Ratatouille Pasta Sauce

This is a wonderful way to use fresh summer vegetables!  I really never had ratatouille until my friend introduced it to me a few  years ago.  I was immediately smitten.  You probably know of Ratatouille from the Disney movie.  Ratatouille is a French dish from the Provence region.  Served over pasta, this has become one of my favorite dishes to make... and to eat!  You can make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage.

  Bon Appetit!

Ratatouille Recipe by Félice

 (but adapted for the slow cooker by Bubbles)

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

·         1 good sized eggplant (or two small ones). peeled and into small chunks

·         3 yellow squash – washed and cut into chunks

·         3 zucchini squash – washed, peeled and cut into chunks

·         1 large green pepper, diced

·         1 medium sweet onion, diced

·         1 lb. mild Italian sausage (not in casings)

·         3 -4 garlic cloves,  minced

·         3 (15-oz) cans of Italian stewed tomatoes, cut into large chunks

·         1 small can tomato paste (use as much as needed for consistency; I used about ¾ of the can)

·         Salt and pepper to taste (I used about ½ teaspoon of each)

·         Linguini, rice or any pasta

Directions:

·         Sauté sausage and onion in a large skillet until sausage is crumbled and browned.  

·         Add this to your slow cooker.

·         Then add the diced eggplant, squash, zucchini, bell pepper and garlic.

·         Combine well and add stewed tomatoes; mix well.

·         Cook on high for about 5 hours or on low for 8 hours.

·         Serve over pasta (or rice) of your choice and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Tips:  You can cook this in a Dutch oven on the stove top, covered, for 30-45 minutes.

I chopped the vegetables into about a ½-inch dice.

If you prefer,  you can make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage.