Eggplant Squash Bake

Last week we received ingredients that were for ratatouille.  However, I had made ratatouille just the week before, so I looked for another recipe using mainly the same ingredients.  I stumbled across a recipe that also contained ricotta cheese and two other cheeses.  This was a great discovery for me because it is helpful to find recipes with protein.  While I had used my only white sweet onion yesterday in the fried cabbage, I did have a few small shallots, so I substituted them for the onion.  And now that I have tried the finished casserole, I may have to buy shallots more often.  They are a bit more work because they are best minced, but well worth it!

Eggplant Squash Bake
Adapted from: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/eggplant-squash-bake-a-recipe.htm

• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 16 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
• 2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh-ground pepper
• 1 medium eggplant*, thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini*, thinly sliced
• 2 medium crookneck squash*, thinly sliced
• 4 cups Slow-roasted heirloom tomato sauce*
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella, finely shredded

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare large baking pan with cooking spray.  Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Cook shallots and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in ricotta cheese, romano cheese, marjoram, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

In prepared pan, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on bottom.  Layer 1/2 of eggplant, zucchini and squash.  Spread cheese mixture over vegetables; repeat eggplant and squash layers.  Spread remaining tomato sauce on top.  Cover and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Cook an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients