Eggplant Ricotta Bake

Finally, I made a new meal that turned out well and Eric loved. I wish I could say my family loved it as well but Arielle was out with friends and Kai wouldn’t dare try eggplant or ricotta cheese. Kai sat with us for dinner anyway and ate his microwaved macaroni and cheese.. right out of the container. No plate. We left the TV on like bad parents and enjoyed our eggplant bake while watching Exporting Raymond. It was good enough for us to break our no TV during dinner rule.

Here is where I found the recipe. I think it was the video that made me try it. The chef whipped it together in minutes leaving me thinking I could do the same. I’ve always been a dreamer.

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggplants slice lengthwise 3/4 inch thick
• Olive oil
• 1 jar of marinara sauce
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
• oregano
• salt and pepper
• 8 inch square baking dish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

First, take the eggplant and …

brush it with oil on both sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper on there too.

Hmmm. Do you see something wrong with this picture? Don’t let the fact that there’s oil on the eggplant fool you into thinking you don’t need to oil or spray the pan. Guess what happened? After baking, my lovely eggplant had to be peeled from the two pans. Eric kept saying “we should have put more oil on.” We meaning me but after over twenty years together he’s smart enough to say “we.” The perfectionist that he is was very concerned about the eggplant bits and pieces. I shrugged and said “ahhh, It will be fine.” And it was. Smiley face.

Cook at 450 for 10 minutes. Flip them over. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Next, mix together the ricotta, eggs,1/2 cup of Parmesan and oregano. Then brush the baking dish with oil.

Looking at this picture I’m thinking I should have at least sliced the ricotta in half. Oh well. You get the idea. The exciting news is that while I was taking this picture Eric told me he read that food photographers use a specific kind of camera and lens. I jumped in with, “Yeah! I think I need one of those.” (I’ve only been hinting since November.)

Before I get to the last step of layering I’m going to make a suggestion. Cover a baking sheet with foil and set the 8 inch oiled pan on top. This way you won’t get all excited when you’re done layering and pop it into the oven all by itself. Because I’ve heard that when the eight inch pan is on the oven rack the marinara sauce boils  and spills all over the oven. Could be just a rumor but it’s probably best not to take any chances.

Layer – eggplant – marinara sauce…

More eggplant – ricotta mixture – eggplant – marinara – ricotta – Parmesan

Bake for 20 minutes until it spills all over your oven. I mean until it’s a pretty golden color.

 Enjoy while watching Exporting Raymond. It’s educational and very funny.