Eggplant is one of the true stars of summer, but it can be tricky to cook. Because it absorbs oil like a sponge during frying, we prefer the oven-roasted method in this recipe, which yields tender, caramelized slices minus all the mess.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$26 At Amazon
Flexible Metal Spatula
$9.99 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Fork
2-Quart Baking Dish
$30 $27 At Amazon
Ingredients
6 servings
1
2
24
8
5
8
¾
8
1
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 450°. Cut off stem end of 1 globe eggplant, then shave a thin slice off of fattest part of bulbous end. Rest eggplant on newly cut side so it doesn’t roll around your board.
Step 2
Cut eggplant crosswise into ½"-thick slices.
Step 3
Repeat same process with 2 zucchini and/or summer squash, trimming stem end, shaving side and resting on flat surface, and slicing crosswise ½" thick.
Step 4
Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, then fit as many pieces of zucchini as possible on same baking sheet, tucking into spaces around eggplant.
Step 5
Place remaining zucchini slices on one half of another rimmed baking sheet, arranging as close together as possible and in a single layer.
Step 6
On empty side of baking sheet, arrange 24 oz. tomatoes and 8 garlic cloves. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over tomatoes and garlic and toss with your hands to coat.
Step 7
Using your hands, smear 2 Tbsp. oil over exposed sides of eggplant and zucchini slices. Eggplant in particular acts like a sponge and will soak up oil in an instant. Since all you want is a thin, even coating, it’s better to smear them with oil rather than to drizzle.
Step 8
Still using your hands, turn eggplant and squash slices over and smear other side with 2 Tbsp. oil. Season all vegetables on both baking sheets with a couple of 4-finger pinches of salt.
Step 9
Place sheet with eggplant on lower rack and sheet with tomatoes on upper rack and roast until eggplant is deeply browned on the underside and tomatoes are lightly blistered, 15–25 minutes.
Step 10
Remove both baking sheets from oven. You’ll notice that the vegetables will have shrunk quite a bit. On baking sheet with eggplant, slide a flexible metal spatula underneath ALL slices and turn them over. Slide rounds over to one side, then transfer zucchini from sheet with tomatoes onto sheet with eggplant, turning them over in the process. You should end up with tomatoes and garlic on one baking sheet, and eggplant and zucchini on the other.
Step 11
Let baking sheet with tomatoes cool, but return baking sheet with eggplant and zucchini to lower rack and roast until second side of eggplant is deeply browned, 10–15 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
Step 12
Meanwhile, combine 8 oz. ricotta, ¾ tsp. red pepper flakes, and 6 oz. mozzarella in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil and mix with a fork to combine; season lightly with salt.
→ Bought too much ricotta? Good! There are plenty of ways to use it.
Step 13
Using a fork, remove garlic cloves from baking sheet and transfer to a cutting board. Press on skins to force out the soft, caramelized cloves; discard skins. Mash cloves to a paste with fork, then stir into ricotta mixture.
Step 14
Drizzle some oil into a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Arrange one-third of zucchini and eggplant slices in a single layer. Scatter one-third of blistered tomatoes over, then dollop half of ricotta mixture over tomatoes. Tear one-third of basil leaves and scatter over ricotta.
Step 15
Repeat layering process with half of remaining eggplant and zucchini, all of remaining ricotta mixture, and half of remaining tomatoes and basil. Top with remaining eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Step 16
Sprinkle remaining 2 oz. mozzarella over and bake until mozzarella is melted and browned in spots and liquid around the edges is bubbling, 15–20 minutes.
Step 17
Let rest 10 minutes, then top with remaining basil.
Step 18
Drizzle with a little more oil before serving.
Leave a Review
Reviews (56)
Back to TopThis is absolutely delicious and would make it again!
