Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Baked Ratatouille



Ever since watching Ratatouille with the kiddos, I've wanted to know how to make Ratatouille! I was making out my menus for this week and just happened across it in one of my new cookbooks! I wasn't even looking for it! YAH!!!!

The kids LOVED this! They kept asking if the mouse made it for me, if the cook made it, or if the guy told me how to make it. I said no, I read the recipe from the cookbook! I said it looks a little different than what the mouse made, but it's still the same thing! It looked like when the food critique came in and was day dreaming of when he was a kid and his mom made it for him... But anyways...

This is really good and want to make it again!!! The kids really liked it as well! After we got them showers that nite, we watched Ratatouille! :)


Fry up some bacon and onion in the same pan. You can use a larger pan, but I just used my small one! :)


Take a can of diced tomatoes and tomato paste, stir it together.


Add salt and minced garlic. The recipe calls for 1 clove, but I used 3! :)


Then add the Italian seasonings


Then add the olive oil and mix it all together


Add the cooked and crumbled bacon and onion slices and mix


The tomato mixture all mixed up


Place half of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan


Cut up an eggplant into cubes


Cut a green pepper into slices


Cut up 4-5 zucchini into slices


Place half of the cut up cubed eggplant in the pan


Then add half of the sliced zucchini


Then add the all the green pepper slices


Then half of the cheese slices (next time I make it, I will make sure that the cheese COMPLETELY covers it all!)


Add the rest of the tomato mixture


Add the rest of the eggplant


Then add the rest of the zucchini


Then the rest of the cheese slices (remember, make sure the cheese completely covers it all, I didn't and wish I did!)



Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes and VIOLA!!! ENJOY!!!! :)




Baked Ratatouille

4 bacon strips, cut in half
1 cup sliced onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, untrained
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large eggplant, cubed
4-5 medium zucchini, sliced
1 large green pepper, sliced
8-12 oz sliced Monterey Jack cheese

In large skillet brown the bacon and onion until bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels. Place diced tomato's, tomato paste, oil, minced garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and bacon and onion in a bowl and mix together.
Spread half of the tomato mixture into a 9x13 pan, then layer half of the eggplant, half the zucchini, all the green pepper, and half of the cheese. Then add the rest of the tomato mixture, eggplant, zucchini, and cheese on top. Bake for 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes until it's hot and bubbly.

*Next time I will do the layers like this, tomato mixture, eggplant, zucchini, all the green pepper, cheese, eggplant, zucchini, the rest of the tomato mixture, then the rest of the cheese.
Also, make sure you place the cheese slices side by side.
I used about 6 pieces of bacon and then crumbled them after they were drained.
Enjoy!