Funny I’ve always called this recipe eggplant parmesan but just now, as I wrote the heading for this post, I realized that my recipe doesn’t actually include any parmesan at all. It does however contain delicious grilled eggplant, red pepper and tomato pesto, fresh basil and a smoked cheese, either gouda, mozzarella or cheddar.
I talked just a bit about this recipe when I posted about the red pepper and tomato pesto that I use for it so if you read that post you might remember that this is one of those dishes that starts as one thing and over time becomes more and more your own.
This recipe started off as a copy of individual eggplant parmesan stacks that we used to purchase ready made and with ingredient modifications and laziness has become something similar and yet altogether different. If I were making this for guests that were not family, fancy guests, I might still make these by creating individual stacks of breaded eggplant layered with the other ingredients. They definitely are pretty.
For the everyday though this method uses the least number of steps and takes the least time, freeing me up for other stuff.
The breading was the first thing to go. To be honest I don’t think it makes that much difference.
The next step to simplify was salting my eggplant to draw out the moisture. For this recipe its optional but IMO not at all necessary.
I just slice my eggplant into uniform slices, sprinkle a bit of sea salt over them and throw them on the grill.
Grilling the slices on a hot barbecue produces eggplant that is nicely browned and not at all soggy. Skip that salting and waiting silliness I say!
The eggplant is then layered in a casserole dish with a thin layer of tomato pesto (President’s Choice brand) or homemade pepper and tomato pesto, and some shredded fresh basil. Fresh is absolutely necessary as dried basil doesn’t really taste like much.
Smoked cheese is next and I have used mozza, gouda or smoked cheddar interchangeably. Each does have a slightly different taste but the end result is pretty similar so use what you can find. You could always add some parmesan too!
Repeat layers until all of your eggplant is used up, ending with cheese at the top. I try to take it easy on the cheesy but if you like more, by all means go for it! This recipe will easily scale up or down depending on the crowd you are serving and the size of the eggplants you are buying so the recipe quantities are just a guide.
Easy-peasy and cheesy. What more could a girl ask for?
Cheesy Eggplant Casserole
Ingredients
- Eggplant sliced about 3/8" thick
- sea salt
- tomato or other pesto
- fresh basil sliced thinly
- smoked cheese grated
Instructions
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Salt and grill eggplant on barbecue or under the broiler until nicely browned on both sides and beginning to cook through.
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Layer eggplant, then pesto, basil and finally cheese in a casserole big enough to fit at least 2-3 layers of your eggplant.
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Continue layering until all eggplant is used up, covering your final layer with pesto, basil and cheese.
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Bake in a 350° oven for about 35- 40 minutes, until hot all the way through and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Recipe Notes
I like my casserole to be about 3 layers deep and scale this recipe according to the number of people I am feeding. 1 large eggplant will nicely feed 4.
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