Ratatouille! Ingredients● 1 can tomato sauce, or whatever canned tomato you have

in the cupboard● 1/4 cup minced garlic● 1 tablespoon olive oil● salt and ground black pepper to taste● 1 eggplant, trimmed and very thinly sliced ● 2 zucchini, trimmed and very thinly sliced● 2 yellow squash, trimmed and very thinly sliced● 1 red bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced● 1 yellow or green bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced● 2 - 3 roma tomatoes● 1 fat yellow onion, thinly sliced (think onions you put on a

sandwich)● Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth● Olive oil● 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or whatever your favorite

Italian Herb is● Mascarpone or Ricotta cheeseDirections1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).2. Get yourself a mandolin! It makes each vegetable the exact same

thickness..or...thinness rather. Otherwise you have to hand slice all of these vegetables and it takes forever. The sharper the knife the better. I prep everything at once and make an assembly line on my cutting board.

3. CUT THE EGGPLANT FIRST. And then salt on both sides and rub the salt into the eggplant and leave it while you do the other vegetables. Eggplant is weird, and kind of tough. You have to “tenderize” it first.

4. Get one of those long lasagna casserole dishes. Arrange alternating slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper, tomato, onion, start over. Starting at the outer edge of the dish and working concentrically towards the center. Overlap the slices a little to display the colors. You’re going to have random pieces and scraps of certain vegetables left over. Save those.

5. Once you have this organized and you’re out of room in your casserole dish, grab that can of tomatoes, I use the cubed chicken bouillion and put it in a coffee cup with hot water until the cube dissolves. Use a can of chicken broth or whatever you’re into. Anyway...in a sauce pan pour the can of tomatoes, whatever broth you’re using (1 - 2 cups), those leftover vegetable scraps, all that minced garlic, olive oil, and whatever italian herb you want. When the sauce is mixed together pretty well, you’re going to pour it over the arranged vegetables in the casserole dish. It does NOT need to be bubbling or scalding hot, you’re going to put it in the oven. Just needs to be completely mixed together.

6. In the casserole dish THIS IS IMPORTANT the sauce only needs to come up about half-way to the top of the vegetables or the top of the casserole dish. If you have so much sauce that they are all DROWNING in it, your vegetables will come out like mush and it’s not good. If you only put enough to barely cover the bottom of the casserole dish, then all of your vegetables will be too firm and too chewy and it sucks.

7. Bake about 45 minutes or until the vegetables start to look roasted and the sauce is bubbling.

8. Scoop out with either a spatula or a big serving spoon. You want to get some of that sauce with the vegetables. Top with Moscarpone Cheese, Ricotta, or Mozz.