There are so many different ways to enjoy eggplant but because of it's shape, I find that it tends to work well in stackable dishes. Here, we've got a lasagna-esque dish going on with oven-roasted eggplant layered in homemade marinara sauce with turkey meat. We top it all off with some arugula micro-greens, shaved parmesan and freshly-squeezed lemon juice. Because we're throwing our eggplant into this layered dish, I didn't bother doing much prep work for it -- simply slice length-wise, drizzle with some olive oil and roast it in the oven. We've got your veggies, your greens and your protein covered here, a testament to just how versatile eggplant can be ~ and don't forget the toasty bread!
Follow along with me HERE
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-sized eggplant
1 (16oz) package of turkey meat
1 whole medium-sized Vidalia onion
2/3 cup of marinara sauce
1/4 of a lemon
Shaved parmesan
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Slice the eggplant length-wise -- about 1/4 of an inch thick -- and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and some salt + pepper.
3. Roast eggplant for about 30-35 minutes -- using a pair of tongs to flip the pieces, halfway through roasting.
4. On the stove, cover the bottom of a pan with a generous amount of olive oil and let it heat up over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low/medium and add in chopped onion and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add in the turkey meat and cook until JUST brown, adding salt + pepper along the way.
6. When the eggplant is ready, transfer it to a smaller heat-proof dish, laying it out in one even layer (it will have shrunk in the oven).
7. Add the sauce on top of the eggplant, then cover with the turkey meat. Add another layer of sauce, then the micro-greens and shaved parmesan (I used a peeler to shave the parm).
8. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything, add a drizzle of olive oil along with some salt + pepper.
9. Serve hot with some toasted bread to soak up all of the juicy flavors!
