French Vegetable Ratatouille in the Crockpot

It has been awhile since I featured a cookbook from my large collection, so let's get back to that.

This one is from my Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker book, copyright 1999. My idea of cooking with a crockpot is a recipe that requires nothing more than putting all the ingredients together in the crockpot, turning it on, and forgetting it for the next 8 to 10 hours. Those are the crockpot recipes I use. It is so pleasant coming home to a house smelling of a meal cooking in the crockpot.

Here is a recipe that would make a nice summer meal using fresh vegetables from your garden or the Farmer's Market.


1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 5 cups)
4 medium tomatoes, cut into fourths
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients in a 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Yield: 8 servings