"It sounds like Rat patootie"...

I love the movie Ratatouille. If you've never sat down and watched it, you should. Kids or not, it's a cute animated movie. So from the Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole cookbook, that my friend Amy let me borrow. We delved into Ratatouille... and it's good. Better than I thought it would be, to be honest. So this one will be added permanently to our rotating menu. We had it with 1/2 a serving of whole wheat pasta. It tasted like a chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce, with a little kick of hot sauce. I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch!!

Cajun Ratatouille

1 Cup Eggplant, diced

1 Cup Zucchini, diced

1 Cup Yellow Squash, diced

1 Cup Diced tomatoes (I used 1-15 oz. can)

1/2 cup black olives (left out for Michael)

1 8-10 inch link smoked sausage (package usually comes with 2)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Cup diced onions

1 Cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced red and yellow bell peppers

1/4 cup minced garlic

2 cups tomato sauce (I used 1-15 oz can, and 1-8 oz can)

1/2 cup chopped thyme

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 14 inch skillet (I used a deeper skillet), heat oil over medium high heat. Saute Smoked Sausage until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Saute Onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend in Eggplant, zucchini squash, tomatoes, olives and sausage. Saute 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Once eggplant mixture is wilted, stir in tomato sauce, thyme, basil and oregano. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Continue to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon into an ovenproof dish. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes. Serve as a vegetable casserole or as a stuffing for chicken, or with pasta.

Makes: 6-8 servings.

WW pt value of 3 pts for the Ratatouille, and then if you decide to have pasta, or something else with it...