Cheesy Italian Eggplant Delight Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides, and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic powder over the top. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and spinach. Cook and stir for a few minutes until fragrant, and the tomatoes have released their juices. In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
• Place the eggplant slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the spinach mixture. Spoon the cheese mixture over the spinach, and spread into a thin layer. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the cheese layer. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until heated through and the eggplant is easily pierced with a fork.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut eggplants lengthwise into eighteen 1/4-in.-thick slices; reserve leftover pieces. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Coat both sides of eggplant slices with cooking spray; place in a single layer on prepared pans. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake until just pliable (do not soften completely), 10-12 minutes; cool slightly. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Drain spinach and squeeze dry. Chop spinach and set aside., Finely chop leftover eggplant to measure 1 cup (discard remaining or save for another use). In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped eggplant; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, puree, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until flavors are blended., Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients and spinach. Place a rounded tablespoon of filling on the wide end of each eggplant slice; carefully roll up. Place roll-ups over sauce, seam side down. Top with 1-1/2 cups sauce. In a small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake until heated through and bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce and, if desired, sprinkle with parsley.

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
• Salt the slices and leave them to "sweat" for 20 minutes then wipe them off.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180˚C).
• Slather each slice with olive oil.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine all pizza sauce ingredients and stir until homogenous.
• Remove eggplant slices from the oven and pour about 2 tablespoons of the sauce mixture onto each one.
• Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar on each slice.
• Put the slices back in the oven for 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese.
• Allow to cool before serving.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rigatoni according to package instructions but keep it slightly more al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain and rinse pasta under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl while you cook the eggplant.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium. Add half the eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the rigatoni. Repeat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining eggplant and transfer to the bowl.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water, adding up to 1 1/2 cups as needed to create a silky sauce.
• If the skillet is large enough, add the rigatoni and eggplant mixture, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil and toss to coat. Otherwise, add the tomato sauce, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup basil to the large bowl with the rigatoni and eggplant, toss to coat and then return to the skillet or transfer to a greased baking dish.
• Top with remaining 3 cups mozzarella and bake until the sauce is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Top with grated ricotta salata and torn fresh basil to serve.