Gourmet Cooking on a Food Stamp Budget: Your weekly frugal recipe

Ratatouille

The Food Stamp Way

Skills	Prep	Cook

What do these meters mean?

This recipe suggestion comes from someone I have literally known all my life. Seriously, we met in kindergarten! When she started reading my blog, this was what she suggested as one of her favorite recipes. As luck would have it, our local organic food store, Sprouts, put every fresh ingredient on sale the next week. I served this over whole wheat pasta to make it stretch more. By stretch, I mean that we could have served 12 easily once everything was done. That reminds me, we're having leftovers tonight...

Equipment you'll need
Skillet, knife, cutting board, baking pan

Serves 10

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Olive oil	2 Tbsp	$0.42*
Garlic cloves, minced	3	$0.05*
Parsley, minced	1/4 c.	$0.11*
Eggplant	1	$1.98
Parmesan, grated	1 c.	$1.91*
Zucchini	2	$0.67
Mushrooms	2 c.	$1.68
Bell pepper	1	$0.50
Tomatoes	2	$1.98
Jar of pasta sauce	1	$1.00
Total		$10.80
* Based on price per package divided by amount used.

Price per plate =$1.08 Notes about ingredients:

Really, use olive oil for this. It'll make everything better

I buy garlic pre-minced in oil and keep in the fridge (to prevent botulism). Then I just take a spoonful out with which to cook.

If your store has small eggplants, buy 2.

I found one huge tomato and only bought it instead of 2

If parmesan's too expensive, try mozzarella

Prep Instructions:

Square off your eggplant and cut it into slices

Place the slices into a pan in a single layer and sprinkle them with salt (preferably kosher, but any will work). Allow it to sit while you finish the rest of the prep.

Slice your zucchini and mushrooms.

Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and slice it.

Dice your tomato(es) and onion.

Once you've completed your prep (it'll take about 30 minutes), your eggplant will have sweated out all its bitter juices. Rinse each slice or wipe it down with a paper towel to remove the juice and salt.


The juice left in the pan

Cut the slices into cubes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the garlic until it's very slightly brown then add the eggplant cubes and parsley. Sauté until the eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Coat the bottom of your baking dish with pasta sauce.