recipe 12: eggplant with tomatoes, ricotta, and parmigiano

Another fabulous, vegetarian recipe from the “Williams Sonoma Essentials for Healthful Cooking”.

eggplant with tomatoes, ricotta, and parmigiano

1 eggplant (aubergine)
Kosher salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut ends off of eggplant and slice into 8 slices; lengthwise. Chop the outer slices (mostly skin) and reserve. On a baking sheet, lightly sprinkle both sides of eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 1 hour. Rinse the slices and dry with paper towels. Brush with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove

In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a large, nonstick pan. Add the onion and reserved chopped eggplant. Saute, stirring until tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add tomatoes, their juice, and half of the basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, stirring until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add pepper.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta and parmesan cheese with a grind of pepper.

In a shallow baking dish (1.5qt), place a single layer of eggplant, followed by the ricotta mixture. Spoon half the tomato mixture on top of the ricotta, followed by a final layer of eggplant. Top with remaining tomato mixture, sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, until sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining basil.

This recipe was listed under side dishes, but seemed hearty enough as a main dish, so that’s how I prepared it, served with whole wheat pasta, and a green salad. It fell apart coming out of the baking pan, so it doesn’t look good, but my husband requested that I make it again.