Road Tested: Ratatouille With Italian Sausage

One of the greatest gifts Deb and I received this Christmas was the opportunity to prepare dishes for our family gathering in my parents full size kitchen! It was pure joy to work together without bumping into one another and have enough oven space to heat more than one recipe at a time.

But we still love cooking in our RV kitchen. It provides less space, but has improved our culinary skills through learning how to prepare great recipes using smaller appliances like an electric skillet or toaster oven. Here's another one of our favorite meals that fits well with an RV lifestyle.

Ratatouille With Italian Sausage

Ingredients:

• 1 small to medium eggplant, cubed
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 green and 1/2 red pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 12 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp. tarragon
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage links
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat oil in an electric skillet, then saute eggplant and zucchini over medium-high heat for approx. 5 minutes. Add onions, peppers and mushrooms to mix and cook until soft. Add garlic and briefly continue to saute mix until fragrant. Remove from skillet, saving drippings for cooking sausages.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Layer vegetable mix, tomatoes, parsley and seasonings in a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Stir gently to mix.
• Cover and bake for 35 minutes.
• While casserole is baking, saute sausages in reserved skillet drippings until browned. Drain on paper towels until cooled. Slice sausages into 1/2 inch thick pieces and return to skillet. Cook slices 2-3 minutes on each side.
• After vegetables have cooked for 35 minutes add sausages, pushing most down into mix, but saving some for the top. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.
• Garnish with additional parsley, if desired.

Note: Flavors improve if dish is made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before reheating.

Enjoy!

copyright 2009 Lane A Geyer