Baked Eggplant

Baking eggplant makes it just as tender as frying without all the mess and hassle. It also makes this recipe a little more healthy, save those calories for dessert.  Our Artichoke Pasta sauce adds great flavor to this dish, plus more veggies!

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2" rounds
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 tbsp Sutter Buttes Olive Oil, we recommend Fresh Basil, Oregano, Garlic Herb or Fresh Harvest Garlic
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2" slices
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Sutter Buttes Italian Artichoke Pasta Sauce
• Fresh basil for garnish

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease a 9" x 9" baking dish, set aside.
3. Place warm water and salt in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve salt. Once water is cooled add eggplant slices, use a plate that is smaller than the diameter of the bowl to weigh down the eggplant so that it is fully submerged.
4. Soak eggplant for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry.
5. Place eggplant in bowl and toss with olive oil, coating all slices.
6. Place 4 large eggplant slices in prepared baking dish, sprinkle each with 1 Tbsp of cheese and top with a tomato slice. Add an additional eggplant and tomato slice to each stack with cheese between each layer. Reserve remaining cheese.
7. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil, top with sauce and remaining cheese and bake 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Serve immediately, garnish with fresh basil.