... Eggplant Ratatouille with Kale and Beans

One of the things I’m fond of trying, particularly now that I have someone to cook for, are new recipes. I’m an amateur at this sort of thing, so you never really know what’s going to happen. But it’s fun nonetheless.

Often I stumble upon keepers, although occasionally I make a real dud. I’ll try to avoid posting the duds here (unless they’re disastrous to epic proportions, then you might want to hear about them, yes?), but will post some of my faves … With pictures when you’re lucky, although if there's one thing I can tell you with certainty it's that point-and-shoot food photography is never as appetizing as the stuff you see in magazines.

So here’s the first one: Eggplant Ratatouille with Kale and Beans.

It’s one I made when I was on my short-lived vegetarian kick. But although I’m not going all-out veggie until the summer, I still love a good veggie-loaded dish.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure where this one came from to give proper credit. I tend to tear stuff out of magazines and this page doesn’t appear to have a folio, but by the look of things it’s from one of those natural-health magazines you see for free at the grocery store.

First, the recipe:

1 medium eggplant, sliced ¼-inch thick
Coarse kosher salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
2 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 15-ounch can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 cup grated Asiago cheese

1. Sprinkle both side of eggplant slices liberally with coarse salt. Place on a paper towel-covered plate and cover with another paper towel to squeeze water out. Let sit while chopping other vegetables, then rinse salt off.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 2½-quart casserole with cooking spray. Layer half of the eggplant, onions, peppers, and zucchini in casserole dish. Cover with all of the kale and beans, and spread with half of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half of the garlic and half of the dried herbs. Repeat layering process (omitting kale and bans). Press down gentle and drizzle with olive oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour or until vegetables are very tender.

3. Remove foil. Combine parsley and cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle over vegetables. Return to oven and cook for 5 minutes longer, until cheese is melted. Serve hot. Make 6¬–8 servings.

Extra cheese is a must. In addition to the grated Asiago mentioned in the recipe, I added a half-cup (plus—it’s always plus with cheese for me) of grated mozzarella on top. Delicious.

Next time I make this, I’ll definitely add another can of great Northern beans so it’s heartier. But overall, this dish gets two thumbs up from me. I can’t wait to see how flavorful it will be with fresh farmer’s market produce too!

Oh, and speaking of this dish, the leftovers are still in my fridge. I probably should take care of that, unless I want to write about trying the fine art of growing mold.

The problem with these recipes is the boy won’t touch them and I should’ve halved this one—it was way too much for me to eat before I got sick of it and moved on to new leftovers. I need to work on that. I hate being wasteful.