Mediterranean Eggplant (Aubergine) Casserole

This eggplant dish is from the "1 of a Kind" cookbook of the Junior League of Mobile, AL. I have not made this yet, but I did modify the recipe & add 2 ingredients I thot were a must to make this a classic dish. Altho the ingredient list appears lengthy, 7 are of the spice variety & the rest are common ingredients w/an easy prep. My best advice is strongly resist any temptation to leave out the cinnamon. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3  medium eggplants (unpeeled & sliced in 1/4 in thick slices)
• 3⁄4 cup olive oil (more as required)
• 1  cup onion (chopped)
• 1  cup celery (chopped)
• 1⁄2 cup green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1  cup fresh tomato (seeded & diced)
• 1⁄2 cup black olives (quartered or sliced)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 3  large eggs (beaten)
• 1  cup  breadcrumbs
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  tablespoons dry parmesan cheese (powder variety)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare onion, celery, green bell pepper, fresh tomato & black olives in stated quantity as directed & set aside.
3. Slice unpeeled eggplant into 1/4" thick slices. Put olive oil in a saute pan & cook eggplant slices (in batches) till just slightly tender. Remove from pan & set aside.
4. In the same pan, add onion, celery & bell pepper. Saute till crisp-tender.
5. Remove from heat & stir in chopped tomato, black olives, herbs & spices.
6. Place 1/3 of eggplant slices in a 9x13" baking dish. Top with 1/3 of veggie/spice mixture & repeat layering 2 more times. Bake 15 minutes.
7. While casserole is baking, beat eggs & set aside. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp olive oil & Parmesan cheese. Mix well & set aside.
8. At 15 minutes, remove casserole from oven. Drizzle beaten eggs over surface, let them seep into the veggie mixture & move veggies around gently using a fork to aid this process as required.
9. Sprinkle breadcrumb, olive oil & Parmesan cheese mixture evenly over surface & return to oven for 15 min or till breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve immediately.
10. NOTE: While the recipe did not suggest this, IMO this dish is capable of being expanded to a 1-dish meal w/the addition of your cooked grd meat of choice &/or crumbled feta cheese as another option.