This cheesy and low-carb easy eggplant casserole recipe is one of the best flavorful dishes you can serve as a main or a side.
If you are looking for a meatless vegetarian entree to make this Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, or football party, or for your meatless Monday, then you are at the right place. Add this easy, no-fail recipe to your menu. Even meat lovers are going to enjoy this one.
About
If you love eggplant or aubergine, you will love this recipe and make it a frequent item in the kitchen. This dish is flavorful and meaty, making this the best choice for those switching from a non-vegetarian to a vegetarian diet.
To make this Italian-style Eggplant casserole: Eggplants are first roasted in the oven and then arranged in a casserole dish along with the marinara sauce, cheese, and pepper or pepper flakes. The combination is not only delicious but also a healthy form of pizza. Eggplant acts like the base of your pizza which is low in carbs and healthy.
I prefer the oven-roasting method to cook the eggplants instead of deep frying. Eggplants soak up oil like a sponge, making the fried eggplants greasy and heavy.
Ingredients
- 2 Large Eggplants or Aubergine, unpeeled (approx 1 kg or 2 pounds)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- ½ teaspoon Italian Pizza seasoning, optional
- ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes or black pepper powder, optional
- 1 cup Marinara sauce (pizza sauce)
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (can add a little extra if desired)
How to make the best cheesy eggplant casserole?
How to roast eggplant or aubergine?
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and keep it ready.
Nicely wash the eggplants and cut them into rounds of ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. No need to peel the skin of the eggplants.
Arrange these slices in the prepared baking pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle salt. Roast it for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove it from the oven. Flip all the slices - drizzle oil and salt, and roast for another 10 to 12 minutes.
Arrange eggplant casserole:
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Lightly spread one or 2 tablespoon of marinara sauce in your casserole dish. Arrange half of the roasted eggplant slices. Spread half portion of the sauce and cheese on top of the eggplant slices. If needed, season it with pizza seasoning and pepper flakes. Check the video here.
Arrange the remaining eggplant slices, followed by the remaining marinara sauce and cheese.
Bake until the top becomes golden and bubbly for 10 to 15 minutes.
Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with herbs of your choice or simply with spring onions.
Pro Tips
For extra flavor, you can use herbs like parsley, basil, or cilantro.
I added salt while roasting eggplants. Adding a pinch of salt will improve the dish's flavor.
Variations
This recipe is simple and the best. No alterations are needed. But here are a few options that you can consider to make your casserole a little different.
Love mushrooms? Add sauteed (or oven-roasted) mushrooms along with eggplants while making layers.
Want bacon or beef in everything you eat? Roast them in an oven or cook them on the stovetop until they develop color, and then add it along with the eggplant layers.
You can substitute mozzarella with provolone, gruyère, Monterey jack, cheddar, or any melting cheese you love and top it with freshly grated parmesan if desired.
Old Fashioned Southern Eggplant Casserole
To make old-fashioned southern eggplant casserole, you have to beat egg in a bowl to which you add crushed crackers, milk, cheddar cheese, butter, and salt to taste as required to which the roasted eggplants are tossed and baked.
Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole (Greek Moussaka Recipe)
Moussaka is a different-style dish than the cheesy eggplant casserole recipe presented here. To make Moussaka, you first need to make two sauces: one is a meat sauce, and the second is greek style bechamel sauce. Finally, in the casserole dish, you arrange layers by adding eggplants and two sauces and topping with bread crumbs. Stay tuned for a detailed recipe of my favorite Moussaka with Eggplant dish.
Serving suggestions
I love serving eggplant as a main dish (entree), along with steamed broccoli and toasted bread. This is my family's favorite way of eating this casserole. Sometimes we also like to serve it with spaghetti pasta.
This dish can also be served as a side with roast chicken or Thanksgiving turkey, pork roast, or steak.
Storage suggestion
Leftovers are very rare for this dish. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave just until heated through.
Make ahead
If you are making this for holidays, you can also arrange the casserole a day or 2 in advance and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminium foil and refrigerate. On the day of serving, just follow the baking instructions given above.
FAQ
Cut the eggplants into the desired shape - rounds, cubes, or stripes. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt. Bake in the oven, flipping halfway through until it is tender. Using too much oil or roasting on low heat for an extended time will make the eggplants mushy.
No. Peeling eggplant is not at all necessary. The skin's texture becomes super tender as you bake it. Also, the eggplants will hold their shape (not fall apart) when cooked with skin-on.
The eggplant must be firm (not soft) to the touch and wrinkle-free.
If your eggplants are not fresh, then there are chances that they may be bitter. It is believed that soaking eggplant slices in salted water for a few minutes (10 to 20 minutes) and then patting the eggplants dry with a paper towel ensures that it removes the bitterness. But remember that soaking the eggplants can also make them mushy upon roasting. Hence skip this soaking step if you are using fresh eggplants.
Yes. You can even roast them in the pan, but it needs your time and presence around the stove as you will have to roast them in batches. Whereas in the oven, it is a lot easier. Spread the eggplant slices on one or several baking sheets, put them to bake, and then, after a few minutes, flip the slices and continue to bake until done. No mess at all.
Yes. Any variety of eggplant works for this recipe. Depending on the size, the eggplants you need may differ.
Video
Check out the video here on making cheesy eggplant casserole.
Recipe card
Easy Eggplant Casserole Recipe - Vegetarian | Italian Eggplant Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Baking pan
- 1 Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 Large Eggplant, unpeeled (approx, 1 kg or 2 pounds)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Olive oil, just to drizzle
- ½ teaspoon Italian Pizza seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes or black pepper powder
- 1 cup Marinara sauce (pizza sauce)
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (can add little extra if desired)
Instructions
How to roast eggplant?
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and keep it ready.
- Nicely wash the eggplants and cut them into rounds of ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. No need to peel the skin of the eggplants.2 Large Eggplant, unpeeled
- Arrange these slices in the prepared baking pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle salt. Roast it for 10 to 12 minutes.¼ teaspoon Salt, Olive oil, just to drizzle
- Remove it from the oven. Flip all the slices - drizzle oil and salt, and roast for another 10 to 12 minutes.
Arrange eggplant casserole:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly spread one or 2 tablespoon of marinara sauce in your casserole dish. Arrange half of the roasted eggplant slices. Spread half portion of the sauce and cheese on top of the eggplant slices. If needed, season it with pizza seasoning and pepper flakes. Check the video here.½ teaspoon Italian Pizza seasoning, ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes or black pepper powder, 1 cup Marinara sauce (pizza sauce), 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (can add little extra if desired)
- Arrange the remaining eggplant slices, followed by the remaining marinara sauce and cheese.
- Bake until the top becomes golden and bubbly for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with herbs of your choice or simply with spring onions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Chethana Hegde
Very easy recipe for a working woman. Loved this