BAKED EGGPLANT ALLA ROMANA

Baked Eggplant Alla Romana image

This recipe was given to me years ago. This casserole freezes well, so when eggplants are in the garden you may use them up.

Provided by Betty Petersen

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 1h10m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 678.3 calories, Carbohydrate 31.4 g, Cholesterol 130.7 mg, Fat 48.9 g, Fiber 9.7 g, Protein 29.9 g, SaturatedFat 12.5 g, Sodium 1030.2 mg, Sugar 16.5 g