Grilled Ratatouille

Casual Cooking is my favorite Pampered Chef Cookbook. It has been discontinued for some crazy reason, but you can buy it at the online outlet for $6 HERE. 

Dressing
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Vegetables and Pasta
5 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium eggplant (1 1/2 lbs), cur into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 pound uncooked penne or rigatoni pasta
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

1.  For dressing, whisk vinegar, pressed garlic, oregano and salt in small bowl and set aside

2.  Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium coals, prepare vegetables and brush with oil.  Snip parsley and set aside.

3.  Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.

4.  Place vegetables on grid of grill.  Grill onion 10-12 minutes and tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and pepper for 6-8 minutes.  Turn once.

5.  Remove vegetables from grill and cut into bit size pieces.  Place vegetables in large colander bowl and drizzle with dressing mixing with scraper.

6.  Place pasta in large shallow bowl or platter.  Spoon vegetable mixture over warm pasta.  Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Substitutions:
-Could use rice instead of pasta
-Veggie mixture could be served as a side or as an appetizer on canape bread or crackers
-Leftovers could be used in pasta sauce, on top of pizza or in soups and chili.

My Way:
-I cut my veggies into bite size pieces initially and cooked in the grill basket.
-I added mushrooms since we are a mushroom loving family.
-I only used a small pepper since we don’t really like green peppers.
-I added an extra clove of garlic to the dressing.
-I used a mixture of garden tomatoes
-I used dried parsley
-I used Mozzarella cheese (was out of parm)
-I froze the remaining 1/2 of the vegetable mixture to use later.

Hubby insists that the dish would be better with shrimp or sausage. I discovered that I don’t like eggplant, so that will be omitted the next time I make this.

If you have access to a garden or cheap veggies this could be a very inexpensive dish; especially since you’re probably like me and get the pasta for free or a few cents.