Baked Three Cheese Eggplant Recipes

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 425°F.
• Cut off both ends of the eggplants and cut into 24 slices, about 1-inch thick each.
• Coat 2 sheet pans lightly with spray olive oil and place the eggplant slices on the oiled sheet pans along with the bell pepper halves and spray the vegetables with olive oil.
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, turning halfway through the baking.
• Dice the bell peppers and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, over moderate heat, in 2 tablespoons of the oil cook half the onion until softened.
• Add half the garlic and flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the milk in 3 additions stirring the sauce until smooth with the each addition.
• Add the cayenne, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, in another saucepan, over medium heat, cook the remaining onion in 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil until softened.
• Add the diced bell pepper and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the remaining garlic, the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the basil and simmer another 2 minutes, (you will have about 3 1/2 cups tomato sauce), set aside.
• Mix the ricotta cheese with 3 tablespoons of the cooled white sauce along with the parmesan, egg yolk, the remaining cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.
• TO ASSEMBLE:
• Coat the interior of a 2-quart baking dish with half the remaining olive oil. Spread tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Place half of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the tomato sauce.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Place 5 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on each eggplant slice, and spoon white sauce over ricotta mixture.
• Top with remaining eggplant slices. Season with more salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over each eggplant slice, and top each one with mozzarella.
• Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.

THREE-CHEESE EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with spray oil. Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water in shallow bowl. Place breadcrumbs on small plate.
• Dredge eggplant slices in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs. Lay eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet (slightly overlapping is fine). Drizzle eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake eggplant until crisp and golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip eggplant slices. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake approximately 20 minutes more or until golden. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Heat a large skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Turn off heat and combine mushrooms with marinara.
• Lightly spray a casserole dish with spray oil. Cover bottom of dish with about half of the marinara. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then drop half of the ricotta by spoonfuls over the eggplant. Srinkle about half of the mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano over the ricotta. Repeat with remaining marinara, eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Transfer to the oven and bake until the mixture is bubbly and heated through, about 45 minutes.
• To freeze, assemble dish but do not bake. Wrap tightly with foil and freeze, up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw completely, then bake as directed.

CHEESY BAKED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides, and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic powder over the top. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and spinach. Cook and stir for a few minutes until fragrant, and the tomatoes have released their juices. In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
• Place the eggplant slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the spinach mixture. Spoon the cheese mixture over the spinach, and spread into a thin layer. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the cheese layer. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until heated through and the eggplant is easily pierced with a fork.

BAKED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare a baking dish with non-stick play.
• Arrange eggplant and tomato slices into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables; season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the entire mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Switch oven broiler to high; continue baking until completely browned, about 5 minutes.