Baked Eggplant

Simple doesn’t mean boring. This single-serving eggplant casserole layers cooked eggplant and onion with shredded cheddar, then covers everything in a quick sauce of condensed tomato soup, a tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid, bread crumbs, thyme, salt, and pepper.

The trick is in that reserved liquid. After boiling the eggplant and onion until tender, you save a tablespoon of the starchy water to thin out the condensed tomato soup. It adds body without diluting flavor, and keeps the sauce tasting like itself rather than watered-down tomato.

Covered and baked for 30 minutes, the cheese melts through and the bread crumbs absorb the tomato sauce to form a light crust on top. It’s a diabetic-friendly side that doesn’t announce itself as diet food.

Kitchen Tips

• Save your cooking liquid: Don’t pour it out. That one tablespoon makes the sauce cling properly to the eggplant.
• Use condensed soup straight from the can: Do not dilute it before using. You want the concentrated flavor.
• Cover tightly: The covered bake traps steam and keeps the eggplant from drying out before the cheese fully melts.
• Cheddar sharpness matters: Sharp cheddar has more flavor presence than mild, which gets lost against the tomato sauce.