After the holidays we needed to press the reset button. We ate like crazy in the Green house so…. Time to cleanse & I’ve got the perfect recipe to kick things off…
Vegetarian Eggplant Casserole
Eggplant Casserole Ingredients
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant or 2 medium
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
½ hot pepper (jalapeño or serrano, optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups cheese (I split mine with ½ cheddar & ½ mozzarella)
2 large eggs, beaten
1T butter, melted
salt & pepper to taste
{a glass of wine to sip on while you cook}
The Process:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
Peel & dice the eggplant. Put it in a colander & sprinkle liberally with salt to drain.
Meanwhile, in a large high-sided pan, sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the bell pepper & optional jalapeño or serrano pepper. Sauté until slightly tender.
Boil the drained eggplant for 5-10 minutes, and then add the garlic, salt & pepper to taste. Add the onion & pepper mixture to the eggplant, stir to combine.
To the eggplant mixture, add the eggs, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, & ½ of the cheese. Mix well. Spoon evenly into baking dish.
Top with the remaining cheese.
Mix remaining ½ cup of breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Casserole should be firm & hold together when cut.
Prepping Eggplant Casserole
Tips:
- Don’t buy breadcrumbs – make your own breadcrumbs with whatever sliced bread you have on hand & a blender (any kind will do). Add your own flavoring or seasonings, or leave them plain. Use up bread that is about to go bad – make & freeze breadcrumbs to use in future recipes.
- Season in layers & always taste your food along the way. When I make this, I taste the onion & pepper mixture, then the eggplant & garlic mixture, then again when I combine them. This is the last chance to taste before the eggs go in so make sure it’s seasoned well before that.
- Use liquid amino acids in place of salt (or in addition to, in small amounts). It adds protein & an extra kick of flavor.
- If the casserole isn’t firm, stick it back in the oven for 5 minutes at a time. But DON’T turn the oven back on; let the heat left in the oven do the work. When you take it back out, carry over cooking should finish it off.
My family loves this casserole & it’s even better the 2nd day (like most 1 dish meals are). If you try it, let me know how you like it. Also, let me know what variations you made. Until then…
