Description
Roasted eggplant towers with cheesy ricotta blend, homemade spaghetti sauce and fresh basil. An easy, gourmet meal for your loved ones.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium to large eggplant
- 2 quarts of homemade spaghetti sauce (or your favorite jarred sauce)
- 1 box of spaghetti (any kind)
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan for topping (optional)
- 1 small package of sliced, fresh mozzarella rounds
- 1 bunch basil for topping (optional)
- Olive oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ricotta filling
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons shallot (or any onion)
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the tops and bottoms of the eggplant. Slice the eggplant into thick, round slices of at least ½” – my video shows this well. If you cut the eggplant too thin it will fall apart and won’t make strong towers.
- Drizzle a teaspoon or so of olive oil on a large sheet pan. Use a pastry brush or paper towel to spread in onto the pan.
- Place eggplant rounds side by side on the sheet pan.
- Put some olive oil in a small dish (ramekin) and brush the olive oil onto the tops of the eggplant.
- Turn the eggplant and brush the other side of the eggplant with olive oil. Lightly salt and pepper just ONE side of the eggplant.
- Your oven should be preheated to 425 degrees. Put the eggplant in the oven. Cooking time will vary by oven, but should take around 30-40 minutes total. You should flip the eggplant over at the half-way point. Mostly, you’re looking for golden brown eggplant. This is when it is the most delicious!
- While the eggplant is cooking, finely dice your garlic and shallot.
- Put finely diced shallots in a small pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat on low for a couple of minutes and stir.
- While the shallots are cooking, finely dice the parsley and set aside.
- Grate or shred your fresh parmesan cheese. You can use the stuff that comes already shredded in a bag too. I almost always have a block of fresh parmesan on hand so I used that.
- Check your shallots, they should be translucent and browning a little. Add the garlic here and a splash more olive oil. Give it a stir and cook for a minute or two until garlic is fragrant.
- Once your eggplant is finished cooking set it aside for a minute and make the ricotta mix. Leave the oven on.
- To a medium to large bowl add: ricotta cheese, parsley, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, shallot and garlic mixture and salt.
- Assemble the eggplant towers. Start with one large eggplant round on the bottom. Spoon the ricotta mixture on top of that and even it out with a spatula, if needed. Another eggplant round. A slice of fresh mozzarella. One more eggplant round for the top. Layering order from the bottom up: eggplant, ricotta mix, eggplant, sliced mozzarella, eggplant. Repeat until all eggplant pieces are used.
- Once your eggplant towers are built, add a small handful of shredded mozzarella to the top or each tower.
- Bake the eggplant towers at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Ovens vary so yours may take a little more or less time. Keep checking it to make sure the cheese doesn’t burn.
- If you’re making pasta with this, your water should have been heating and boiling at this point. Cook your pasta per box instructions.
- You should also be heating your red sauce. I used my homemade spaghetti sauce which I highly recommend. I always have frozen containers on hand for recipes like this. You can also use your own favorite homemade sauce or jarred sauce as well.
- While the eggplant is cooking slice the fresh basil if you’re using it. Basil bunches vary in size. Sometimes they are teeny tiny, sometimes enormous. Use as much basil as you want. For 6 portions, start with 20 basil leaves. Stack in two piles of 10 leaves each. Roll the stack of basil leaves, then slice it into strips.
- Plate the eggplant! One tower per plate served with pasta. For presentation, I spoon the spaghetti sauce over the eggplant and garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and the fresh basil. Enjoy!!
Notes
- I have 2 quarts of sauce in the recipe card but if you need more go for it. I know some people prefer a little sauce and some want a LOT of sauce. Heat what you need.