Eggplant and Hamburger Casserole Recipe!

Been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. Finally took a picture so I have no more excuses.

My mother used to make something like this, but it always seemed a bit watery to me, as did the recipe for Hamburger Eggplant Casserole I posted several years ago. I have recently discovered that pre-cooking the eggplant and adding the cornstarch solves the problem quite nicely.

Enjoy!

Eggplant and Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger (at least 85 % lean)

1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil, divided (basil flavored oil if available)
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 ½ cups tomato puree
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt, divided  

½ tsp pepper
½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

6 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves stripped from stems) or ¼ tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Topping:

Mix together:

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or other parmesan cheese

¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs (may substitute regular breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers)

½ tsp Italian seasoning (omit if using Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)

Directions:

In a large skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in 1 tbsp oil until soft. Add hamburger and garlic and cook until the meat is done. Spoon off excess fat. Place peeled and cubed eggplant in a large microwaveable bowl, toss with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Microwave until soft, stirring occasionally, about 4 min. Add eggplant to the hamburger mixture, then add tomato puree, 1 tbsp oil, and the remaining seasonings.  Cook until hot and bubbly. Adjust seasoning to taste. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsp water and stir in. Pour into greased casserole dish and top with breadcrumb and cheese mixture. Bake at 375 until hot and bubbly and topping is lightly browned, about 30 min.