Ratatouille

After seeing the movie we decided to try to make our own Ratatouille. The word ratatouille comes from Occitan "ratatolha". It is also used in French ("touiller," also means to toss food). Today's recipes normally contain eggplant but I'm just not a fan of eggplant so it's not in ours. This is such a simple, delicious meal to prepare and we cook it the day before so the flavors can merry a little. Then we just cut it like lasagna and zap it in the microwave! It's a great way to use up surplus veggies in the garden and it's very forgiving so add whatever you have on hand. It's super tasty, quick, and very low fat/cals. It's also a vegetarian meal and a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies. The basic idea is to slice the veggies thin, we use a mandolin for this, and layer them like a lasagna. Would be great as a snack, side dish, or lunch also.

2-3 med/large Yellow Squash, sliced thin
2-3 med/large Zucchini Squash, sliced thin
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1 tomato, sliced thin
2-3 cups of mushrooms, sliced (we used shatake and cremini mushrooms but white buttons would also work)
1 cup grated good parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Spray nonstick spray into a 9x9 baking dish, or any baking dish you have would work. If you use a bigger dish remember to double or triple the ingredients.

Start with the yellow squash and create a layer. Next layer the zucchini and the rest of the ingredients stopping to add cheese, salt, and pepper here and there. Repeat layers as many times as needed. Italian seasoning or other spices are nice to add in for extra flavor but it's not needed. Be sure to leave some cheese for the top.

Preheat oven to 350

Top the dish with cheese and place into the oven for 60 minutes or until veggie are tender. You can serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!