ITALIAN LAYERED VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Italian Layered Vegetable Casserole image

How to make Italian Layered Vegetable Casserole

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

2 medium eggplants
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly (or 2-4 cups sliced vegetables of your choice, such as mushrooms)
chopped parsley, garnish
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar or other sweetener (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 cup spinach, firmly packed

Steps:

Instructions Peel the eggplants, if desired (this makes the casserole easier to cut). Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Pre-cook the slices until they are partially dehydrated:
To microwave, cover the bottom of the microwave with two layers of paper towels. Place eggplant slices in a single layer and cook on high power for 8-10 minutes, until reduced in size and beginning to shrivel. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
To pre-cook in the oven, place on a silicone baking mat or parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake at 450 F until slices are shriveled but not brown or crispy. Remove immediately from paper towels or baking sheet and place on a plate. While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the sauce, if you're making it from scratch. Sauté the onion in a non-stick skillet until softened; add the garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside. Remove 1/2 cup of the diced tomatoes and set aside. Put remaining tomatoes and sauce ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Add reserved tomatoes and onions to blender and stir to combine (do not blend). Prepare the filling by placing all ingredients into a food processor and processing until smooth. Preheat oven to 425. Spray a mid-sized rectangular casserole dish (I used 11×7-inch) with canola oil or non-stick spray. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish-just barely enough to cover the bottom. Arrange 1/3 of the eggplant slices over the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the bean filling over the eggplant, and put half of the zucchini or other vegetables over the filling. Drizzle lightly with sauce. Repeat eggplant, filling, zucchini, and sauce. Place the final layer of eggplant over the top, and pour the remaining sauce evenly over it, spreading it to cover the eggplant completely. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Check to make sure that zucchini is cooked and sauce has thickened; if not, add more time. Remove when done and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley as garnish.