A few weeks ago on a random Thursday night, Shane headed into Boston after work to meet a few friends and see the Dropkick Murphys play at Fenway Park. I like them too, but I’m not a big enough fan to tackle the traffic and crowds that would be involved. Instead, I stayed home and watched the NFL season kickoff with the Packers-Saints game. I probably caught a bit of the Red Sox game too, though I may have changed the channel pretty quickly since this September’s meltdown has almost been too brutal to watch. I also took advantage of the fact that I would be eating dinner by myself to try this eggplant parmesan casserole recipe I’d had my eye on for quite a while. While I generally like casseroles because they make enough food to feed us for days, I love this one for the very opposite reason. It yields a tiny casserole that only feeds two people. As nice as it is to have leftovers sometimes, Shane won’t touch eggplant so a full size casserole would be far too much food for just me. Even I have my limits when it comes to leftovers.
This recipe does deviate a bit from other eggplant parmesan recipes I’ve seen – maybe that’s where the “casserole” part comes in? Generally, the eggplant is breaded and then either fried or baked before being layered between tomato sauce and plenty of delicious melted cheese. Here, the eggplant is simply oven-roasted until tender and golden. Into the baking dish it goes with a simple homemade tomato sauce and a cheesy mixture of ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella. Skipping the breading definitely cuts back on the prep work for the dish, and since it’s topped with a panko mixture, you still get a little bit of crispy texture in each bite. It was delicious that first night and when I reheated the leftovers for lunch the following day, I enjoyed them just as much. I didn’t discover I liked eggplant until just a few years ago, and boy do I feel like I missed out for a lot of years. I hope to plant it in our little garden next year so I can eat it even more often!
Eggplant Parmesan Casserole
from America’s Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2011
{The recipe calls for an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 baking dish – I didn’t have one and just substituted the next closest thing I had.}
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), sliced into 3/4-inch rounds
3 teaspoons minced garlic, divided (about 3 cloves)
1 1/4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
4 oz (about 1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
1 oz (about 1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg yolk
4 oz (about 1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and brush the parchment with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Spread the eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until golden brown, about 35-45 minutes, flipping the eggplant halfway through. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil along with 2 teaspoons of the garlic over medium heat. Don’t walk away – you want the garlic fragrant but not burnt (and it happens quickly). Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until thickened (it should measure about 1 cup), 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat under the pan, then add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Stir together the ricotta, 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the egg yolk, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.
Layer the casserole: spread 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of an 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 baking dish (see note above), followed by half of the roasted eggplant, 1/4 cup more tomato sauce, half of the ricotta mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat that process once more.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil that you’ve sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and panko. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the filling is bubbling, take the casserole out of the oven, remove the foil and sprinkle the panko mixture evenly over the top. Continue baking, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown and crisp, about 20-25 more minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
This is my kind of meal!
Mmm, that looks warm and delicious for the start of fall.
LOVE eggplant and it’s always in our garden. This looks delicious and since B does like eggplant I can make this smaller version.
Oo a two serving casserole! I love big casseroles for all the leftovers for lunches it provides, but it can get boring eating the same thing every day for lunch for a week! Really love this.
Gosh, I’ve had an eggplant of just the right size in the fridge for several days. It’s supposed to be for a Thai-style thing with peanut sauce. But this looks awfully tempting. You know, sometime if you think of it, try using whole canned tomatoes which you crush with your hands or with 2 or 3 pulses of the food processor. I’ve had this sense for a while that they are tastier than crushed and would love to have you give me a reality check. Of course you would need to write to scrout1944@msn.com.
I always have trouble finding recipes for two! I love this.
@Stephen – I’ve heard that too, I keep meaning to try it. I’ll let you know when I finally do π
@Ali – Cook’s Illustrated makes a book full of recipes for two, might be worth checking if your library has a copy!
There is an eggplant in my fridge just waiting to turn into this casserole!
Great idea! I don’t think anyone will touch eggplant in this family other than me…so this is perfect~
This recipe sounds wonderful. I love eggplant and ricotta, and the creaminess of the two would be divine together.
Eggplant parm is one of my favorite meals! This sounds and looks lovely.
Every time I shop for groceries I look longingly at the plump, purple eggplant and wonder, “but what will I make with it?” Thanks to this recipe, this time will be different! Thanks for the post.
looks great! a bit like parmagiana!
It sounds and looks yummy! Sometimes it’s nice when the boyfriend’s away and you can make something you can’t have usually π Mine are red peppers and Indian curries!
I love that this is a casserole for two! It’s just me and my husband at home, and sometimes the big casseroles get to be too much for us. Thanks for sharing!
This looks amazing! I’m the only eggplant eater in my house, too, so the size is perfect.
This is so perfect for me. My husband won’t touch eggplant, either, but I love it. Looks like he’s going to have a grilled cheese night very soon. π
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
I made an eggplant casserole last weekend and loved it. It was my first successful attempt in cooking with eggplant (have had some failed attempts in the past). It’s from Cook Illustrated and I loved the technique of baking the panko crusted eggplant. I like that your version skips that step. As much as I loved the casserole, it was a lot of work. Now that I’ve got Hubby on board with eggplant, we’ll have to give this dish a try.
If you end up planting eggplant next year, take my advice and don’t plant all 6 of the plants that come in the little package like I did. We like eggplant, but we harvested 12 this morning! I am definitely needing the recipes!
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was so so good! I made a mistake by cutting the eggplant too thin, so I ended up adding no bake lasagna noodles, and it was perfect!
Thanks for the recipe!
Do you think this would freeze well? Maybe put together but not baked?
Leigh
@Leigh – Most casseroles usually do, but I’ve never attempted to freeze eggplant so to be honest, I’m not sure. It’s part of the reason I chose to make this one since it only feeds two people π If you do try to freeze it, let me know how it goes!
My 16-year-old daughter made this for dinner for the two of us and it was SO GOOD. This recipe will replace lasagna for us from now on. Thank you!!