Le Ratatouille Parfait

This recipe is also one of my favorite recipes of all time, and is a great vegetarian dish to serve in the summer.  Ratatouille is a mixture of vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms served with a mixture of spices.  Everything about it is delicious, from the sauce light sauce it is prepared in to each individual vegetable in it.  However, if you are not a fan of mushrooms like myself, they can be easily substituted for something else.  I always put yellow summer squash in when available instead of them.  I also find that this recipe is best prepared with the freshest vegetables available, and farmers markets or side of the road farm stands usually have all the ingredients necessary.  It's a great way to ensure that you're eating fresh vegetables.

Ratatouille is also a very healthy dish to serve.  Each serving only has on average about two-hundred and seventy calories, so it's a great, filling thing to eat if on a diet or just wishing to cut back a little bit.  To make this recipe, you will need:

- Two Tablespoons Olive Oil

- Three Minced Garlic Cloves

-Two teaspoons dried parsley

- One eggplant cut into cubes, then lightly salted

- One cup grated Parmesan Cheese

- Two Zucchini, sliced

- One large Onion, sliced into rings

- Two cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

- One Green Bell Pepper, sliced

- Two Large Tomatoes, chopped

- Fresh Basil

To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat the bottom and sides of a one-and-a-half quart casserole dish with One Tablespoon of Olive Oil.  Heat the remaining Olive Oil in a skillet over the stove on medium heat.  Sauté the garlic in there until lightly browned.  Next, mix in the parsley and eggplant and cook it until it is soft.  Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste now, if you'd like.  Spread the eggplant mixture across the bottom of the casserole dish, and then sprinkle with a few Tablespoons of the Parmesan Cheese.  Spread the zucchini evenly over the top, and then add a little more cheese.  Continue to add the Onion, mushrooms, Pepper, and lastly, the Tomatoes, in this way, all while adding more cheese.  Salt this to taste.  Bake in the oven for forty-five minutes, and serve with a little bit of fresh basil on top.  Bon Apetit!