Dear Sally, I’m in 2nd grade and I LOVE to cook. But the food that my mom and I dislike is eggplant. The look of it, the texture — all yuck. We hope that you can make a recipe that gets us to like it, especially because we like to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. Thanks! Cate, age 8.
kitchen gear
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Cutting board
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Sharp knife (adult needed)
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Measuring spoons
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Large mixing bowls
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Measuring cup
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Large mixing bowl
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Measuring cup
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Large mixing spoon
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Large baking sheet with sides
Ingredients
- 1 yellow or red onion, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- 1 small or ½ large eggplant, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 cups canned or fresh tomatoes, diced
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon, cut in four quarters
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
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Turn the oven on and set the heat to 450 degrees.
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Put the onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and tomatoes in the large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the thyme, oil, and salt, and mix again.
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Tip the bowl onto the baking sheet and let everything slide onto the baking sheet. Spread the vegetables into a single layer.
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Once the oven temperature has reached 450 degrees, put the baking sheet in the oven and bake until everything is softened (especially the eggplant — poke it with a fork to check) about 45 minutes.
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Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
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Serve hot or let cool, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon over it, and add the Parmesan cheese and basil.
Notes
The ratatouille was a hit! We served it on top of pasta, topped with torn basil leaves from our plant and lots of shredded Parmesan cheese. YUM. It smelled like lasagna while it was cooking (a good thing) and tasted great. We want to keep the recipe in rotation. Victory! Cate.
DID YOU KNOW?
Vegetables have families too! Eggplant belongs to the nightshade family — which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers, and potatoes. Search the supermarket for all different colors: light purple eggplants, bright green bell peppers, and orange tomatoes!
Minced means finely chopped Diced means cut up in squares about the size of dice.
