Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Grilled Eggplant Stacks


On Monday nights Matt usually has softball games that he plays in thru his law firm.  Now don't get me wrong,  I miss him on those nights, but those are the nights I get the freedom to cook what I actually want (and watch all the trashy reality TV I want to as well).  Matt thinks that a meal is not complete with meat and there is nothing I love more than a vegetarian meal.  So, on the nights that he plays ball I always cook completely vegetarian meals.  Meat really grosses me out alot of the time.

I have had this recipe saved forever.  I pinned it and it was dubbed "The Recipe that got 100,000 pins"  Should be good right?  If that many people are repinning it.   Saturday I finally picked up some fresh eggplants and was ready to get down to business and cook.  This recipe was full of so much flavor.  It was light, healthy, and delicious.  I highly recommend.  I think it would be great to serve at a dinner pary because look how beautiful the stacks are!   I even had two stacks left that Matt ate when he got home and he commented that they were way better than he thought they would be.  A gold star review for a vegetarian meal from the hubs,  Trust me you should make these tasty stacks soon.

GRILLED EGGPLANT STACKS
{4 Servings}

1 large eggplant

3 large tomatoes, to match the diameter of the eggplant

0.4 lbs Bulgarian feta, crumbled

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

juice of half lemon

2 garlic cloves

½ extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut of the eggplant crosswise into ½” thick rounds. Lightly season them with salt and leave them for 30 minutes on a side to let water to come out of the eggplant.

Once ready drizzle some olive oil on top of each slice and grill them on a lightly oiled grill rack for 2 -3 minutes each side.

Blend the basil leaves with 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt in an immersion blender until smooth.

Cut the tomatoes crosswise to 1/4” thick rounds.

Lightly oil the baking pan. Arrange 4 eggplant rounds side by side. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the basil-garlic mixture on top of each one, then generously sprinkle feta crumbs. Top each with tomato rings. Add another layer of eggplant, basil spread, feta and tomato rounds and top with the rest of the crumbled feta.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Drizzle some olive oil on top of each stack and bake for 15-20 minutes.


ORIGINAL RECIPE VIA

19 comments:

Alicia xoxxo said...

Ohh that looks so good!! I am not a big "meat" person either. I will def be making this!!

Julia Ryan said...

I'm making this immediately! Matthew agrees with us on the no meat thing. I think it's gross so often and he doesn't like the health risks. Sooooo, I am totally making this for dinner next week!

Katharine @ SouthernBourbonMountains said...

I wish I ate vegetables!

Lala said...

Ooh yummy. I love our softball nights for the same reasons, assuming I can get both kids down with time to spare to watch my reality trash :)

Sadie + Stella said...

Yum to the yum! This looks absolutely awesome.

Courtney said...

Looks yummy!

Jenny Castle Design said...

Looks delish! Love meat free nights and I try to sneak those in with my husband, but he's often "not full" afterwards...such a boy. I'll remember this next time he has evening plans.

megan said...

Looks delicious and so fresh! Cameron would agree with Matt - no meat = not a complete meal.

Val said...

Yes please, happiness on a plate.

Pink Lace and Cupcakes said...

Yum I love this, Eggplant is the best you don't need meat!

Alex {Things That Sparkle} said...

Yum! This looks delish. I love when I can eat veggies. So not a meat person

pretty little things said...

These look so good -- you're making me hungry now! xo

http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/

Hannah said...

I think I would really like this. I'm pretty sure I pinned this a while back, too. As many recipes as I have it's hard to keep track of them all. I really need to go through and organize.

Unknown said...

How do I get you to move closer to me? You rock. That looks amazing. I am a huge eggplant fan. Yummers.

Chassity (Look Linger Love) said...

These look so good. Maybe just maybe I should give them a try :)

blue chickadee said...

This recipe looks amazing!!! I cannot wait to try it!!!

natasha {schue love} said...

OH yummm! This looks delish! Definitely have to try soon!

Donna Benedetto said...

This recipe looks delish and I totally get enjoying your own time too!
Donna
thebeneblog.com

Leigh said...

I love veggie meals, always have. My hubs is the same as yours. He thinks no meal is complete without some meat. I totally have to make this for me and little man. The hubs is not a fan of veggies but thankfully my 13 month old loves them (so far). Thanks for the recipe. I may have pinned it too but I have pinned so many great recipes sometimes they get lost in the sea of pins!