Just what I wanted


I have been craving an eggplant casserole for weeks but I haven't found a recipe that sounded good. So I took parts of a couple of different recipes and combined them to make up this recipe! It is almost like a lasagna, except you use slices of eggplant instead of the pasta.

Enjoy!!



1/2 of an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 stalk of celery, diced
couple pats of butter (or you could use extra virgin olive oil)
2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes (I used one that had garlic and onions and the other was fire roasted tomatoes)
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
couple shakes of dried oregano
couple shakes of dried basil

1 large eggplant, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
1 egg, beaten
bread crumbs
oil for frying

1 container of Ricotta cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Heat a pan with butter, once melted add the onions and celery. Saute until soft, then add the garlic, cook for a few minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Simmer this for apx 25 minutes (this can simmer while you get the eggplant ready).





Heat vegetable oil for frying. I sliced the eggplant in about 1/2 inch slices. Dip each slice in the egg, then the bread crumbs. Fry until the slices are slightly browned then place on a plate with a paper towel to soak up extra oil. Continue to cook until done.


Combine the ricotta cheese and the mozzarella in a bowl, set aside.




Add a thin layer of the tomato sauce in a 8x12 pan. Add a layer of the fried eggplant slices, then add a spoonful of the cheese mixture across the eggplant. After you add the cheese then add a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce across the top. Repeat for a second layer. I ended up having more cheese on my second level because I didn't add enough of the first layer. Once you have the layers done, add extra mozzarella cheese to the top, to make sure it is very cheesy!



Cover the eggplant and cook for 30 minutes in an oven heated to 375 degrees. After 30 minutes, take off the cover and cook for another 15 or so minutes.