Eggplant Casserole with White Beans and Arugula

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Eggplant Casserole with White Beans and Arugula

A much simpler meal if you buy the beans in a can and the marinara pre-made.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Bean Soaking Time8

Total Time9 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: Dry Beans, Winter

Servings: servings

Calories: 394kcal

Equipment

Casserole dish (medium - about 2 quart)
Pressure cooker (if cooking from dry beans)
Immersion blender (optional, for marinara)

Ingredients

Beans

¾ cup dry white bean cassoulet
1 bay leaf
1 piece kombu

Marinara

½ tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot
½ stalk celery chopped (optional)
½ carrot chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 sprig rosemary de-stemmed and chopped finely
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can of tomatoes diced or crushed (or ~1 lb fresh, stemmed and chopped)
¼ tsp salt

Casserole

1.5 lb eggplant
8 oz arugula or spinach
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
10 sprigs basil half stemmed and chopped; half whole leaves
1.5 tbsp white wine optional
3 oz Parmesan cheese finely shredded
¼ cup bread crumbs

Instructions

Beans

In the morning, rinse and pick over the beans and add to a bowl with water and 1% salt and soak for about 8 hours. About 60-90 minutes before your intended dinner time, drain the beans and add to a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover by about one-half inch. Add the bay leaf and kombu. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for at least 25 minutes. Check consistency – you want them to be very well cooked, so they will mash well. Reserve about 1 cup of the bean water and drain and set aside.

Marinara

While the beans cook, make the marinara. Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and celery and carrot (if using). Cook until softened and starting to develop color, about 10 minutes (depending on the heat). Then add the garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the can of tomatoes (or fresh chopped tomatoes) and cook on medium-low for at least 10 minutes, covered, and up to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. When almost ready to assemble the dish, use an immersion blender to make the sauce smooth.

Make the casserole

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. Trim the ends from the eggplant; slice the eggplant into ¼-inch-thick rounds. On a sheet pan, place the eggplant slices side by side. Drizzle (or spray) the eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning once halfway through, until lightly browned and starting to soften, about 6 minutes per side. Keep the oven set at 450°F.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tbsp oil over medium. Working in batches if needed, add the baby greens, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Wipe out the pan.
In the same pan used for the greens, warm 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the drained white beans, ¼ cup bean water (or regular water), and 1.5 tablespoon white wine, if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are seasoned and warmed through and the liquid has cooked off, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the beans to a medium bowl. Mash to a coarse paste.
Using a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels, wring out the baby greens. Then, coarsely chop. In a 2.5 quart casserole or other baking dish, grease lightly with oil and. The order here will go: eggplant, basil, beans, greens, eggplant and sauce.
Arrange a layer of eggplant slices, slightly overlapping or in two overlapping layers. Add the whole basil leaves as a layer. Then spread the entire bean mash evenly over the top and then top with all of the greens. Arrange the remaining eggplant slices in an even 1-2 layers on top. (You can also repeat layers if you wish.) Spoon the marinara over top – you want a layer, but not a pool of it, so you may have extra sauce.
Bake until the casserole is warmed through and the marinara is bubbling, about 10 minutes. While that bakes, mix together the chopped basil leaves, ¼ cup bread crumbs, the shredded Parmesan and 1-2 tsp olive oil together for a fun combined topping. After 10 minutes, top the casserole with the topping and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the top is turning golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes or up to 20 minutes.

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