I left out the ricotta and after I sauteed the cubed eggplant I added the cooked ground beef and spaghetti sauce to the same pan. I use 2 large eggplant and cut about 6 slices out of each and cubed the rest. I added some fresh basil, italian seasoning and oregano to the sauce. I used about 1 1/2 cups of parm cheese for the inside of the casserole and 1 1/2 cups with the panko breadcrumbs for the topping. I made it in a 9x13 pan.
This was tasty. I had to make a few changes because I did not have all the ingredients. I added artichoke hearts as I was short one eggplant and I will probably make that change permanent for future times. I also sliced the eggplant more thinly because I needed to get 10 slices from one eggplant. I feel this helped with folding them in half. I also added chicken to the marinara sauce. I was looking for more of a all in one baked dish. In the future I will decrease the marinara sauce as it was too much for me. I found this took longer to cook and prep than estimated but I find most recipes take longer than stated. This will be one I cook again and again.
We LOVED this recipe. My boyfriend raved about it with every bite. Everything went together so well and the browned crust on top was perfection. This was my first time cooking with eggplants and I was a little concerned about how they would turn out (I've heard they can taste bitter if they're not perfectly ripe) but they were fine and the recipe only brought out he best in their flavor. The only change I made was in regard to the cheese filling: instead of folding over the slices, I layered several eggplant slices on top of the marinara base, then aded the cheese, then added another layer of slices. The slices I had seemed a little too small to fold over. I also used panko bread crumbs. Definitely a keeper recipe.
We have a large family so I made 9 servings. I substituted the pepper jack cheese with an Italian blend that has asiago, provolone and mozzarella because I like the softer cheeses in Italian cooking. I also added an egg to the ricotta to make it less dense. The red pepper added a nice spice to this delicious meatless dish. Instead of making little 'taco' filled eggplant slices, I layered them and baked them in my extra large iron skillet. This did take almost 2 hours from beginning to end to make, but it was well worth it.
This recipe was really delicious! I left out the ricotta cheese because I didn't have any and honestly I would never use it in the future because it was so good without it...which saved lots of calories!
I made this tonight for the first time; I did not change a thing; I did use my own home made marinara sauce. I think the prep time is a little optimistic, though; it did take me a little longer than 15 minutes to prepare, but other than that, this dish is perfect. This was a test run for me because I was thinking of serving it to company, so I wanted to try it out first. Husband loved it as well. I will never make eggplant any other way.
Even though I liked this dish, my kids did not. It was a blander than I was expecting and the crumb topping was too overwhelming. If I make this again, I'd add some thyme or basil to the cheese mixture and cut back on the crumb topping. I also think you could save time by cutting the eggplant in medallions and creating layers. I would recommend roasting or pan frying the eggplant since it tends to be a little mushy if you don't.
I really liked this recipe. First time I ever made an eggplant anything and my meat and potatoes man asked for 2nds. I sure he still prefers his meat and potatoes but I am glad he ventured off the beaten path and enjoyed something else.
Another winner from Chef John! This was easy healthy and delicious. It's going into the 'keeper' file for sure. Even my vegetable-hating husband loved it!
