This dish is super easy. My sister in law Sarah recently gave me a jar of her own Ratatouille, from vegetables from her and her husband’s garden. Sarah is such a fabulous cook and has always inspired me to entertain and try new things in the kitchen.

After tasting her Ratatouille I decided to give it a go myself. I didn’t ask for a recipe. I know enough about cooking by now that I can create my own. The results were not bad at all.

Ratatouille

1/4 to 1/2 C. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg. yellow onions, chopped
2 medium eggplant
1-2 red bell pepper
small can chopped tomatoes, with juice
2 small zucchini
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 small straight neck yellow squash
2 fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks with juice and seeds
2 bay leaves

In a heavy iron skillet saute onions and garlic in olive oil till onions are soft. Add mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, yellow squash, and eggplant and saute adding more oil as needed to keep vegetables from sticking.

Add bay leaf and simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring frequently to keep from sticking. If Ratatouille gets watery you can remove the lid.

Add tomatoes and simmer another 20 minutes. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Let cool for twenty minutes for serving.  Ratatouille tastes even better the next day.

Keeps up to two weeks in the refrigerator. This recipe made two big canning jars full of Ratatouille. It’s quite delicious.