BAKED EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

SERVES 6 TO 8

HERE IS MY VERSION of the classic eggplant parmesan. To lighten it up a little, I’ve omitted the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. Once baked, it has a completely soft, almost custardlike quality. A grill pan will give you nice marks on the eggplant, but you can brown the slices in a pan too. You can certainly use the homemade My Tomato Sauce (here), but a good prepared sauce is fine. I like to add a few roughly chopped tomatoes for texture.

2 large eggplants, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for sautéing

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

Dried oregano

Crushed red pepper flakes

⅓ cup roughly chopped fresh basil

2 cups My Tomato Sauce (here) or other good tomato sauce

6 tomatoes, roughly chopped

¾ pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 cup ricotta

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Working in batches, sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and cook the eggplant until it’s softened and browned, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat until all the eggplant is cooked.

Butter the bottom of a medium baking dish and add the garlic. Layer in about one-third of the eggplant, slightly overlapping the slices. Top with a small pinch each of the oregano and red pepper flakes, followed by one-third of the basil, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and ricotta. Repeat the layering two more times. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the top is browned, about 45 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.