Eggplant Casserole

eggplant

pur-dy eggplant

I still am so inspired by the Josie Natori Fashion Show from Monday.  While we all have to wait until Spring for the beautiful clothing to hit stores, at least now we can be excited that it’s eggplant season! You can find them at any farmer’s market, grocery store, or even corner Korean deli. A big fan of these tasty treats, my go-to signature eggplant dish is a simple but comforting casserole. This is a perfect dish to prepare on a Sunday afternoon and keep in the fridge. It also holds well and can be eaten the next day for lunch leftovers.

Ingredients:

* 2 eggplants

* A cup of flour

* 2 beaten eggs

* A cup of panko (bread crumbs)

* A head of kale/spinach/swiss chard

* 1 chopped onion

* 2 peppers

* 2 zucchinis

* 14oz of tomato sauce

* 1/2 cup of shredded cheese

* salt and pepper as desired

Directions:

* Slice the eggplants into hefty discs

slice

Sliced eggplants.

* Roast the peppers/zucchini/whatever other vegetables you want to throw in the casserole with olive oil and sea salt. 15-20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, or until they look soft and delicious.

veggies in oven

Veggies in oven. YUM.

* Steam the kale.

kale

I have found it important to ALWAYS have kale on hand. It adds extra vitamins and nutrients to ANY meal.

* In a pan, sautee the onion with olive oil until the onions are clear.

sauteed onions

Sauteed onions always makes the home smell delicious. So if you want to impress someone, sautee an onion.

* Once the eggplants are sliced, create three stations: flour, beaten eggs, panko. Dip the eggplant slices in flour first (both sides), then the egg mixture, and then the panko finale.

stations

First two stations

panko

panko finale.

* Then place the nicely coated eggplant on an oiled cooking pan. Once you have coated all of the eggplant slices, bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on each side (flip when golden — around 15 minutes).

dip it

Dip it

bake it

Bake it

* Once the eggplant is cooked, the kale is steamed, and the veggies are roasted, you are ready to layer! The first layer is the kale!

1st layer

1st layer

* Then add the breaded eggplant.

* Add the roasted vegetables.

roasted
roasted veggies

* Add tomato sauce, covering all the veggies and eggplant.

* If you have fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley, add some on top.

tomato sauce

Tomato sauce.

* And the final step is to spread shredded cheese as the final layer! VOILA ready to cook up this layered vegetarian goody!

* Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees and serve warm!

add cheese

Add cheese and place in the oven.

I also love having extra breaded and cooked eggplants on hand. They make a perfect mid-day snack with some cheese on top! Or make them into little tacos with some meat, cheese, and yogurt. Another great meal! Enjoy!

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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10 Comments

  1. Looks great. In my versions of this, I don’t pre-bake or bread the eggplant. THis looks good, though. I will give it a shot!

    • Good idea — I am a complete idiot but should look into it. Thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully we can come up with a system soon…

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