Ratatouille Meat Loaf Casserole with Cheese Topping

Ratatouille

Preheat oven to 350˚ F

12oz                Lean Ground Beef

¼ cup              Gluten Free bread crumbs

3tbsp               Bottled barbecue sauce (GF)

1 ½ tsp            Minced Garlic

1                      Egg (optional)

Vegetable Mixture

2tsp                 Vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp             Minced garlic

1 ½ cups          Chopped unpeeled eggplant

1 cup               Chopped Zucchini

½ cup              Chopped Onions

1 cup               Sliced Mushrooms

1 ½ cup           Tomato pasta sauce

¼ cup              Sliced black olives

1 ½ tsp            Dried basil

1 tsp                Dried Oregano

2oz                  Goat Cheese (Mozzarella also tastes delicious)

In a large bowl, combine beef, GF bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, galrlic and egg; mix well and press into baking dish sprayed with vegetable oil (8 inch or larger)

In large nonstick skillet sprayed with vegetable spray, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, eggplant, zucchini and onions; cook for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring often.  Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes longer.  Stir in tomato sauce, olives, basil and oregano.  Pour vegetable mixture over meat and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until beef is cooked.  Dot with goat cheese (or other cheese) and bake for another 5 minutes.

Recipe made Gluten Free – original recipe by Rose Reisman’s Enlightened Home Cooking (1996)