Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant – sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 cups red pasta sauce/marinara (see notes)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan – grated
- 2/3 cup mozzarella – grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to season
- A small handful of parsley and thyme – chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Season eggplant slices with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Heat a large skillet and fry eggplant slices in batches until golden on both sides. The eggplant does not have to be fully cooked at this point. Set aside.
- Place cream, parmesan and half of the herbs in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper.
- In a 9-inch gratin dish, arrange half of the eggplant in a single layer.
- Drizzle with a thin layer of tomato sauce and top with some white cream sauce.
- Top with some mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the same with the remaining eggplant and sauces till you get 2 layers of eggplant.
- Finally, top with the remaining mozzarella and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or till cheese is melted and golden.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
I used bottled red pasta sauce, but I added some garlic and fresh herbs to the sauce.
Just saute 2 chopped garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil for 30 seconds. Add bottled pasta sauce. Mix in a small handful of your favorite herbs or 1/4 tsp of dried Italian herbs and season with some salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook this for about 5 minutes.