Eggplant Casserole

Eggplant Casserole:
Facebook Status October 21, 2008

Eggplant casserole is my favorite. I invented this recipe when I was faced with too much eggplant. It's a one-bowl recipe and a crowd-pleaser. It's great with white bean soup and beer bread. The best part is, it's an incredibly flexible recipe. You can add in whatever veggies are in the fridge except probably carrots and potatos, which might cook too slowly and be awkwardly crunchy. I like to use feta cheese because it's low-fat, cheap at the local market, and it doesn't melt and get too gooey, and it adds a really nice mediterranean flavor and saltiness.

Why this is delicious: there's lots of soft, crunchy, salty cheese and veggies between layers of chewy eggplant. You can make it kosher for passover by substituting matza meal for the breadcrumbs, and vegetable substitutions are fine. Just play around with this recipe; anything is good.

1 eggplant
olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2-3 tomatos, chopped
chopped olives (optional)
1-2 cups feta
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (you can make these by toasting bread and crumbling it)
Rosemary, basil, oregano to taste (fresh or dry is fine)
salt and pepper to taste

9x13 pan

Spread 1tbsp olive oil over the bottom of the pan. Slice the eggplant thinly and lay half of it across the bottom of the pan. Top with a little more oil and a layer or breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, mix chopped veggies, cheese, another tsp or so of oil, and herbs and spices. Pour veggie cheese mix over eggplant pan and put another layer of eggplant, oil, and crumbs over it to top it off.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.