Excellent Ratatouille with Kale and Beans

I am not a fan of eggplant. However, we came across this recipe in the "delicious living" magazine and it looked harmless enough. Having to adjust the recipe only slightly, we tried it and WOW it is now one of our favorite dishes!

It is an excellent source of vitamins, fiber and protein. The nicest thing about it is you can play with the ingredients and it won't hurt the dish. I am listing the recipe as printed, but will make notes as to my changes.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish, fewer if using as a main dish.

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I use sweet white)
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I use any color)
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup chopped kale
1 15-oz can Great Northern Beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed.
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 cloves garlic, minced (I leave this out unless making a separate dish for Ric)
1 tsp. dried oregano (I use Basil)
1 tsp. dried thyme (don't use this at all)
1 tsp. dried marjoram (don't use this either)
2 Tbsp. olive oil (I use grapeseed oil)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (don't use this at all)
1 cup grated Asiago cheese (don't use this at all)

1. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant liberally with coarse salt; let drain in a colander for 1 hour.Rinse off excess salt and squeeze out water between layers of paper towels. (I have not ever done this step, takes way too much time!)
2. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 2 1/2 qt. casserole with olive oil (I use a 10x13 baking dish). Layer half of the first 4 ingredients in casserole. Cover with all the kale and beans, and cover with half the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half of the garlic and half of the dried herbs. Repeat layering process (leaving out kale and beans). Press down gently and drizzle with olive oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1-2 hours 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 or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Most of my changes to this recipe are noted above, however I have found that adding some of the herbs and oil at the half point helps to keep it together. Using chopped fresh rosemary, basil and sage and salt and white pepper adds lots of flavor. I have also used carrots in place of the eggplant and it tastes great!

This is definitely a recipe that can be adjusted for your tastes and preferences sooo

Experiment, but most of all, HAVE FUN!