Eggplant Gratin

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For a lighter version that is just as incredible but with a fraction of the fat:
1. Cube eggplant (I used six long Japanese eggplants into one-inch pieces. Cube an onion and a red pepper while you're at it.
2. Toss with 2 T of olive oil and some Hawaiian or sea salt.
3. Roast on a cookie sheet for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Then follow the recipe. If ricotta cheese is expensive where you are (it's really $$$ in Hawaii, cottage cheese works just as well. I doubled the gratin because it was so good. Everyone loved that part.

This is an awesome recipe. Guilt-free comfort food. Thanks, Ina!

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I liked this as a veggie-based comfort food. I agree with other reviewers - DO NOT fry the eggplant in oil! It will be mush. I loved the flavor, however, so will definitely make again with either grilled or baked eggplant. (I also doubled the custard and mine easily served 4. I suppose the same recipe would also work with portobellos?

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Easy and fabulous!

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The Very Best Eggplant dish I have ever made!!!

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For years, my husband has claimed his mother's eggplant parmesan (recipe long lost was the best he'd "ever" tasted. Through many ~great, but not quite the same~ attempts to replicate this devine gem, I finally tried Ina's Eggplant Gratin!! Well, he rated it "better" than his mother's, and quite frankly, it truly is the best! So easy and with such success. Thanks, Ina!!!!

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Delicious recipe and just as easy as it sounds!

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Okay, seriously? This was crazy good. Unlike many recipes, I didn't fidget with this one at all. For calorie conscious, you can grill the eggplant with just a light coating of oil applied to both sides. Sometimes when I have the grill out, I will grill a bunch of eggplant and then store for use later in the week. That saves a bunch of time for this kind of recipe. But, if you are going to pan fry the eggplant, beware that eggplant soaks up A LOT of oil. In order to cut down on that absorption, when I coat the bottom of the pan with oil, I quickly dip both sides of the eggplant to apply a thin layer of oil so that I don't have to add more oil when I flip to the second side. Remember that the oil isn't called for as a flavor additive, you just need enough to help the eggplant brown. Another tip is to make sure the pan is really, really hot when you add the eggplant so that it browns well and quickly. You will love this dish!

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Full Disclosure - I modified this recipe quite a bit so the four stars might be for my version of Ina's recipe ;. I had to because A I need to lose weight and B I needed an eggplant recipe so I could use up my co-op ingredients this week.

On the advice of other reviewers I baked my eggplant instead of frying, I used TJ's fat free ricotta, 2% milk in place of half-n-half, low-fat mozzarella as well as parmesan and roasted zucchini slices in each layer (I didn't have enough eggplant for a whole gratin.

I was concerned the custard wouldn't form without all the extra fat but it sure did and boy was this tasty! I honestly don't think I would try this recipe "as is" after making my own healthier version of it which is odd considering how loyal I am to Ina recipes.

So, in summary, thanks for the inspiration Ina!! My tastebuds AND wasteline thank you this time!

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I'm giving it 3 stars for flavor, but PLEASE don't follow the directions to fry the eggplant. I should have listened to the reviewers who baked theirs. Since I took the time to salt/drain the eggplant slices I thought mine would turn out fine in the skillet, but I was wrong. They soaked up So. Much. Oil. Add the cheese on top, and it makes for a greasy, gloopy MESS. I'm not afraid of a little fat, believe me. But the texture of this was inedible, even though the flavors were fantastic. I will make it again, but I will bake the eggplant next time.

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Awesome! I didn't have ricotta so I substituted the 1/4 cup for mascarpone and shreded mozzarella. It gave it a rich, sweet taste. I also brushed the eggplant with olive oil and roasted it for 40 minutes at 400 to save on the fat.Yummy!!! Thanks Ina.