Eggplant Ricotta Stacks

This baked eggplant ricotta stacks recipe is super easy and oh, so tasty. They are fun to eat and so good that even children love them.

I love Italian food and I don’t think it’s just because I grew up eating a lot of it. I think it’s the melding of flavors that really do it for me.

Other than homemade ricotta gnocchi and my famous pancetta, mushroom and spinach version, eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite Italian food.

My mom used to batter and fry the eggplant before layering it with all that cheesy, saucy goodness and sometimes I do too. But mostly, I try to be healthy and bake the eggplant before I layer.

Christopher from the other room:  “Are you sure it’s not just because you are lazy?”

I glare indignantly through the wall and tell him to mind his own P’s and Q’s.

Do I like the extra work of battering and frying? No. Does that make me lazy?

Maybe. But it also makes the dish healthier and I’m all for that. See? Sometimes laziness can be good for your health.

See how I can spin things?

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To salt or not to salt

Okay, I’ve experimented with this over the years. I’ve salted the eggplant and let it rest before making the dish and I’ve NOT salted the eggplant and just made the dish. Do I see a difference? No.

So, as I’m always looking for shortcuts when making any dish, I don’t salt my eggplant anymore. Try skipping it yourself to see a) how much it shortens your prep time when making eggplant dishes and b) whether you notice a difference in the taste or texture.

How to make eggplant ricotta stacks

Pre-step

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and get a jelly roll pan and a baking dish. Line the pan with parchment paper.

Step one

Gather the eggplant. (Ignore the salt in the photo.) 🙂

Step two

Wash the eggplant, cut into thin slices and lay them on the pan in a single layer.

If your eggplant is large, you may need two pans.

Step three

Bake for 20 minutes.

Step four

Gather the rest of the ingredients – homemade gravy I thawed from the freezer, or you can use store bought if you prefer, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan cheese and an egg.

Step five

Add ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, oregano and salt in a bowl and mix until it is combined.

Step six

Ladle some gravy in the bottom of the baking dish.

Step seven

Lay 4 pieces of eggplant on the gravy and dollop some of the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the vegetable.

Step eight

Ladle a spoonful of gravy over the cheese and add a thin slice of mozzarella on top.

Step nine

Continue layering the eggplant, gravy and mozzarella.

Fast forward four layers. Look at those eggplant stacks!

Step ten

Bake for 25 minutes.

Time to serve it. I plate a stack and get ready to dig in.

Yum, yum, YUM.

I hope you enjoyed this baked eggplant ricotta stacks recipe because it is so delicious.

Other Italian dishes

• Baked eggplant parm
• Eggplant polenta
• Meatball sub

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST  to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!