By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes (including 30 minutes baking and 10 to 15 minutes resting after baking)
- Rating
- 5(846)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is an eggplant Parmesan of sorts on top of a bed of Israeli couscous. If you’ve made fresh tomato sauce over the summer or you’re still getting wonderful tomatoes at the farmers’ market, use fresh tomato sauce; otherwise, use canned tomatoes for your marinara sauce. You can substitute cooked grains for the Israeli couscous; if you don’t tolerate gluten, try the recipe using cooked brown rice instead. I like to use Japanese or baby Italian eggplants for this.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1½pounds eggplant (2 medium globe eggplants or 4 to 6 smaller or Japanese eggplants), sliced into rounds, about ⅓ inch thick
- Salt to taste
- 3tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil (plus additional for oiling the foil and baking dish)
- 2cups cooked Israeli couscous (see below). You can also use regular couscous or any other cooked grain.
- 2cups fresh tomato sauce or marinara sauce made from canned tomatoes
- 2ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup, tightly packed)
- Torn or slivered basil leaves for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
362 calories; 10 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 626 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat foil generously with olive oil. Toss eggplant slices with salt to taste and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Line baking sheet with the slices in a single layer (you may need 2 baking sheets, or do this in batches). Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Eggplant will look dry on surface but should be soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and, wearing oven mitts, carefully fold the foil up in half over the eggplant and crimp edges to create a sealed packet. Allow eggplant to steam inside the packet for another 15 minutes (you can cook couscous during this time). Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
Step
2
Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Place cooked Israeli couscous in a bowl and stir in ½ cup of the tomato sauce. Spoon into baking dish in an even layer.
Step
3
Remove eggplant slices from foil packet (they should be thoroughly tender), and layer on top of couscous, overlapping slices slightly. Cover with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Drizzle on remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes, until browned and bubbling. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with torn or slivered basil leaves just before serving.
Tip
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add 1 cup Israeli couscous. Toast the couscous, shaking the pan or stirring often, until it colors very lightly and smells aromatic and toasty, a bit like popcorn. Immediately add 2 quarts water and salt to taste (be generous, as if you are cooking pasta) and boil 10 minutes, until the couscous is al dente; it should not be mushy and there should still be plenty of water in the pot. Drain through a strainer and rinse with cold water. Tap the strainer against the sink to drain well, then return the couscous to the pot, cover the pot with a kitchen towel, and return the lid. Let sit for 10 minutes. Measure out 2 cups and proceed with recipe.
Ratings
5
out of 5
846
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Cooking Notes
Linda
I embellished this recipe by adding a "layer" of sautéed onion, garlic, mushrooms and fresh spinach. The marinara sauce was full bodied with lots of garlic and a splash of red wine. I used bulgur because that's what I had. The bulgur really needed the extra kick of flavor. I topped with a little pesto and the next day for leftovers added some fresh mozzarella which was delicious! The prep for eggplant is genius!!! Thank you!
T. Smith
Liked this way of cooking the eggplant, and disagree with the writer who said it was too much for a weeknight. If you have te marinara prepared then it is essentially only three components. However, I felt it was a little under seasoned. Next time I will try adding a layer of grated cheese and chopped thyme between the couscous and eggplant.
maryea@gmail.com
I'll make this with my own tomato sauce and love what I learned:
a) Put olive oil on foil; turn eggplant (or whatever) in the oil rather than spraying with my home-olive-oil sprayer.
b) How to cook eggplant for other dishes.
Jim Council
This is s very forgiving recipe. I had quinois, so used that rather than cous cous. Did not measure anything. Instead of tossing the eggplant in oil, I just plopped it on the oiled foil and then flipped it. Reduced recipe to fit my gratin dish. Also mixed the tomato sauce and quinois in the gratin dish instead of a separate bowl. I even misread the recipe and baked the egplant at 350 rather than 450 degrees. It still turned out delicious.
BorizZ
I charcoal grill the eggplant on indirect heat until they are soft. I also added garlic and a whiff of Harissa. Next time with some mint as well. I can see a mix of browned onions and rice instead of couscous. And a thin layer of seared hamburger meat. I better stop here...
Jessica
Great and surprisingly easy. The only major change I made was to add a layer of ground lamb between the couscous and eggplant, turning this into a kind of eggplant parm/moussaka hybrid. I browned the lamb with onion and garlic and mixed in some of the tomato sauce before layering. I also used fresh basil in the sauce and the couscous. I'll definitely be making this again.
Nicole Gardner
I tried reducing the amount of Israeli couscous by about half, and like it that way better. More delicious veggies per bite, and less starch.
marcia hendler
Very tasty and easy recipe as is. However, this time I added cooked chick peas to the couscous before mixing with the tomato sauce for extra protein. Good addition. Also like a layer of cooked spinach on top of the couscous.
Alexandra
Added some red onion with the eggplant in the oven for a little extra sumthin sumthin. Also threw some feta in with the couscous/tomato sauce because life is short. Overall, delicious and easy recipe, but too time consuming/too many plates for a simple weeknight recipe.
Blue Lamb
Delicious recipe. I added about a cup of cooked chick peas to the couscous for more protein. Sometimes I add spinach too as others have suggested.
Andree Abramoff
Again, good idea for eggplant lovers. However, I'd love to try it with regular couscous instead of Israeli which I'm not too crazy about. Or maybe with bulgur wheat.
