- 4
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 2 eggplants
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups fresh tomato sauce, or 2 cups
- 8 basil leaves, torn up
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes, drained; or crushed tomatoes in puree
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or butter; 2-4 tbsp
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Step 1
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Slice eggplant 1/3" thick. Season with salt and let stand 30-60 minutes. Blot dry.
3. Heat broiler.
4. Brush both sides of eggplant with oil and broil until browned. Turn and broil until browned again. Season lightly.
5. Make sauce: Simmer tomatoes-oil 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until excess water is cooked off and oil is separated. Season to taste.
6. Warm sauce with half of basil. Spread about 1/3 over the bottom of a sprayed 2-quart gratin dish. Make an overlapping layer of eggplant. Top with half of mozzarella, rest of basil, parmesan. Add rest of eggplant, then top with rest of sauce.
7. Bake until bubbling and hot, about 30 minutes.
Notes: Excellent - although admittedly with some alterations. Added brown sugar to the sauce as it was too tart, used fresh mozzarella and smoked mozzarella and some romano on top. Doubled the basil. Delicious!