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!!

Stuffed Peppers with Whole Wheat Orzo

Just the other night I made a huge pot of marinara sauce.  I used some for one meal, froze two containers, and still had leftover sauce.  Also, I had some leftover orzo pasta.  This recipe for stuffed peppers is a result of my leftover ingredients.  You can use your favorite jarred marinara sauce, or make your own, either will work. 

In the past, I made my stuffed peppers with ground sirloin, but keeping with a healthier diet I used ground turkey this time. Trying to keep with a low fat diet, I find that my main go-to protein is ground turkey.  I don’t know about you, but I feel it can be challenging to come up with recipes for ground turkey. Turkey has such a unique flavor profile that, at times, it is hard to change up.   And, the texture is much tenderer than other types of ground meat so you cannot mix it too much.  I try to change it up and boost the flavor by adding different seasonings and ingredients.  In this recipe, I toasted dry fennel seeds and dried rosemary; the ground turkey took on a sausage like flavor.

 Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers with Whole Wheat Orzo

Serves 3-6 people (1 – 1 ½ pepper per person - these are quite filling)

1 ½ cup Cooked whole wheat orzo pasta that has been prepared al dente and cooled

1 ½ Tsp.  Dried fennel seeds
1 Tsp. Dried rosemary
3 Medium bell peppers; all green or all red, or a combination of both
1 Lb. Ground turkey
1 Tsp. Garlic powder
Tsp. Dried basil
1 ½ Tsp. Worchester sauce
1 egg slightly beaten
3 cups Marinara sauce; your favorite low fat and lower sodium variety (or homemade); divided use
½ Cup Shredded mozzarella cheese, low moisture, part-skim variety

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a small skillet, add the fennel seeds and rosemary; place skillet over medium heat.  Toast the dried herbs just until you begin to smell them.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the stems from the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise.  Gently clean out the seeds and membrane from the inside of each half. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, toasted herbs, garlic powder, basil Worchester sauce, ½ cup marinara sauce,  and egg; mix to combine.  Add the orzo and mix until all is thoroughly incorporated.  In the mixing bowl, divide the meat mixture into six equal portions. 

Place ½ cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  With a tablespoon, fill each pepper with the meat mixture and place each cut side up in the bottom of the baking dish.  Once all peppers are filled, spoon one cup of marinara sauce over the top of each pepper.  Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, spoon some marinara sauce from the bottom of the baking dish over each pepper.  Lightly cover the dish with foil and return it to the oven.  Cook for another 30 minutes. 

Remove the dish from the oven, take off the foil, and top each pepper with the shredded mozzarella.  Return the uncovered dish to the oven for about 5 minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese.

Serve the last one cup of marinara sauce in a serving dish on the table.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells Casserole

My Shells and Cheese Pasta Casserole is a wonderful weekend meal.  I like to serve this dish fresh out of the oven. However, it can be prepared and baked the night before – when removed from the oven, cool the dish, cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, lightly cover the dish with a piece of plastic wrap (venting at the corners), or instead place a damp (safe for microwave) paper towel over the dish; reheat in the microwave oven. 





Healthy Ingredients:

• Low-fat, Low-sodium pasta sauce – I purchase a wonderful marinara sauce that is prepared and sold locally.  (Per ½ cup serving, it contains 135 mg. sodium and 1.5 g. fat).  This  product is far healthier than some of the commercially prepared sauces.
• No Salt Added diced tomatoes
• Low-fat ricotta cheese
• Low-fat shredded cheese blend
• No additional salt

Cheesy Stuffed Shells Casserole

Servings:  5 – 6 servings

½ Box Jumbo Shells Pasta

1 24 oz. Jar Marinara Sauce (low fat and low sodium),
1 14.5 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added; drained reserving liquid
2 ¼ cup Low-fat Ricotta Cheese
½ cup Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese - Low-fat variety
¼ cup +2 Tbls. Grated Asiago/Romano/Parmesan Cheese Blend; divided use
1 Egg (or use a pasteurized liquid egg white equivalent)
4 Tbls. Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
¾ Tsp. Sugar (optional)
½ Tsp. Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Tsp. Dried Basil, crushed
½ Tsp. Dried Oregano, crushed
½ Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prepare the pasta shells according to the package direction; cook until just al dente.  Drain the shells in a colander; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside to drain and cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded Mexican cheese blend, and ¼ cup grated Asiago/Romano/Parmesan cheese.  Add egg, parsley, sugar, and pepper; mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and a smooth consistency.

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with the olive oil; In a separate bowl, combine ½ jar marinara sauce, the reserved tomato liquid, basil, oregano, and garlic powder; pour sauce mixture in the bottom of baking dish and spread evenly to coat.

Fill each shell with 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture.  Place the filled shells, in a single layer, with the opening up, in the bottom of the casserole dish.  Top each shell with the remaining marinara sauce; then top with drained diced tomatoes; sprinkle the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons grated cheese.

 

Cover dish lightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

 

Serve this with a refreshing green salad and balsamic vinaigrette, see below.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tsp. Honey

½ Tsp. Dijon Mustard, smooth variety

¼ Tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

Notes:

• I use a wild cherry flavored balsamic vinegar; another flavor, or plain balsamic will work just as well.
• Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil;  taste will make a difference in the dressing

In a small mixing bowl, combine vinegar, water, honey, mustard and pepper; wisk to combine;

add olive oil and wisk until thoroughly incorporated.  Pour desired amount over salad greens and lightly toss.

Refrigerate left over dressing in a covered jar.