GB
This recipe would be better to prepare in the fall or winter. Many steps and time consuming for a summer dish. Plus a few too many dishes to wash, no need to use another bowl to combine pasta and sauce. I just added sauce to pasta in serving dish. Forgot to measure out 2 cups of couscous, didn't seem to matter.
Elaine Dearing
Appreciated the tip on how to cook the couscous. For beginner 'couscous' cookers it would be wonderful to mention that 1 cup dry of expands to 2 cups easily! Seems obvious now. Beyond that, very easy, delicious and forgiving recipe.
Platypian
Seriously spectacular supper dish. You can totally cheat by using a great bottled marinara and the dish is still great. I made a double batch of this (very easy to up the recipe) for a group of mixed vegetarians and meat-eaters and everyone was full and happy due to the heft of the eggplant and the couscous.
Phil Kalina
I used steel-cut oats (cooked in our Instant Pot) instead of cous cous. I cooked the oats in water only. Later, I added granulated garlic and ground basil for more flavor and roasted sunflower seeds for crunch and extra protein. And, by mistake, I mixed in all 2 cups of tomato sauce. After I added the eggplant, I realized my mistake so I spooned more sauce on top for color.To my surprise the dish was a big success! My dinner companion was surprised―she thought I really had used cous cous.
Arlinevg
Loved this recipe. I did use the pearl couscous as called for in the recipe. Yum! Only tweaks I made were to use up what remained of my homemade pesto, spread out over the sauce (used a good quality tomato basil jarred sauce). I also sprinkled some Trader Joe's Italian mixed shredded cheese over the eggplant before I sprinkle on the grated parm. Definitely making it again and again and again.
SteveD
Loved this recipe, and the three steps of roasting the eggplant, cooking the couscous, and assembling the dish were simple. But it needs a tad more flavor. Perhaps a half tablespoon of ras al hanout to the couscous and sauce before adding the eggplant?
Rick L
This recipe never fails, even when using a jarred sauce (Bianco Napoli)
Nicole
Made this with zucchini instead of eggplant because it’s what I had from my garden. Also like others I added chickpeas to the couscous for protein. Then a layer of spinach and feta cheese in the middle. Delicious!
Hannah
Added half an onion, three cloves garlic, 6 oz spinach and sweet red peppers. Sautéed for about 15 mins and layer on top of the couscous (I used coarse bulgur wheat). Topped with mozzarella.
MsNinaG
Easy to make - flavorful - add tons of fresh basil!
kim
Try with sorghum instead of couscous?
jenna
Made this using the Mina brand tomato sauce. Excellent dish! This sauce gave great flavor. Read the instructions first, the recipe is more involved than it looks but it was enjoyed by all
SF Home Chef
Easy and delicious for weeknights. There are several steps, but the time to finish is mostly spent waiting for things to bake. Mixing the cous cous and marinara sauce in a separate bowl was an unnecessary additional dirty dish. I just mixed it in the casserole dish. Next time I'll try some of the suggestions of other reviewers by adding lamb and/or chickpeas.
Big Sue
I made this with Arborio rice as the grain, for the gluten-free guest. We grated Parmesan over our own servings as one of us is dairy intolerant. Both substitutions worked perfectly & everyone loved it. I will make it again soon!
bh
The only major change I made was to add a layer of ground lamb between the couscous and eggplant, turning this into a kind of eggplant parm/moussaka hybrid. Very tasty and easy recipe as is. However, this time I added cooked chick peas to the couscous before mixing with the tomato sauce for extra protein. Good addition. Also like a layer of cooked spinach on top of the couscous.a little under seasoned. Next time I will try adding a layer of grated cheese and chopped thyme between the couscous
Hannah
I'm not sure why but my eggplant stuck to the foil! I had to scrape as much as I could off, so it was a bit mauled and lacking, instead of in nice layered rounds. I might have cut the slices too thin.It's a really basic recipe, couldn't be easier. I liked the couscous and can seen this being better with some embellishments. The quality of sauce you use makes a big difference.
mc
This was delicious and easy! I sliced the eggplant a bit too thin on some of the rounds and they burned so definitely err towards larger slices. I made as written with a no marinara of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, some garlic, onion flakes, chili flakes, dried oregano, a bit of fresh basil, salt & pepper, and a little red wine (a splash of balsamic vinegar if I don't have any), which I did first and simmered while I was doing the rest. super yummy!
Kaitlin Mahar
Absolutely love this recipe, it’s become a biweekly staple for us. I usually use a bit extra tomato sauce and also have been adding in feta. I second the other notes about mixing couscous and sauce in the baking dish and coating the eggplant in oil on the pan to save on dishes :)Maybe it’s obvious, but the first time I made it I thought I was supposed to put the foil packets in the oven, do NOT do that! (Recipe still ended up good but I had to toss some overdone pieces of eggplant.)
Jenn
Great recipe! Based on the notes below, we added some ground beef (sautéed with onion and garlic), a layer of fresh spinach, some fresh mozzarella, and an additional 1/2 c. Of greuyere cheese to the top of the bake and it was absolutely delish! We used some leftover rigatoni as the pasta base. Great way of cooking the eggplant - super easy and beautifully cooked. Thank you!
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