Recipe(tried): Baked Eggplant with Mushroom-and-Tomato Sauce

We recently returned from a wonderful trip to visit friends in Chama, NM. While there we rode the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic narrow-gauge train from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, NM. The scenery was magnificent! We were served a wonderful lunch in Osier, our choice of home-style turkey or meatloaf dinner along with a full salad and soup bar and great deserts. We visited Pagosa Springs, CO and then traveled up to the top of Wolf Creek Pass, stopping to admire the wonderful Treasure Falls along the way. One evening in Chama our friends served us this great dish from Cooking Light. They tweaked the recipe a bit, adding ripe olives to the original recipe and baked it at 400 degrees F for only 1/2 hour. It was wonderful! I've already made it once myself since arriving home.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH MUSHROOM-AND-TOMATO SAUCE

1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/4 pounds)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package pre-sliced mushrooms
1 can sliced ripe olives
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce, divided
2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat; add onion and next 4 ingredients (onion through mushrooms). Cover and cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring mixture occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high; uncover and cook for 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Layer half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a 1 1/2-quart round baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread half of mushroom mixture over eggplant. Sprinkle half the sliced olives over mushroom layer. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining eggplant slices. Spread remaining mushroom mixture over followed by remaining olives. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper; top with remaining tomato sauce.

Cover* and bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.

*My friend put all the cheese on right away and baked it uncovered. So I guess it can be done either way.

Yield: 4 servings