Sunday night I pulled together an improvised baked veggie dish that took inspiration from ratatouille and the lasagna that my mom used to make when I was little. I thinly sliced half of a sizable zucchini, along with an eggplant that had been withering away in my fridge for the last week. I threw together a quick tomato sauce with several bruised tomatoes (I inadvertently squished half of my farmers market haul on the way home), a can of San Marzano tomatoes, a bunch of crushed garlic and a few minced shallots. Oh, and at the last minute I tossed a handful of chopped basil in to give it another hit of flavor and aroma.

I put down one layer of the sliced zucchini and eggplant on the bottom of a glass baking dish. Then spooned a layer of ricotta cheese down and poured half the tomato sauce down on top of that. A second layer of zucchini and eggplant when down, along with the other half of the sauce. This was the moment at which I dearly wished I had used a slightly deeper baking dish, as I was right at the edge. I covered it with tin foil and baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

photo by Marisa McClellanWhen it the veggies yielded easily to a fork prod, I put down a layer of fresh mozzarella slices (purchased several weeks ago and kept in the freezer. It's a beautiful thing when pricey ingredients like that don't have to go to waste) and flipped the switch to broil for a few minutes, in order to get a nice, bubbly top.

In addition to using a deeper pan, next time I make this, I'm going to cook the sauce down a little more, as it was REALLY juicy. Those are small issues, because in terms of flavor, this dish is a powerhouse that happily improves in the fridge overnight.