Best Baked Eggplant Alla Romana Recipes

HOW TO COOK EGGPLANT: OVEN ROASTED EGGPLANT RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
• Slice the eggplant crosswise to make circles, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut off the leafy end only after you are done slicing, so that you'll have more to grab onto as you slice.
• Arrange the eggplant slices on an extra large baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Flip and repeat the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
• Roast the eggplant slices in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, until soft and golden.

VEGAN ROMANIAN EGGPLANT BAKE

Steps:

• Peel eggplants in such a way that 3 strips of skin remain on each eggplant. Cut peeled eggplant into 1/2-inch slices. The strips of skin will prevent the eggplant slices from falling apart while cooking.
• Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot and cook eggplant slices in batches for 1 minute. Pour into a sieve and drain well.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread out eggplant slices on the bottom of the baking dish.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook bell peppers, onions, and garlic until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and layer over eggplant. Add tomato slices; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

BAKED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare a baking dish with non-stick play.
• Arrange eggplant and tomato slices into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables; season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the entire mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Switch oven broiler to high; continue baking until completely browned, about 5 minutes.

ITALIAN BAKED EGGPLANT WITH PARMESAN (PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE)

Steps:

• Place a single layer of eggplant slices in a colander sitting on a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover with a second layer and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant. Place a plate on top and add a weight to put pressure on the eggplant slices. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Rinse eggplant slices under running cold water to wash off all the salt. Pat dry on all sides with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge eggplant slices in flour on both sides and add to the hot oil, working in batches. Deep fry eggplant until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook garlic and onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, 4 basil leaves, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes. Remove sauce from heat. Discard garlic and stir in remaining 4 leaves basil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with a single layer of eggplant slices. Top with more sauce, mozzarella slices, and Parmesan cheese. Continue making layers, a total of 3 to 5, finishing with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

PASTA ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Cook in abundant olive oil, without crowding, sprinkling with salt and adding more oil as needed. You will undoubtedly have to cook in batches; take your time and cook until the eggplant is nicely browned and soft. Remove to a plate; do not drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water to boil and salt it.
• At the end of the cooking the eggplant, the pan will ideally have a couple of tablespoons of oil left. If there's more or less, drain some off or add a bit. Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic and chiles, and cook until the garlic colors a little bit. Add the tomatoes and oregano, along with some salt and pepper; cook until saucy but not too dry, stirring occasionally.
• Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. While it's cooking, cut the eggplant into strips and reheat for a minute in the tomato sauce. Drain the pasta and toss it with the tomato sauce and the eggplant. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then top with the parsley or basil and grated cheese and serve.

MANICOTTI ALLA ROMANA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Saute garlic for 1 minute and stir in ground beef. Cook until well browned and crumbled. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
• Cook spinach according to package directions. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti shells and parboil for half of the time recommended on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the shells from cracking.
• To the ground beef mixture add the cooked spinach and ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cool, add the beaten eggs. Spread 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gently drain the manicotti shells and carefully stuff each one with the meat and cheese mixture; place shells in prepared dish. Lightly cover the dish with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel to prevent shells from cracking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and chicken bouillon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Stir in half and half and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Pour or ladle the sauce evenly over the stuffed shells.
• Stir the basil into the remaining spaghetti sauce. Carefully pour or ladle spaghetti sauce over the white sauce, trying to layer the sauces without mixing.
• Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.

BAKED EGGPLANT ALLA ROMANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry eggplant slices in hot oil until browned thoroughly, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add oil between batches as needed. Drain fried eggplant slices on paper towels and season with salt.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic to the beef; cook and stir until onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes more.
• Pour spaghetti sauce over the ground beef; add oregano and stir. Simmer mixture until sauce is heated through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Arrange about half the eggplant slices into the bottom of a shallow casserole dish to cover completely. Ladle about half the beef sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over the sauce. Repeat layers.
• Beat egg with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese; pour over the top of the casserole.
• Bake in preheated oven until bubbling around the edges and hot in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.