Gracie
Boston
11/1/2022
Fun to make. Not that great to eat. I loved to make this.. I like plenty of ingredients and steps so that was not a problem for me. Spreading olive oil with my fingers was way fun. I felt like I had just come in from stomping grapes in my bare feet. It looked great coming out of the oven, but by the time the plate got to the table it was a big formless glop. Unfortunately it tasted a bit like that too. all the veggies had turned to mush and joined the mush of cheese and Basel. I wouldn't[t have thought any dish with this much cheese would be so unexciting.. In fairness, I didn't let it cool the suggested time, and I did not add the last layer of Basel and olive oil, but I doubt that would have saved it. I would like to know if others had a different take on this. I am a relatively new cook, so it is entirely possible I flubbed dup somewhere along the recipe. BTW the action photos were hugely helpful to me, a new cook.
zendog3
The Villages, FL
8/17/2022
First off, if eggplant vanished from the earth I wouldn’t lose any sleep. But this is good because of the browning of both types of vegetables. And do let ‘em brown up nicely. Don’t forget to spray nonstick before laying them down; they’re very soft and you don’t want to mangle them. As for ingredients—8 oz of mozzarella my foot! Get your pound on. More ricotta would be good, too. AND, I browned a pound or more of Italian sausage to crumble into the layers and nope, didn’t hurt a thing. Doubled or tripled the red pepper flakes. Let’s face it they’re not that hot. Serve with lime Kool-aid or Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill…
Paul
Texas
10/7/2021
I did not love how much the sweetness of the ricotta came out the first time I made this, but it was still tasty. The second time, I swapped the ricotta with crumbled feta (baked feta pasta anyone?) and added oregano and tarragon when mixing the cheeses with the garlic. It turned out delicious.
Maggie
Montreal
4/14/2021
Absolutely delicious, notwithstanding that it took longer to cook than I like
Gerry
Toronto, Canada
1/25/2021
So delicious! New staple in my household.
Stacey W
Milton, ON
1/19/2021
Super clear instructions and easy to follow. First attempt was a total success. Mashed baked garlic cloves mixed in with the cheese was clutch! Beautiful layers, and unctuous flavor in every bite. This dish does take time, so don't attempt the recipe if you're already hungry and soon to turn hangry.
Anonymous
Los Angeles
9/14/2020
This was a fantastic recipe and I will make it again. I have a large vegetable garden, grew all of the ingredients, and this will be added to my annual favorite summer recipes. I sliced the eggplant and zucchini, salted it lightly and let it drain on paper towels first to avoid some extra moisture from the vegetables when roasting them. Aside from that I followed your recipe and. It was delicious. The instructions with pictures was a nice touch.
Kim L
St. Charles, IL
9/3/2020
Quite tasty and easy to make. The ricotta is the star of the show, puts the dish amazingly together. I think the ricotta mix needs some salt. And the veggies needed a little more time to brown. I think also it is better to put all the basil in the mix. No need to leave some for the top.
SherifShehata
Egypt
8/26/2020
Easy and delicious! I crisped up about 5-6 oz diced pancetta in a skillet, drained, then added to the middle layer. And, I mixed a couple of spoonfuls of pesto in with the cheese. It made a perfect lunch to take to work.
Anonymous
Charleston, SC
8/25/2020
This is a great basic instructional recipe. You can substitute about half the tomatoes with more eggplant/zucchini/summer squash, or used chopped bigger tomatoes instead of cherry, and still be successful. You can also use fresh parsley or dried oregano instead of basil if that's what you have on hand. If you don't have mozzarella, bump up the ricotta and add parmesan to get to the same total amount of cheese. Two shortcut tips: 1. Skip the finger smear method. Put all your veggies in a giant bowl without the eggplant and toss with olive oil and salt, then add the eggplant and toss again so it doesn't have the chance to soak stuff up. Then layer on pans. 2. If you don't have garlic cloves, you can use chopped garlic in a jar, just add it to the shortcut step above and toss.
Anonymous
7/21/2020
I didn't follow the recipe to the letter BUT I came here to say that the mashed garlic mixed with the cheeses was the best thing ever. It's really hard to mess up roasted veggies and bubbly melted cheese. This would be amazing on a pizza, just saying.
Anonymous
New York, NY
6/2/2020
ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY
DibeCachoua
Mexico City
10/30/2019
Great recipe, absolutley can not believe how good this was! #recipekeeper
BeckyE50
Minnesota
10/19/2019
I just finished making thus recipe. I didn't have ricotta so I substituted cottage cheese (as mentioned by another reviewer - thank you! ) I only had diced tomatoes on hand do I drained the can (saving the liquid for another recipe) and added to the casserole as I layered the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. I had mozzarella ahd also added grated parmigiano for another layer of flavor. I also added Italian seasoning to the cheese mix. The cottage cheese and mozzarella were fat free so I could easily afford the fat of the parmigiano. It did take longer than expected, but Im pleased with the outcome. This can stand on its own as a meal. Delish!
Maria Garrido
New York
10/13/2019