Roasted eggplant, garlic, onions, chickpeas and tomatoes are primary ingredients in this eggplant casserole.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
“It tastes good,” Mark said somewhat grudgingly after he tasted the casserole I made last weekend. “But you could have used smaller eggplants and sliced them thinner.”
Can you guess my husband and fellow Times Leader test cook might not be the biggest fan of this purple vegetable? Here’s another clue: “You could have left the eggplant out of this casserole entirely,” Mark said.
That would have left us with a dish of just chickpeas, tomatoes, a few other vegetables, a lot of garlic, and some mozzarella — and I’m sure that would have made a fine entree. But I liked having eggplant in the mix, too. And I thought it was especially tasty because I’d roasted those eggplant slices before using them to form the bottom layer of the casserole.
Our friend and neighbor Roger called the casserole “hearty and filling.” I’ll take that as a thumbs up.
My mom said it was good, but she really would have preferred some pesto over pasta. “Don’t you usually make pesto on Saturday?” she asked. (Hint. Hint.) I’m counting that as, maybe, half a thumb up.
With these mixed results, I’m glad I didn’t take samples to the newsroom taste testers, who can be harder to please than my little neighborhood gang.
If I had taken samples to the newsroom, I also would have come armed with information about the benefits of eggplant, which comes in several colors but is often distinctly purple. Here’s a quote I like that comes from the website of Colorado State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences: “The beautiful purple color comes from anthocyanins, a pigment that may help decrease inflammation and even reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.”
Eggplant contains other antioxidants as well as minerals and fiber. All to the good.
The recipe I used came from a website called wholesome.yum, and here it is:
EGGPLANT CASSEROLE
2 pounds eggplant (sliced into 1/4-inch-thick circles)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion (diced)
1 large bell pepper (diced)
8 cloves garlic (minced)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and dried)
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Topping:
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Roast the eggplant slices in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft. When done, remove from the oven and leave the oven on at 400 degrees F.
While the eggplant is roasting, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until soft and starting to brown.
Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for about 2 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Assembly:
Line the bottom of a large baking dish with a single layer of roasted eggplant slices. Spread half of the filling mixture over the eggplant, then top with a layer of shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers of eggplant, filling, and cheese again.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Place under the broiler and broil for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
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