Wyatt Cafeteria's Baked Eggplant (Aubergine)

PaulaG's Note:

There was once a cafeteria in Texas called Wyatts Cafeteria. DH's family would go there after church on Sunday and his mother would get baked eggplant. For years she tried to copy the recipe and came very close. The original recipe was published in the local paper several years ago. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

• Total Time: 7 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 6 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb eggplant , peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• ½ lb dried breadcrumbs (I use as did my mother-in-law a herbed stuffing mix)
• ½ cup canned evaporated milk
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup butter , melted
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• 2 eggs , slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried sage
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese , grated

Directions:

1. Soak the eggplant cubes in salt water in refrigerator overnight or a minimum of six hours.
2. Drain and place in medium saucepan.
3. Cover with water and simmer until tender.
4. Soak the bread crumbs in milk.
5. Saute the onions, green peppers, and celery in melted butter for about 15 minutes or until tender.
6. Combine the cooked eggplant, bread crumbs and sauteed vegetables.
7. Add the eggs, pimiento, and seasonings; mix thoroughly.
8. Place the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Remove cover, top with grated cheese and return to oven last 5 minutes of cooking.
10. The preparation time includes the soaking time for the eggplant.

Reviews

[Chef #1464675]

Scrumpdilyicious! For several years, I would eat at Wyatt's Cafeteria in Fort Smith, AR, and would always pick this dish. They have been closed for years, so when I grew eggplant in my garden this year, I looked for this recipe and was tickled when I found it here. My husband loved it and he is not necessarily an eggplant fan. I used less bread crumbs and more milk. Next time, I might use a little more sage, just because I like lots of sage!

[Ms. Gail 2]

I ate at Wyatt Cafeteria in Longview Texas from 1964 to 1971. This eggplant casserole is very good and much like what I remember eating at Wyatt's. I made the recipe but find the 1/2 pound of breadcrumbs to be excessive and they overtake the eggplant taste. I will cut it back to one cup of breadcrumbs and perhaps add a little more milk for the proper consistency. My grandmother made an eggplant casserole when I was young and she used sage in it! I was surprised to see sage in this recipe, the first ever since Grandmother's casserole. She made hers very dry, and baked it in a Pyrex 2 quart round dish, always the same dish. It had no cheese on top and had a slightly hot taste. I have never been able to duplicate her recipe. Moral of that tidbit of memory is to ask relatives for their recipes as soon as you discover something you love! This is a good recipe and I think you can make variations of it easily. I make an eggplant casserole similar to this but add about 1/4 cup cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs and 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup. It is wonderful too!

[Farmhouse Junkie]

Can't wait to make this! I thought the recipe was lost! I would get chicken fried steak and baked eggplant at Wyatts in Big Town Mall when I was a little girl! Thank you SO much for sharing!