Hearty eggplant casserole recipe can easily serve as a filling meatless entree. The combination of eggplant, tomato sauce and melted cheese is wonderful.
If you like eggplant, I think you will love this cheesy eggplant casserole. It’s one of my favorite eggplant recipes.
I found it on the Dr. Oz website, of all places. Unimpressed with the “low fat” title, I still sensed that it had a lot of potential.
The original casserole was very good. But it had too much sauce and too much cheese relative to the eggplant, for my taste. So I adapted it, and arrived at perfection!
The combination of deeply flavorful, roasted eggplant slices, tangy tomato sauce and melted mozzarella combine to create a delicious, pizza-like experience.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty casserole:
- Eggplant
- Salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- Marinara sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Grated Parmesan
How to make eggplant casserole
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- You start by slicing the eggplant and roasting the slices in a hot oven.
- Next, you layer the eggplant slices, the marinara sauce and the mozzarella in a casserole dish.
- Bake until golden and bubbly.
Is it healthy?
I think it is. In addition to the basic nutrition info provided below, it’s a good source of calcium and phosphorus. Eggplants are healthy, as are tomatoes (even store bought sauce).
And as long as you’re healthy and don’t have a specific issue that requires you to limit saturated fat, the saturated fat in cheese shouldn’t scare you, according to current research.
How to serve eggplant casserole?
This casserole can make an excellent side dish. But it is so filling and substantial, that I often serve it as a meatless entree, in which case I divide the casserole into two servings instead of four, and serve it with a green salad.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep great for 3-4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. So it’s actually not a bad idea to make double!
If you wish to double the recipe, simply bake it in a 2-quart baking dish. You can gently warm the leftovers in the microwave, or simply eat them cold.
More eggplant recipes you might enjoy
If you like eggplant, you should definitely try another wonderful eggplant recipe that I make often – eggplant chips. They are so good!
And this low carb moussaka is out of this world. Though it does require a bit more work than most of my other recipes.
Eggplant Casserole
INGREDIENTS
- Avocado oil spray for pan
- 1 large eggplant (1 1/4 lb), unpeeled
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella, divided (4 oz)
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with avocado oil spray.
- Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet. Spray with avocado oil. Season with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Roast 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn the eggplant slices to the other side. Spray again with oil. Return to the oven and roast until browned and tender, 10-15 more minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
- Arrange half of the roasted eggplant slices in the bottom of a greased 1-quart casserole dish. Spread half the marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella, as shown in the video.
- Arrange the remaining eggplant slices on top. Spread the remaining marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and with the Parmesan.
- Bake the eggplant casserole until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
