Provençal Summer Vegetables

This delicious side dish of layered tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash and leeks bursts with fresh flavor. To make it even more colorful, use half a summer squash and half a zucchini. Try it alongside any grilled meat. Leftovers are delicious sandwiched between slices of crusty whole-grain bread.

Total Time: 2 1/4 hours

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings, about 2/3 cup each)

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, rinsed and well drained
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 large tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small summer squash or zucchini, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/3 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
3. Layer tomatoes, summer squash (or zucchini) and eggplant slices in an alternating shingle pattern over the leek mixture (they will overlap quite a bit). If you have extra vegetable slices, save them for another use. Sprinkle the vegetables with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
4. Bake the vegetables for 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle cheese and marjoram over the top. Continue baking until the edges are browned and the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 185 calories; 12 g fat ( 3 g sat , 7 g mono ); 9 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 323 mg sodium; 457 mg potassium.