Recipe: Eggplant Casserole (layered, using mushrooms and cottage cheese)

EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Here is a real good recipe. We ate this week and even Steve, not so thrilled with eggplant, loved it." - RisaG., NJ

1 medium eggplant, sliced into rounds 1/2-inch thick
1 tsp. salt
1 cup uncooked rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese

Spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole or baking dish lightly with vegetable oil spray.

Place the sliced eggplant in a bowl, add 1 tsp. salt, then cover with water and soak for 1/2 hour (this takes out the strong taste some eggplants have and helps prevent discoloration.)

Cook the rice in 2 cups water until tender; drain if necessary and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

TO PREPARE THE EGGPLANT:*
Drain eggplant and steam until tender. If you do not have a steamer, place 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, add the eggplant, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook just until tender, with the lid on. watch closely; the water might cook away and burn your eggplant.

TO MAKE THE MUSHROOM MIXTURE:
In a nonstick skillet, saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms with 1/4 cup water until they start to brown, stirring frequently. Add the tomato sauce, oregano and basil.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE:
In a small bowl, mix the cottage cheese and skim milk.

Make a layer on the bottom with half the cooked rice. Top with half the eggplant, half the cottage cheese and milk mixture, half the mushroom mixture and half the mozzarella. Repeat, ending with the cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

*Instead of salting and steaming the eggplant, I just cut it in rounds, put it on a greased baking sheet (with PAM spray), spray the top of the eggplant rounds, sprinkled with garlic seasoning and baked it for 10 minutes on one side and turned it over and sprayed it with the PAM and sprinkled with the seasoning and baked the other side for 10 minutes. Then I let it cool slightly and set it aside until I was ready to assemble. The took less time and was quite delicious.

Makes 6 servings
From: RisaG., NJ