I love this stuff! Yet another stop at the local farm stand last weekend, this time culminating in my version of a ratatouille. This recipe can really be made with whatever vegetables you like, in any proportion you like, but here’s how I made it. I generally serve this as a side dish, but it’s great as an hors d’oeuvre or as a bruschetta topping for a quick healthy snack.

Italian Ratatouille

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small yellow squash
• 1 green or red bell pepper or 2 small sweet peppers
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup tomato sauce, or more if desired
• 2 tsp Italian herb mix, or about 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, and rosemary (as desired), or 1 tsp each if using fresh.
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Peel the eggplant and chop into cubes (about 1/2″). Quarter the zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise and chop into 1/4″ slices. Chop the pepper and onion into a medium dice. Finely chop the garlic or push through a garlic press.  Add all these ingredients to a large skillet with the butter and olive oil. Saute for a couple minutes.

Add the herbs, black pepper, and salt if desired. Saute for just another 2-3 minutes or so – I don’t like the vegetables to get too soft.

Add the tomato sauce slowly and see how the proportions look. I don’t like a lot of extra sauce in this dish, so I use just enough to coat everything. You could add a lot more if you wanted to, though. Let it simmer for a couple minutes and you’re good to go!