Baked Eggplant Marinara Food

CHEESY MARINARA BAKED EGGPLANT SLICES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut top of eggplant. Slice horizontally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Toss with salt and let sit while oven heats up. After sitting for 30 minutes, pat eggplant dry with paper towels.
• Arrange eggplant slices, laying flat, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven.
• In a shallow baking pan, spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. Nestle eggplant slices into pan, it's fine if they are touching.
• Put a dollop of marinara sauce onto each eggplant slice. Top with torn muenster slices, then a leaf of basil. Top each stack with another eggplant slice, then spread about 1 cup of sauce over the entire dish. Top with torn muenster slices, to cover the dish.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dish is bubbling and cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with more basil and red pepper flakes. Serve.

ROASTED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT MARINARA

Steps:

• Char the skins of sweet and hot peppers to black under a broiler with oven door slightly ajar, to prevent steam build up or place directly over stovetop flame. Cover the charred peppers and cool, peel, and seed. Reserve.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut head garlic to expose the cloves, dress in extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Press the garlic into the chopped rosemary and coat the cut cloves. Wrap the garlic up in foil and roast 40 to 45 minutes, until soft but still moist.
• Halve the eggplant lengthwise and brush with extra-virgin olive oil. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on baking sheet and roast to very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the eggplant until easy to handle, then scoop the flesh away from skins and add to a food processor with roasted garlic and roasted sweet and hot peppers, then puree.
• In saucepan, heat the stock and tomatoes. If the tomatoes are whole, break them up. Stir in the eggplant-pepper mixture and add basil and oregano, salt, and pepper, to taste.
• Simmer sauce to combine flavors then cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• Reheat over medium heat.
• Boil long, curly pasta in salted water to al dente, toss the pasta with sauce and serve with cheese and a sprinkle fresh parsley.

BAKED EGGPLANT MARINARA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil baking sheet. Sprinkle eggplant rounds with salt and pepper. Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl. Coat eggplant rounds with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture, patting to adhere.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 eggplant rounds to skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant rounds. Spread 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese over each round. Top each with sauce and mozzarella cheese, dividing equally. Bake until rounds are heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

EASY RICOTTA EGGPLANT MOZZARELLA MARINARA BAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Place flour in a shallow bowl.
• Place the slightly beaten eggs in another bowl.
• Mix the fresh bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together with black pepper and a pinch of salt, then place the breadcrumb mixture in another bowl (you should have three separate bowls).
• Coat the eggplant slices in flour, then in eggs, then in the bread crumb mixture, patting down with fingers to adhere the crumbs to the eggplants.
• Up to this point you can cover the slices and refrigerate to finish later.
• Heat oil in a large skillet.
• Add in 2 eggplant slices; cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side).
• Transfer to prepared greased baking sheet in a single layer, but close together (if you can't fit all of the slices in one layer then just overlap them).
• Repeat with remaining slices.
• Spread about 2-3 tablespoons ricotta cheese over each eggplant.
• Top each slice with marinara (you do not have to completely cover with sauce) then sprinkle grated mozzeralla on top.
• Bake the slices about 15-17 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the marinara is hot.