Ratatouille Pie - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 medium zucchini, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 small eggplant, cut in 1/2-inch dice (1 lb.)
2 small bell peppers, diced (1 green and 1 red)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1/4 cup parsley
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375\u00b0.
Make the crust: mix the cracker crumbs and butter together; press two-thirds of the mixture into a 10-inch pie pan.
Spread the remaining crust mixture in another pan.
Bake the crumb-lined pan and the extra crumbs for 10 minutes or just until toasted, shaking the extra crumbs once during baking.
Sprinkle the warm pie crust with 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and cool.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil; add in the garlic and onion; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft.
Add in zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers; cook and toss over high heat for 10 minutes.
Add in the basil; stir.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, and salt; blend mixture into the vegetable mixture.
Turn into crumb-lined pan; sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan cheese and the toasted cracker crumbs.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pie is set.
Before serving, sprinkle with the diced tomatoes; serve hot or at room temperature.