Layered Eggplant and Ricotta Casserole

I was in the mood for a meatless dinner that was also low in carbs.  Having cooked a large pot of marinara sauce the other night left me with extra sauce, and there was a sale on ricotta cheese at my local grocery store.  What started out, in my mind, was an eggplant roll-up, but after giving it another thought, I made a layered eggplant casserole. 
 

For this dish I sliced the eggplant, brushed it with extra virgin olive oil and seasoned it on both sides.  I then roasted the eggplant for a short time in the oven.  Once out of the oven I layered it with the marinara sauce and a low-fat ricotta cheese mixture.   I prefer to cook eggplant with the outer skin removed.  For me, I feel that the skin has a bitter taste, but if you like it with the skin on, by all means leave it on.  Whether the skin is left on or removed will not change this casserole in the least.

This casserole is great the second day, after it is refrigerated.  You can simply heat it in the microwave.  I even think that it is better the second day after everything has a chance to rest and cool together.

Note:  To turn this dish into an unfried eggplant Parmesan...see 7/20 note at the end of this recipe!  (When making eggplant Parmesan, you would normally bread the eggplant and fry it, my version is not fried, but just as tasty.)

Enjoy!
 

Layered Eggplant and Ricotta Casserole

Serves 4 – 5

3 Medium Eggplants (on the narrower side)

¼ Cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbls. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
1 Container (30-ounces) Ricotta cheese, low-fat
¼ Cup Shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend
2 Garlic cloves, minced (I use a garlic press…one of my best friends in the kitchen)
3 Tbls. Chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tsp. Sugar
¼ Tsp. Ground pepper
¼ Tsp. Sea Salt
1 Egg white, slightly beaten
¾ Cup Marinara sauce; your favorite variety, or homemade
½ Cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese, fine shredded part-skim; divided use
Optional…extra Marinara sauce to serve at the table
 

Note:  If you end up with extra slices of eggplant, do roast it then slice it into strips and serve on top of a side salad.  Very tasty!  And if you purchase your marinara sauce in a large jar, the leftover sauce can be frozen and used at a later time.  No wasting anything here!

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Line two large baking sheet pans with aluminum foil.

Peel and slice the eggplant into ¼ - ½ inch thick, lengthwise slices.  You should end up with about 15 slices. Place each slice in a single layer on the baking sheets.  Use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil on each side of the eggplant slices.  Work quickly with your brush, as the eggplant will immediately soak up the oil and you will then need to use more oil. I used a silicone brush, it seemed to work best.  Sprinkle each side with Mrs. Dash.  (see note at end of recipe if you would like to turn this into a Parmesan style dish) Place trays in the preheated oven.  Roast for 15 minutes; turn each slice over and roast for another 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

 

Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees

 Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Mexican cheese, garlic, basil, sugar, ground pepper, salt and egg.  Mix to thoroughly combine.

 
Spoon ¼ cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a square 8-inch x 2-inch baking dish, coating the entire bottom.  

• Lay 5 slices of the eggplant on the bottom, overlapping slightly.  Top with ½ of the ricotta mixture; spread evenly. 
• Lay another 5 slices of eggplant on top of ricotta.  Top with ¼ cup marinara (spread evenly), ¼ cup mozzarella cheese and the remaining ricotta mixture (spread evenly).
• Lay the last 5 slices of eggplant on top (save the best slices for this layer).  Coat the entire top with another ¼ cup marinara sauce. 

 

Cover the dish lightly with aluminum foil and place on a foil covered baking sheet pan (to catch anything that bubbles over).  Place in the oven.  Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and top with final ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.  Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top cheese melts.

Let the casserole rest for about 20 - 30 minutes before serving.  If you serve it any sooner, it will be quite runny since there is no real starch to absorb the liquid.

Note:  7/20... This is such a popular recipe, so I thought rather than write a new one, I would add this little note and let you decide which version you would like to make.  I made this today and added one more ingredient - unsalted seasoned breadcrumbs.  Very important, instead of roasting the eggplant slices on foil, line your baking pans with parchment paper and roast the eggplant on the parchment (they will not stick to the parchment paper).  I sprinkled the breadcrumbs on the top side of the eggplant (after it was brushed with oil and seasoned) just before I placed it in the oven.  I added more breadcrumbs to the underside when I turned the slices over.  Each time I lightly pressed the crumbs on the eggplant.  Believe it or not after roasting the eggplant the crumbs stayed on!  I used a total of 1/2 cup unsalted, seasoned breadcrumbs, divided use.   Keep in mind, the breadcrumb coating is just a light topping, and does not cover the eggplant entirely.  The dish turned into an eggplant Parmesan and I did not fry a thing!  Delicious!!