Baked Ratatouille with Jalapeno Havarti

I saw this recipe over at Skinnytaste and knew I wanted to make it vegan. It just sounded so good to me. If you want to make this in a real hurry just use a store bought marinara sauce. This made a delicious main dish that I served with a side salad. You could also prepare some pasta to serve it over or polenta.

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 3 ounces Daiya Jalapeno Havarti, shredded

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large non-stick skillet add olive oil and saute onions and garlic 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, thyme, basil, red and yellow bell peppers.

Stir well and saute another 5-8 minutes  on medium-low heat. 

On a large non-stick griddle, grill the eggplant, zucchini and squash 2-3 minutes per side until they begin to soften. (This pic doesn't show the squashes, I cooked each the same way.)

Add 1/2 of the sauce to a casserole dish.

Layer the eggplants and squashes.

Pour on the remainder of the sauce.

Cover the top with the grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!