Description
A comforting and delicious dish made with layers of crispy eggplant, savory tomato sauce, cheese, and spinach.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large eggplants
- Salt (for sweating the eggplants)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 3 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
- Sprinkle salt over the slices and allow them to sweat for about 30 minutes to draw out bitterness.
- Rinse the salted eggplant under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil.
- Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared sheet.
- Drizzle more olive oil over the slices and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until tender and golden.
- Sauté the chopped spinach in a little olive oil until wilted—about 3 minutes.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella, Parmesan, sautéed spinach, basil, and garlic powder in a bowl.
- Spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Layer the baked eggplant slices evenly over the sauce.
- Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the eggplant.
- Repeat the layers, starting with marinara sauce, then eggplant, and the remaining ricotta mixture.
- Top with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.
- Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
This recipe can be made ahead of time and refrigerated before baking. For better results, allow the dish to rest before cutting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 50mg