Best New Orleans Eggplant Casserole Recipes

CREOLE EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Peel the eggplants and cut them into large cubes. Place the cubes in a large saucepan and sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add 2 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let cook until the eggplant is soft, about 45 minutes. Drain off the water and mash the eggplant well with a potato masher, or puree in a food processor or blender.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Brown the ground beef in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour off the excess fat. Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir well, cover, and let cook until the vegetables are transparent, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme, the rest of the salt and the peppers, and cook for 5-7 minutes more. Mix in the pureed eggplant, cook 2 minutes more, and remove from heat. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of the bread crumbs.
• Butter a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs. Pour in the eggplant mixture and bake in the oven until bubbling and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

EGGPLANT, OYSTER, AND TASSO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Pour the oysters into a bowl and check for bits of shell. Strain the oyster liquor through a fine sieve into a small bowl and set aside. Set drained oysters aside in a small bowl.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk in the flour. Whisk in the reserved oyster liquor and stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Whisk in the cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, hot sauce, and nutmeg. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep the sauce warm.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, tasso, garlic, sage, and rosemary. Cook until the eggplant is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the eggplant mixture into a colander to drain for 5 minutes. Stir together the crumbs, parsley, melted butter, oil, and cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
• To assemble the gratin, spread about one-third of the oyster liquor sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon the eggplant mixture into the dish. Arrange the oysters in a single layer over the eggplant mixture and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the entire dish. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

DONALD LINK'S EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For the béchamel: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk until pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add milk, salt, white pepper and nutmeg, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• For the casserole: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and thoroughly coat both sides with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Roast until fully cooked, 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from heat but do not turn off oven. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, sauté merguez until browned and fully cooked. Remove from heat and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
• Oil an 8-by-11, 2-inch-deep baking dish. Spread one-third of béchamel in baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, then half the fontina and half the merguez. Coat with half of the remaining béchamel. Top with remaining eggplant, fontina and merguez. Spread with remaining béchamel and the Parmesan.
• Bake until hot, bubbling and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to rest for a minute or two, then serve.

LOUISIANA EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Butter a casserole dish and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cover eggplant with boiling salted water; let stand for five minutes; drain well.
• Brown onion, bell pepper and meat in bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about five minutes.
• Add tomato puree and heat thoroughly.
• Add drained eggplant and remaining ingredients.
• Place in prepared casserole, cover and bake for 1/2 hour; remove cover, increase temperature to 400F and bake for an additional 15 minutes until golden brown on top.