Baked Ratatouille

1/2 red onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig of each: fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage
1 lb ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 can low-sodium tomato sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
1 smallish eggplant
1 medium sized, or 2 small, summer squash
1 medium sized, or 2 small, zucchini
2 smallish, or 1 large, yellow, orange or red bell peppers (not green)
Salt and pepper to taste

*Note: you'll probably have some veggies leftover.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

For the tomato sauce:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan and put the fresh herb sprigs in (the whole enchilada). Sautee until fragrant and then add the onion and continue sauteeing until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sautee for 30 seconds, until the garlic is golden and fragrant, then add the fresh tomatoes. When the tomatoes become soft and start to fall apart add the tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes* (see note), garlic salt and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer, covered, for about 25ish minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce, thicken to a more paste-like consistency and will darken a little in color. Fish out the sprigs of the rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage and discard (they will probably be just bare sticks).

Separate 1/3 C of the tomato sauce you just made and put into a mixing bowl. Whisk in an extra 3 tbsp of olive oil and another 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to create a vinaigrette.

*Note: I use about 1 tsp of red pepper flakes to give it a mellow kick, you can use more or less (or none!) as suits your taste.

For the rest:

Cut the ends off the remaining vegetables. Get out a mandolin (or a very sharp knife) and slice the vegetables very thin. Spread a generous layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 oven-safe pan and arrange the vegetables on top of the sauce with just a little of each veggie showing (kind of like an accordion- if you have seen the movie Ratatouille, it should be done like that). When you are done, spread the vinaigrette (from the tomato sauce) on top of the veggies. Top with some salt and pepper to taste Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the veggies are visibly soft (but not brown) and the tomato sauce is bubbling around the veggies. Let cool for about 20 minutes before handling and enjoy!

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user AMBRAKELLY.