Easy Eggplant Bake

By mszcookie

Found this recipe on Pinterest and loved it. Planning to include it in our Christmas Eve meal for my vegan family members.

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 2 Large eggplants, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
• Juice of a lemon
• Oil
• Parmesan cheese - optional for vegan version
• 28oz Can of Tomato, puree
• 1/4 cup Red onion/shallot
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1-2 TBL Fresh herb (thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley or cilantro), chopped
• A Splash of Oil
• Salt

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from tastypalettes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven at 375F. Heat a large skillet, lightly coat the bottom with oil. Toast eggplant slices in batches, laying them in a single layer on the pan. When you take the slices off the pan, hit with a quick squirt of lemon juice.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a sauce pan, sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add tomato puree, red pepper flakes, salt and ½ cup of water. Boil for 12-15 minutes the sauce comes together. Stir in herbs and take off the heat.

Lightly coat 6 ramekins (or a casserole) with oil. Spoon a tbsp of sauce in the bottom. Divide eggplant slices among the ramekins. If needed, apply a little pressure to fit. Spoon remaining sauce, transfer ramekins onto a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, flip the stack onto a plate and serve with shredded parmesan cheese, if desired. Boil some whole wheat noodles and serve as a main dish. Or load up your plate with eggplants and a couple of crusty toasts.

For making this a vegan delight, loose the cheese and enjoy with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The eggplants soak up the tomato juices, and the tomato itself condenses leaving an intense flavor explosion in your mouth. We totally loved it.