Eggplants
look glorious this time of year. Stack ’em high! This is a
nice vegetarian dish or a great side with a small meat portion.
BTW, I’ve given up on “salting to sweat” eggplant. The
science is shaky and it adds too much salt: just oil them
up and go.
Eggplant Stack
Yield: about 2 servings per eggplant
See Abbreviations, if needed
2 large deep
purple eggplants
1 large Vidalia
or white sweet onion
1-2 bell peppers
3T Italian, Mexican or French seasoning,
of choice
1/4C EVOO
S/P to taste, but don’t over salt the
eggplant
2C tomato sauce, of choice
3/4C freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Slice the eggplant into rounds 1/2 inch thick
(3 per serving); leave the skin on for now
3. Slice peeled onions into thin rounds and set aside
4. Slice the bell pepper into rings ¼ inch
thick, clean out the center of the rings
5. Place the eggplant rounds on a greased sheet pan
(or Pam sprayed)
6. Dust generously with seasoning and drizzle generously
with EVOO
8. Place a bell pepper ring of each eggplant
9. Place an onion round on top of each pepper ring
pepper ring
9. Bake at 400F for about 22 minutes
10. Prepare the tomato sauce
11. Remove sheet pan from oven and let cool, leave the oven on
12. To assemble and serve:
Remove the pepper and onion from each eggplant round and set aside
Remove eggplant skins (optionaluse a scissors)
Drizzle tomato sauce over each eggplant round
Dust generously with the grated cheese. Replace the pepper
and onion and add
a little more sauce and cheese
Repeat with two more eggplant/pepper/onion combinations–creating
a stack three high
Add remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese
Return sheet pan to oven to reheat the stacks and melt the cheese,
about 8 minutes
Serve immediately on heated plates as a vegetarian entree or with
meat or poultry
