Baked Eggplant with Cheese — A Little Something from What I Had

Sometimes, I just look around my kitchen and think, “Okay, what can I make with what I have?” 😄

I had some eggplants, a yellow bell pepper, and some green onion leaves that really needed to be used before they ended up in the trash. I also had some garlic and onion, and my neighbor had recently given me a generous bunch of fresh basil leaves. So, instead of letting all these ingredients go to waste, I decided to make Baked Eggplant with Cheese.

I simply sliced the eggplants into rounds and sliced the yellow bell pepper. I chopped the green onion leaves to use as a topping. Parsley would have been nice too, but I didn’t have any, so the green onion leaves worked just fine.

I also chopped the garlic and onion, and of course, the fresh basil leaves.
First, I pan-fried the sliced eggplants and bell pepper until they were cooked, then set them aside.

Using the same frying pan, I sautéed the onion and garlic, then added the ground beef and canned chopped tomatoes. I added a little ketchup, plus salt and pepper to taste. Once the beef was cooked, I added the chopped basil leaves, gave everything a quick stir, and turned off the heat.

Then came the fun part!
I arranged everything in a glass baking dish and topped it with mixed cheese and the chopped green onion leaves.

I baked it in a preheated oven at 220°C until the cheese melted and became nice and bubbly.

And that’s it—dinner was ready! ❤️

It’s delicious with rice or bread, but honestly, I prefer eating it just as it is. The eggplant and melted cheese are already filling enough for me.

And of course… having a little wine beside it makes dinner even better. 🍷😄

That’s my simple Baked Eggplant with Cheese, made from whatever I happened to have in my kitchen.

I really enjoy cooking this way. I don’t always plan what I’m going to make. Sometimes, I just use whatever vegetables and ingredients are left in the fridge and come up with something along the way.

No fancy ingredients, no complicated recipe—just good food and less food waste. ❤️

Main Ingredients (without bell pepper & onion leaves)

• Eggplants
• Fresh basil leaves
• Garlic
• Onion
• Ground beef
• Canned chopped tomatoes
• Mixed cheese
• Parsley, if available
• Ketchup, optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It

1. Slice the eggplants into rounds.
2. Chop the onion, garlic and basil leaves.
3. Pan-fry the eggplant slices. Set aside.
4. In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic.
5. Add the ground beef and canned chopped tomatoes. Season with a little ketchup, salt, and pepper.
6. Cook until the beef is done.
7. Add the chopped basil leaves, stir briefly, and turn off the heat.
8. Arrange the cooked eggplant and beef mixture in a glass baking dish.
9. Top with mixed cheese and chopped parsley.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C until the cheese is completely melted.

Give it a try if you have some eggplants waiting in your kitchen. You might be surprised at how delicious it turns out!