Eggplant Bake With Ricotta And Spinach Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut eggplant into rounds about 3/4 inch thick. Coat front and back with olive oil. Put eggplant on two baking sheets. Add salt & pepper. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes-flipping them half way. Eggplant should be nice and golden brown. While eggplant bakes, mix the ricotta, eggs, spices and 1 cup of Parmesan together in a small bowl. Add some salt & pepper.
• 2. In an oven safe casserole dish, layer the bottom with a bit of the marinara sauce. Add 1 layer of your eggplant on top, a handful of spinach. Then add more sauce, and a layer of ricotta.
• 3. Repeat until you run out of eggplant. Top layer should be remaining spinach, sauce and Mozzarella cheese. In that order. Reduce oven temp to 375. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until desired brownness. The cheese should be melted and the marinara should be bubbly. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. I served with a salad and crusty bread.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven till tender and golden, about 20-30 minutes (you could also cook eggplant slices on a gas or charcoal grill until tender
• 2. In a bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup of the Romano cheese, fresh basil, salt and pepper.
• 3. Lower temperature to 375. Brush the bottom and the sides of an 2-1/2 to 3 quart square or oblong casserole dish with oil. Place 1/4 of the roasted eggplant down, spread with marinara, more eggplant, half of the ricotta mixture, repeat everything ending with ricotta on top. Spread remaining 1/2 cup of Romano over top.
• 4. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with a side of pasta, if desired.
• 5. ***Important: Let cool for about 15 minutes so that everything sets and it isn't runny.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Season eggplant slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange half the eggplant slices in one layer on bottom of dish, overlapping slices slightly. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper to taste and scatter onion slices evenly over surface.
• With a small spoon, distribute the ricotta in little blobs evenly over surface, then arrange half the smoked mozzarella over the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated provolone.
• Make another layer of overlapping slices with remaining seasoned eggplant. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Top surface evenly with remaining smoked mozzarella and provolone, then sprinkle with Parmesan and pecorino. Arrange anchovy fillets over top and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until eggplant is quite tender when pierced with a fork and top is crisp and golden. (If top seems to be browning too quickly, tent with foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees.) Remove from oven, dust with oregano and let rest at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares. The dish is best served at room temperature, not piping hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush lightly on both sides with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden, turning halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil.
• Lay a fourth of eggplant slices in bottom of prepared dish; spread with half of marinara sauce. Top with another fourth of eggplant; spread with half of ricotta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add wine and cook 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, stock, and basil; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
• For manicotti:
• Place ricotta cheese in strainer set over large bowl. Let stand until excess liquid drains from cheese, about 2 hours. Transfer ricotta cheese to medium bowl. Stir in Asiago cheese, spinach, nutmeg, and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in egg.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil 2 large baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil; arrange on prepared sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until eggplant slices are tender, about 13 minutes. Cool on sheets.
• Place 1 eggplant slice on work surface. Place scant 2 tablespoons ricotta mixture near narrower end of eggplant slice. Roll up, enclosing filling. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices and filling.
• Spread half of sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange eggplant manicotti in single layer atop sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over. (Manicotti can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake manicotti until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
• Available at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Steps:

• Cut eggplant lengthwise then carefully scoop out the middle, leaving a small border all the way around the eggplant half. Drizzle the inside with olive oil, salt and pepper. Do the same with the scooped out eggplant, placed them all on a baking sheet in a preheated 400°F oven until tender and cooked through. When the eggplant is finished cooking, remove it from the oven to cool down. On another baking sheet place one 12-ounce bag of frozen artichoke hearts, a shallot and 3 minced garlic cloves, drizzle everything with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the 400°F oven until artichokes defrosted and tender. Then place everything into a big bowl: the artichoke mixture, the scooped out cooked eggplant, ricotta cheese, red pepper, baby spinach, grated romano cheese, chopped parsley and basil. Pile the mixture high into the scooped out portion of the eggplant and place back into the 400°F oven until ricotta is heated through, about 15 minutes. For a finishing touch drizzle a rich balsamic glaze all over the stuffed eggplant.