Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

I had cherry tomatoes to use too so a combo of peeled fresh and the cherries. I will skip the purée and keep it chunky. Tomatoes are cooking down quite nicely. I do love tomato season!

Next time I would double the recipe so we could have leftovers! I roasted 1/4 inch slices of 1 eggplant (unpeeled). I altered the recipe slightly: I added a hefty dollop of ricotta on top of each round of eggplant and added a thin layer of shredded mozzarella. Topped the whole thing with a few slices of provolone. It may sound cheese-heavy, but it wasn't. It was delish!

I omitted the breadcrumbs and added a hefty dollop of ricotta cheese to each round, on each layer.

I sliced 2# of globe eggplants, brushed them with olive oil and roasted them in a 450 oven for about 20 minutes, which worked well. Next time I'm going to add some shredded mozzarella for some added richness.

This is a lot of work, and a lot of cleanup! It’s pleasant enough - I added a bit of cayenne to the sauce - but I can’t say it’s great enough to justify the work. I’m going back to ratatouille.

This was so delicious that I made it again with the addition of pools of ricotta and mozzarella cheese in the middle layer. Delicious sauce, it even tastes better the next day!I’ll be making this often!

I have made this a few times now, each time with great success. It is not the most visually attractive dish to set out on a buffet table, but once people dig in, it gets rave reviews. We serve it a side dish, but if you need a vegetarian main course, this would be a contender.

I was concerned that the eggplant and tomato would add too much liquid to the gratin so I roasted both, separately, before assembly. It was delicious this way with the vegetables having a deeply roasted flavor.

Forgot the onion this time. Still really good. ( in a hurry and didn’t read carefully🤦‍♀️.

I added a small zucchini. Did not roast the eggplant and it was fine. Next time I’m going to dice a small onion and cook it, with the garlic, in the purée. We liked it very much.

I loved the flavor of the sauce and the idea of the baked eggplant. I had two medium (not globe-type) eggplants, and when I sliced them, they collapsed into almost nothing. Consequently, I made 2 layers in a deep pie plate and used about half the tomato sauce and added a layer of provolone. It was delicious. Did anyone else have a problem with the eggplant collapsing? Perhaps I should have cooked it for less time?

I have made this recipe many times and have always used it as a guide. I never have peeled the tomatoes; I have just made a chunky, fresh sauce. Sometimes have used canned tomatoes, either on their own or with some fresh. It is really just so flexible. Keep it simple and don't worry about it. We like some additional cheese if serving as a main, so I add some fresh mozzarella or goat cheese - whatever is around - to the bake. Have added other vegetables when I have them. Be creative.

Funny, I blew it and forgot to put in my second eggplant. I was impressed by the amount of room the whole dish needed. I went ahead and cooked it and we were amazed by how wonderful it was. Surprised? Yes, since I followed the remainder of the instructions. May decide not to follow instructions again. A keeper!