably have left over garlic oil, herb/salt blend, and sliced veggies that you can use for other dishes.  

Ingredients:

Garlic oil:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed

Herb and salt blend:

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Tomato sauce:

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup diced white onion

1 teaspoon herb and salt blend

1 teaspoon garlic oil

1 cup herb seasoned croutons

1 eggplant, thinly sliced

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

6 slices or balls of fresh mozzarella

Cooking spray

Directions:

Make garlic oil by stirring the smashed garlic clove in the olive oil. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Discard the garlic clove (or mash it and leave it in—I’m not that brave).

Make herb and salt blend by combining the ingredients in a small dish. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray (mine is 11x9 inches).

Make the tomato sauce by mixing the tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion, 1 teaspoon of herb and salt blend and 1 teaspoon of garlic oil. Spread in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.

Top the tomato sauce with the herb croutons.

Layer the vegetables in the casserole in any way you want-I start out in my hand with a slice of eggplant, then zucchini, yellow squash and slices of bell peppers and then sliding them into the dish from my hand. Repeat, making rows of vegetables, until the casserole is full.

Sprinkle more of the herb and salt blend over the top of the veggies, poking some down in between slices.

Place bits of fresh mozzarella between slices.

Drizzle a little of the garlic oil over the top of the casserole and spray lightly with cooking spray just to make sure the veggies don’t dry out. Place a sheet of parchment over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and bake for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.

Let cool for 15 minutes at room temperature and serve.