Eggplant Gratin

 This eggplant gratin is an easy-to-make cheesy side dish that everyone will love. 

Serve this eggplant gratin as a side dish or even as a light main course. I love it with warm sourdough bread slices on the side for dipping in the sauce. 

If you're avoiding carbs, have it with an Italian-style salad or substitute it for the pasta side that you might have with Italian-style meatballs. 

While this dish might sound similar to eggplant Parmesan, it's not breaded and fried, making it a little bit lighter. Plus, this dish definitely goes great with fish, chicken, or beef. 

P.S. If you're new to eggplant and like this recipe, be sure to try this simple grilled eggplant with garlic and Parmesan, this baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant dip), or this Neapolitan minestrone. 

Ingredients You Will Need (and substitutions):

Eggplant: You will need 2 medium to large eggplants (also known as aubergine or brinjal) or about 4 to 5 Japanese eggplants, depending on their size. Eggplant is mild in flavor, similar to zucchini or yellow squash (which you could add to this dish for some extra color if you like). 

There is no need to peel an eggplant as the skin is edible and doesn't affect the flavor. 

Sour Cream: Be sure to use full-fat sour cream. It's mixed with half of the Parmesan as well as the herbs. For an even more luxurious dish, substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream. 

Parmesan Cheese: For topping and for mixing into the sour cream. Be sure to grate your own. If possible use authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano. If you are vegetarian, you can substitute mozzarella. 

Fresh Herbs: You'll need chives, basil, oregano, and thyme. If fresh herbs aren't available, dried or freeze-dried herbs can be substituted in lesser quantities. 

Marinara Sauce: I used jarred prepared marinara sauce from Rao's Homemade. It's really good, and recommended by America's Test Kitchen. Of course, feel free to use your own homemade marinara! 

Reducing the Water in the Eggplant:

Eggplant is pretty high in water content, so one of the first steps is to remove some of it from the eggplant slices. Begin by salting the slices on both sides and pressing it between layers of paper towels to absorb some of the water. I placed a large wooden cutting board on top of the salted slices that were sandwiched between paper towels and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. 

After that, sear the slices on a dry stainless steel or cast iron pan (no oil), in batches, until they are lightly browned and slightly softened. Place them on paper towels and press them with more paper towels to remove more liquid. 

Alternatively, you could salt them and place them on sheet pan and bake them at about 300 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes to help dry them a bit (but they will not necessarily brown this way). 

For Baking this Dish: 

I used a stoneware oval au gratin dish, with about 11" by 8" dimensions. You could also use a nine inch by nine inch square stoneware dish or metal cake pan, or any casserole dish that is about 1.5 to 2 quarts in capacity. Just make sure it is safe to use when turning on the broiler at the end of baking. Pyrex-style casserole dishes are not recommended. 

Enameled cast iron au gratin or casseroles would work too, and it will keep the casserole warm while serving. 

This week, members of the Sunday Funday group are sharing recipes featuring eggplant!

Recipes with Eggplant: 

• Cook with Renu: Air Fryer Eggplant Pizza (Aubergine or Brinjal Pizza)
• Sneha's Recipe: Brinjal and Tomato Chutney
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Dahi Baingan
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Eggplant Gratin
• Food Lust People Love: Griddled Eggplant Salad
• Culinary Cam: Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip)
• Palatable Pastime: Szechuan Eggplant

Eggplant Gratin

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 2 Hour

This eggplant gratin is an easy-to-make cheesy side dish that everyone will love.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• Kosher salt, for sprinkling the the egg plant slices
• 4 ounces of full-fat sour cream
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Regianno cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 cups jarred marinara sauce

Instructions

1. Salt the eggplant slices on both sides and place them between two layers of paper towels both on the top and the bottom. Cover the top layer with a heavy cutting board, cast iron skillet, or something else (such as books) that will help squeeze out excess water from the eggplant.
2. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat and sear the slices in batches until browned on both sides. Place the them on a double layer of paper towels and, using a wadded up paper towel, press the slices to remove more moisture.
3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and the fresh herbs.
5. Spread 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a 1.5 to 2 quart casserole dish. In a single layer, place 1/3 of the eggplant slices, cutting up some to piece everything together. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce.
6. Repeat 2 more times, finishing with the rest of the marinara sauce.
7. Spread the sour cream, Parmesan, and herb mixture over the top and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan evenly over the top.
8. Bake the casserole until everything is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.
9. Leaving the casserole on the middle rack, turn on the broiler and boil until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with a garnish of chopped chives and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

159

Fat (grams)

8 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

5 g

Carbs (grams)

15 g

Fiber (grams)

6 g

Net carbs

9 g

Sugar (grams)

8 g

Protein (grams)

9 g

Cholesterol (grams)

22 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2024/08/eggplant-gratin.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

eggplant, casserole

side dish

Italian

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Inspired by a recipe in Cook Real Food Everyday, a magazine no long in print, published by Hoffman Media.