Tomato Baked Eggplant

If there was ever a dish that conveyed how melt-in-your mouth delicious eggplant can be, it is this tomato baked eggplant recipe, known in Greece as “imam bayildi”. The sauce is prepared one of two ways – with homemade tomato sauce, which yields a deeper flavor, or diluted tomato paste, providing a “lighter” sauce. This tomato baked eggplant is best served with pasta, rice, or on its own with a thick slice of country style bread. If serving as an entrée, you’ll definitely want to include the crumbled feta, which will add substance to the dish.

Ingredients

• 8 small eggplants
• 3 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons tomato paste plus 3 cups water OR 15 ounces tomato sauce plus 1 cup water
• 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Preparation

• Wash and quarter the eggplants lengthwise
• Heat 3 cups of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat
• Cook the eggplants in the oil until a light golden color

• Remove the eggplant and place in a strainer (note – you will likely need to cook the eggplant in 2-3 batches, in order to avoid overcrowding the pan)
• Optional – let the cooked eggplant rest in a strainer 6-8 hours. This will allow them to release some of the oil absorbed during cooking
• Place the cooked eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a bowl, stir together the tomato paste/sauce, water, salt, chopped garlic, and bay leaves
• Pour over the cooked eggplant

• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle the crumbled feta on top
• Place the dish back in the 350 degree oven and bake for another 15 minutes
• Serve hot or at room temperature