Eggplant Casserole

Submitted by Leslie in Texas

"This is a delicious side dish for any roasted or broiled meat. Recipe is from the "The New York Times" cookbook by Craig Claiborne."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 17mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• boiling water, salted
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 4 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3⁄4 lb fresh mushrooms
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and cut in strips
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄4 teaspoon basil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs, buttered with
• butter

directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 inch-thick slices.
3. Cover with boiling, salted water and simmer for 10 minutes; drain well.
4. Melt the butter, add the onions and garlic and saute until lightly browned.
5. Remove stems from the mushrooms and reserve for another use.
6. Add mushroom caps to the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, an additional 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes, green peppers, salt, pepper, herbs and spices and simmer 10 minutes.
8. Place alternating layers of eggplant and sauce in a buttered two-quart casserole.
9. Cover with buttered crumbs and bake one and one-half hours.

Reviews

[catsoplenty]

This was delicious. I made it for a family get together and most everyone really enjoyed it. (those that like vegetables!!) It went really well with grilled pork loin and chicken. I didn't use the cloves, though. I liked the flavor without them. I, too, sprinkled parmesan on top and left off the bread crumbs. I definitely will make this again.

 

[poetesstx]

I can't believe how wonderful this casserole is! Since I had a bunch of veg in my fridge that would go bad if I didn't do something with it, I scoured for a decent recipe. I hit on this one and made only a couple of substitutions. I only had red bell pepper (not green) and used Italian seasoning and allspice rather than the herbs and cloves. There is a LOT of prep work (which I find rather Zen) . But, as I was layering, I wondered how the casserole would taste with a bit of Chevre cheese dotted on a layer of the eggplant. OMG... did this EVER work out great!!! I will rave about this dish forever, I think. :) Thank you SO much, Leslie! Fantastic meal! (Attaching a photo of my version.)

 

[Heartspell]

This was great! I sort of incorporated this recipe with #100796 for Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna, I'll publish soon! I used a mandolin slicer (btw...a must have in the kitchen!) to cut the eggplant into thick julienne slices. I don't like big chunks of eggplant and instead of cloves I used graded nutmeg, personal preference. I skipped the bread crumbs and added no boil lasagna noodles. I sauteed the veggies and herbs first, layered everything and cooked it in my huge slow cooker. I added some cooked ground meat for DH so it wasn't totally veggie...he said it didn't need it! This was Delicious!! I love how the Parmesan cheese turned out texture wise like Ricotta cheese from #100796...awesome! Thanks for sharing this...I now have a wonderful way to eat eggplant without frying it!

 

[Bergy]

Very tasty casserole and the aroma while it is baking is wonderful. I got it ready in the AM and popped it in the oven an hour before dinner. I did not put buttered crumbs on top but did sprinkled a small amount of Parmesan cheese. Enjoyed by all.

 

[mjayling1]

This is such a flavorful dish, has sort of a mediterranean taste. I was concerned at first because the eggplant cooks down considerably, but the recipe calls for just right amount of everything. I used about 3 tablespoons Smart Balance instead of butter. There are several steps, but I did most of the prep while other things were cooking. Served with yogurt- marinated boneless chicken thighs and fresh baked bread to soak up all the broth made by the veggies. Excellent!