Best Roasted Eggplant Caprese Towers The Sunday Glutton Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPRESE SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread the eggplant slices on a large tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Leave for 30 minutes; the eggplant will "sweat out" it's bitterness. When ready, pat the eggplant dry.
• Place the eggplant slices and the tomato slices on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the 425 F degree heated-oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on for step # 5.
• When the eggplant and tomatoes are cool enough to handle, bring a small baking dish (about 6"x 9") and begin to assemble the Caprese salad. Arrange the eggplant, tomato, cheese and basil in the baking dish forming a tight row. Repeat the pattern (as you see in the tutorial picture below) until you fill the baking dish side-to-side.
• If you like, place the baking dish in the oven to heat for 7-10 minutes (just until the cheese melts slightly).
• While the Caprese salad warms up, make the basil vinaigrette. In a small food processor, blend the chopped garlic with the basil leaves, olive oil, lime juice and spices.
• When ready, remove the roasted eggplant Caprese salad from the oven and spoon some of the basil vinaigrette on top. Place the extra basil vinaigrette in a bowl to serve next to the salad. Slice a loaf of crusty bread to serve along. Enjoy!

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPRESE STACKS

Steps:

• Wash the eggplant, slice crosswise into ½-inch thick slices, and sprinkle the slices heavily with salt. Place in a strainer for 30 minutes.
• Rinse the eggplant well under cool water; place the slices onto a paper towel to blot dry.
• Place the baking sheet into the preheated 400 degree F.
• Brush a large baking sheet covered with aluminum foil with olive oil and place 8 slices of the eggplant in a single layer onto the baking sheet.
• Top the eggplant with a slice of tomato that fits it the best. The sizes will be a little different. You may need to cut some of the slices in half or quarter to fit the smaller eggplant slices. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and dried oregano to taste.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and the eggplant is tender. During the last few minutes of roasting, turn on the broiler to brown the cheese on top, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• To serve, carefully stack two of the eggplant and tomato slices melted with cheese on top of one another. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and garnish with fresh basil.

CRISPY EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Sprinkle both sides of eggplant rounds generously with salt; place on baking sheet for 15 minutes to draw out moisture. Use paper towels to blot moisture from each side of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Place panko bread crumbs in a second bowl. Dip each side of the eggplant slices in the whisked eggs, then press into the panko crumbs to coat each side. Place slices on a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
• Spray the tops of eggplant generously with cooking spray. Bake 8 minutes in preheated oven. Turn each slice, and spray the other side with cooking spray. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (175 degrees C).
• To make the stacks: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a large slice of eggplant on the parchment. Top with a spoonful of Ragu® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce and a slice of mozzarella. Place another slice of eggplant on the first; repeat the layering process until you have about 5 or 6 slices in a stack. Top with a generous layer of parmesan cheese.
• Bake stacks until the cheese has melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm.