This eggplant casserole is full of the best that summer has to offer – eggplant, fresh herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers. It’s topped with cheese and baked until bubbling hot. Serve it as a side dish or main dish – it’s perfect either way.
If you’ve been following along the last few months you already know I’ve been digging into the archives of this site to find some gems to bring forward and share again and today it’s this eggplant casserole. It’s a veggie-loaded baked dish I first shared back in 2009 and it’s worthy of another moment in the spotlight.
It’s comforting without being heavy, it’s vegetarian but filling, and there’s cheese which is always a sure-fire way to get me to happily eat a bunch of veggies. It’s also a great excuse to raid the local farmer’s market in the summer.
It doubles as both a side dish and a main dish – you can serve it just as it is or add some rice or pasta on the side. Or, serve it as a side dish for chicken, pork or steak. I’ve even served it on toasted hot dog buns – it makes a great sandwich filling.
Like ratatouille, it’s a celebration of summer veggies with eggplant as the star, and now is the perfect time to give it a try. I think you’re going to like it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Not gonna lie, it feels good to shop for this recipe. Look how healthy we are with a cart full of vegetables! Pro tip: I just tuck my ice cream and pizza rolls underneath them and no one knows except for me and the cashier.
- Butter and olive oil
- Diced onion
- Chopped garlic
- Diced yellow bell pepper
- Portobello mushrooms
- Chopped tomatoes
- Fresh parsley, thyme, and basil
- Vegetable oil
- Cubed eggplant
- Salt
- Flour
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
How to Make Eggplant Casserole
Yes, this recipe has a few steps but it’s all worth it in the end. It starts on the stove and finishes in the oven and will be met with “oohs” and “ahhs” and “mmmms” when you serve it.
You will need your biggest pan for this recipe. If you don’t have one use a large pot (like for boiling pasta).
Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat and once the butter has melted add the onion and cook them until the start to soften. Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook them with the onions for a few minutes.
Add the mushroom and cook them until they start to release their moisture and then add the tomatoes and herbs. Stir and simmer for a few minutes before transferring all of it to a bowl.
In the same pan, add the eggplant, salt and oil. It will seem like a lot of eggplant, but don’t worry – it will cook down quite a bit. Cook it until it softens and browns in spots.
Sprinkle the flour over the top of the cooked eggplant and stir it all together. The flour will help thicken the juices so your casserole isn’t watery. Add the tomato mixture to the eggplant, bring the pan to a simmer and cook it all of for a few minutes.
You will need to transfer everything in the pan to a casserole dish. I like to create layers with the cheese by scooping half of the veggies, top with cheese and then add the rest of the eggplant and cheese on top. You can do two or three layers this way or just pile all of the cheese on top and skip the layering.
Bake the eggplant casserole uncovered for 30 minutes at 375°F. Let it stand for a few minutes before serving.
A Few More Recipe Tips
- A tablespoon of salt in the recipe seems like a lot but keep in mind that you have a whole lot of veggies that need seasoning. Also, the salt helps the eggplant release moisture as you cook it in the pan. You can reduce the amount if you prefer, but I don’t recommend omitting it.
- For the cheese, you can use sliced mozzarella (as mentioned in the recipe card), shredded mozzarella or cubed mozzarella (which is what I used in the photos). I prefer the fresh mozzarella for this recipe, but you can sub regular low-moisture mozzarella if you like.
- The leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator. As far as freezing the casserole, I haven’t tried it and I’m not sure how it would hold up. Sometimes veggies get a weird texture after they’ve been frozen. If you try it let me know how it worked for you.
Flavor abounds and all the veggie good-feels manifest with this eggplant casserole. The echos of the “oohs” , “ahhs” and “mmmmms” will stay with you for days. I mean, I’m just saying it’s good – really good. I hope you love it.
Happy casserole-ing,
More Summer Recipes
- Grilled Steak with Eggplant Puree (Sultan’s Delight)
- Eggplant with Buttery Rosemary Pasta
- Homemade Potato Salad
- Shrimp Fettuccine with Tomatoes and Feta
- Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Eggplant Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This casserole is full of the best that summer has to offer – eggplant, fresh herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers. It’s topped with cheese and baked until bubbling hot.
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°F. Coat a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- 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 them until they start to release their moisture (about 3 to 4 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 lightly browned add in the flour and stir. Add the tomato mixture and stir everything together and bring it to a simmer.
