This eggplant casserole is full of the best that summer has to offer – eggplant, fresh herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Serve it as a side or toast some top-slice hot dog buns and serve it as a hot sandwich filling.
Eggplant Casserole
I had a huge change in my routine this past week with the start of a new job. Prior to this week I was fortunate to work most days from home, which meant at five o’clock every evening, I embarked on a short, ten-foot commute to my kitchen to cook dinner. My new job requires that I leave the house every day, which has added considerable time to my kitchen commute. In the midst of all the change cooking definitely fell to the wayside this past week as evidenced by all the unused produce in our refrigerator.
By midweek I knew I needed to make something that included a lot of veggies because I really didn’t want our beautiful CSA produce to go to waste. Every morning, while enjoying my coffee, two eggplants stared forlornly at me just begging to be used. It wasn’t until Thursday evening that I finally came up with a plan to use not only the eggplant but quite a bit of fresh produce we had on hand.
I consulted the Internet and found the perfect solution for the problem– eggplant casserole. The name really doesn’t really do the dish justice, though, because the eggplant really is part of an ensemble cast that includes peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It’s a bounty of veggie goodness and was the perfect solution for my problem.
Because there’s a lot of fresh ingredients it does require some prep time, but I happen to be a person who finds chopping veggies a very relaxing activity. Not to mention the fact that the result is definitely worth the effort.
More Eggplant Recipes
Grilled Steak with Eggplant Puree (Sultan’s Delight)
Eggplant with Buttery Rosemary Pasta
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Eggplant Casserole
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Prep Time: 30 minutes - Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
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Yield: 4 servings -
Category: Main Course
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Pin RecipeDescription
This casserole is full of the best that summer has to offer – eggplant, fresh herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Serve it as a side or toast some top-slice hot dog buns and serve it as a hot sandwich filling.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow pepper, diced
- 2 portabello mushroom caps, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large skillet heat the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and cook for 3 minutes or so (don’t let them brown). Add in the peppers and garlic and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add in the tomatoes and herbs and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the vegetable oil and then add the eggplant and salt. Allow the eggplant to cook until it’s browned, stirring frequently. Once browned add in the flour and stir. Add the tomato mixture and stir everything together and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.
- In a 2 and 1/2 quart baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray, spoon in 1/3 of the vegetable mixture. Top it with some Parmesan cheese and a few slices of mozzarella. Spoon more of the veggies on top of the cheese followed by more cheese. Spoon in the last of the mixture and top it all of with a layer of cheese on top.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow the casserole to stand a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Update July 2015: This recipe was adapted from one that I found online at Eggplant Recipes.
Nutrition
- Calories: 343
- Fat: 23.1g
- Carbohydrates: 21.2g
- Fiber: 6.5g
- Protein: 17.3g
Great recipe, easy to make, and got plenty of compliments. I added pepper flakes since everyone in my family likes the extra kick. After seconds all around, everything disappeared.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!
This looks amazing! I would like to make up a double batch (bumper crop of eggplant) and freeze it. Have you tried freezing it? Thank you.
★★★★★
Hi Tammy, I haven’t tried freezing this, but please let me know if you try it!
Wonderful main dish. I had to substitute corn starch for flour but no issue. My husband enjoyed it also and said it was a keeper!
★★★★★
Oh, that’s great! So glad you guys liked it 🙂
This was really delicious!
★★★★★
Love eggplant,super dish! Yummy
Oh my God, I love eggplants, though I don’t think I’v ever tasted a vegetable I didn’t like, and this look soooooo super delicious. I’m definitely going to give it a try just without the cheese and butter ( I’m a vegan ).
Oh this looks so good and tasty!
This looks delicious! I just got some eggplants from my father-in-laws garden and got my Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com and I think I’ll try both in this recipe tonight. Thanks for sharing!
Raaga– any color bell pepper would be great, so use whichever you have on hand.
looks delish!! have to try this!
I think I have everything except a yellow pepper… have green… should work?
This looks great. I’m like you, i’m working a lot of hours, so i don’t have much time. I’m so glad you posted this recipe, i love eggplant. Thank you
This looks amazing,I’m craving eggplant now.
That’s a really nice dish. Thanks for the idea. I will make this on our next family dinner.
I’m always at a loss for eggplant ideas, so I rarely buy them. This casserole sounds delicious. I think you’ve just convinced me that I need to invest in some.
Looks amazing! It has inspired me to make something similar for dinner tonight!
I love eggplant. And I love all the other veggies in this dish. Sounds wonderful…