. . . ratatouille casserole

Now that we're deep into the month of May our thoughts are on the garden. . .

. . . on all of the beautiful veggies that will come from it. ..

. . .and all of the wonderful things. . .

. . . we can do with them. . .

. . . like this one dish casserole version. . .

. . . of delicious ratatouille.

Ratatouille Casserole

For Polenta:

• 1 Cup dry corn grits/polenta meal
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup Parmesan (can add more to taste)
• 1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese 
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

For Tomato Sauce:

• One 28 oz can whole tomatoes, pureed 
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh chopped thyme 
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

For Vegetables: All vegetables sliced to 1/16 inch thickness 

• 1 Zucchini 
• 1 Eggplant
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 Yellow bell pepper 
• 1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan (for top)
• 1/4  cup chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme 
• Olive oil for drizzling 
• Juice of 1/2 a medium lemon 

Preheat oven to 375.

Begin making the sauce by sauteing the onion until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until it becomes fragrant. Add the tomato puree, basil, and thyme and simmer until reduced by one third.

While the sauce is reducing, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Next up add the polenta meal slowly while stirring with a whisk. Continue to stir on low heat for 5 minutes. Next, add in the butter, Parmesan and Mascarpone cheese. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. More Parmesan can be added if desired.

Transfer the polenta to a casserole dish and smooth into a 1" layer. Layer half of the reduced sauce on top of the polenta. Arrange the vegetables on top of the sauce. Drizzle olive oil and lemon on the vegetables and sprinkle with the herbs over that. Finish with the Parmesan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Serve on a bed of tomato sauce with more basil and shredded cheese if desired.

 

With the Kids: Ask the kids to talk about their favorite vegetables and learn more about how to plant them and how long they take to grow. Invite them to help you stir the polenta and arrange the veggies on the casserole. While you're waiting for it to cook, make some garden markers for your garden or play a game of garden chess! Encourage your kiddos to invite a few friends over to share your Ratatouille Casserole and spend some time out in the garden!

 

Happy Cooking!

xox

~i.c.