- Spoon in 1/3 of the vegetable mixture into the prepared baking dish. 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 the casserole for 30 minutes. Allow the casserole to stand a few minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 294
- Sugar: 10.9g
- Sodium: 1459.3mg
- Fat: 19.9g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22.2g
- Fiber: 8.1g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 34.6mg
Keywords: eggplant casserole, vegetarian eggplant casserole
Post and photos updated from the archives. First published in August 2009.
Stephanie says
I’ve never tried anything like this. I am thinking I should add this to the menu planning for next week.
Amy W says
I made this for my husband. I used 1 eggplant and 1 zucchini. I used 1 yellow and 1 red. I used 1 can diced tomatoes (drained) instead of fresh. The only problem I had was browning the eggplant and zucchini. I don’t think I let the oil get hot enough or perhaps there was just too much with the remnants from the previous cooking. He wanted to know what we could put in to give it more “bite”, because it seemed a little mushy. How would corn fit? Or celery?
★★★★
April Anderson says
I think corn or celery would work great!
Bev says
Thank you for posting this recipe. I accidentally added the cubed eggplant to the sautéed vegetables and seasonings before the tomatoes, so I added the diced tomatoes and roasted the whole mixture on a silicone lined tray in the oven for 30 minutes. Then I followed the rest of the recipe by layering with the cheeses in an 8×8 pan (no need to add the flour for thickening). Placed the casserole back in the hot oven just to melt the cheese. Yummy.
April Anderson says
Glad you enjoyed it!
CAnderson says
LOVED this… used a bit less salt and cheeses and it still turned out delicious. Only had 1 eggplant – was enough for three people as a meal. Will make this again!
★★★★★
Pat M says
This recipe was awesome! I had only 1 eggplant but it came out fine. I will make it again!
★★★★★
April Anderson says
Glad it worked with one!
Denise says
Overall we loved this recipe! I see a couple others I’m anxious to try. Good job, thanks!
Recipe was good but next time I will modify just a bit.
I have been cooking eggplant for over 50 years and I have ALWAYS soaked it in warm salty water. Peel if you wish and slice ( I suppose you could cut into bite size pieces too then soak (about a 1/8 cup salt in a large bowel with warm water.) soak for `15-30 minutes. Put a bowel or plate on top to help submerge the eggplant. This takes the bitterness out without making the eggplant salty. After, lay eggplant on paper towels to absorb the water. I have tried the sweating method, which works but leaves too much salt behind after rinsing. Adding a “tablespoon” of salt to this recipe while cooking seemed way over the top.
We also cut back the thyme and basil to 1/4 tsp each and used dried. They are so strong in small doses.
We used Roma tomatoes… 4 large and we used 8 oz of shredded mozzarella instead of sliced.
We only used 1/2 of an onion and that was too much… next time will do 1/4.
Loved the idea of using a little zucchini too, we will try this next time.
★★★★
Sandy Laubenheimer says
The recipe was delicious I will cut the salt in half next time it was a little bit too salty otherwise it was excellent
★★★★★
April Anderson says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Vivian says
Made this today with eggplant, tomatoes and herbs from my garden. It is delicious. I cut the salt in half and I’m glad I did as it was salted just fine with half tablespoon. I used a bit extra on the herbs. I only had one nice size eggplant. Since weight/size of eggplant not provided, I went with what I had and it seemed fine in the completed dish. Next time I might try roasting rather than sauté the eggplant. I will also use a bit less oil for sautéing the vegetables. Overall a really delicious recipe with great flavor. Will definitely make again.
★★★★
April Anderson says
Thanks for sharing your adjustments – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jolie says
This turned out great! I added some zucchini along with eggplant and it was delicious!
★★★★★
April Anderson says
Love the zucchini idea!
Robyn says
Strange question but my kids can detect mushrooms from a mile away. If I leave it out would you substitute another vegetable or double the eggplant? This just looks awesome
April Anderson says
You can just leave them out or add the same amount of another veggie – hope they enjoy it!
Tammy says
My family members don’t care for mushrooms either. Do you think I could add 1/2 pound ground beef instead. I want to make this today.
April Anderson says
I think that would work! I would brown the beef first and then mix it with the other ingredients before you place everything in the baking dish.
Aunt B says
We enjoyed on first try. Kitchen smelled wonderful. Next time will add a little more seasoning.. Just a reminder to mix well before putting into casserole to better combine flavors. Enjoyed more the second day.
★★★★