No-Fry Eggplant Marinara Casserole
- 2 eggplants, sliced into ½-inch rings
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Nonstick spray
- 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved into thin strips
- 4 cups Marinara Sauce without the pasta or 4 cups purchased marinara sauce
Instructions:
We’ve taken some of the weight out of this Italian-American favorite to give brighter, fresher flavors.
- Lightly salt the eggplant slices and stand them up in a colander or lay them out on paper towels on the counter to sweat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Blot the eggplant dry with paper towels. Spray two lipped baking sheets with nonstick spray and lay the eggplant slices evenly and in one layer across them. Place one tray on each rack and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, then reverse the trays top to bottom.
- Continue baking until the slices are a little dried out and firm, about 10 more minutes. After you remove them from the oven, lower the top rack so that it’s in the middle of the oven (be careful—it’s hot) and maintain the oven’s temperature.
- Spoon about 1 cup Marinara Sauce into a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Lay half the eggplant slices in the dish, making a layer. Top them with half the shaved cheese. Spoon and spread about 1½ cups Marinara Sauce over the cheese.
- Place the remaining eggplant slices in the pan as a single layer, then place the remaining cheese on top of them.
- Spoon the remaining Marinara Sauce over the casserole. Bake in the middle of the oven until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.