Name: Ratatouille With Beans & Pasta
Prep time: 480 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces pasta shells; ⅓ cup dry uncooked white beans; 1 tsp olive oil; 4 ounces white button mushrooms ((sliced)); ½ cup Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion) ((chopped)); ½ eggplant ((cut into chunks)); 1 summer squash ((cut into chunks)); ¼ red bell pepper ((diced)); ½ tsp dried basil; ¼ tsp dried thyme; 1 pinch ground black pepper; 1 pinch salt; 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese; 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese; 2 tbsp fresh basil ((chopped))

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Will my kids actually eat ratatouille???

Ratatouille is a great way to use those summer vegetables! This recipe combines ratatouille with pasta, white beans and fresh mozzarella for a hearty and complete meal.

Well, we eat a lot of pasta in our house because it’s one of the few foods my children will eat consistently, and it’s also a great way to convince them to eat things like eggplant, summer squash and bell peppers.

There’s so much awesome produce at the end of summer that I really want to jump on it and incorporate it into every single meal I make! Ratatouille is perfect for this time of year.

I added beans for protein. You can 100% use canned beans for this, but I used dried beans because I had some and didn’t feel like buying any more white beans. If you’re using dried beans, you’ll need to soak them overnight and then boil them on the stovetop for about 30 minutes until they soften up.

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Ratatouille With Beans & Pasta

Prep Time8

Cook Time30

Servings: 4

Calories: 403kcal

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta shells
⅓ cup dry uncooked white beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces white button mushrooms (sliced)
½ cup Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion) (chopped)
½ eggplant (cut into chunks)
1 summer squash (cut into chunks)
¼ red bell pepper (diced)
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch salt
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)

Instructions

You might want to prep the white beans the day before. Soak them in water overnight, then boil them for about 30 minutes before using them. Alternatively, you can also use 1 cup of canned white beans.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the mushrooms and onion until the onion begins to caramelize and turn brown.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the summer squash and bell pepper. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Stir in the eggplant, white beans, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Put a cover on the skillet and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the eggplant is tender. You'll want to stir it occasionally to prevent sticking.
Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and prepare the pasta according to package instructions.
Stir the vegetables and pasta together and top with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. I used little mozzarella pearls, but you could also cut up a larger block of fresh mozzarella.