• Home
  • Our Story
  • Contact
MyGourmetConnection

MyGourmetConnection

Recipes, Cooking and Food Blog

  • Recipes
  • Quick & Easy
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Main Dishes
  • Side Dishes
  • Quick & Easy
  • Our Story
  • Contact

Eggplant Napoleons with Pesto

by Lynne Webb on July 22, 2016 (Updated July 27, 2022) // 2 Comments

Recipes » Vegetarian » Eggplant Napoleons with Pesto

Eggplant Napoleons with Pesto

by Lynne Webb on July 22, 2016 (Updated July 27, 2022) // 2 Comments

Served with a side of pasta and a green salad these tasty rounds of roasted eggplant layered with fresh basil pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese make a great meatless meal.
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

Eggplant, Tomato and Pesto Napoleons

Served with a salad and a simple side dish of pasta with marinara sauce, these tidy little stacks of roasted eggplant, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil pesto make a really satisfying meatless meal.

Eggplant, Tomato and Pesto Napoleons

Eggplant Napoleons with Pesto

No ratings yet
  |  Leave a Review
Served with a side of pasta and a green salad these tasty rounds of roasted eggplant layered with fresh basil pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese make a great meatless meal.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time : 30 mins
Total Time : 55 mins
Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Ingredients 

  • 1 medium globe eggplant, 1 to 1-1/4 lbs
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Balsamic reduction, optional – see below

For the pesto:

  • 1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed (stems removed)
  • 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons pine, pignoli nuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and coat a shallow baking pan with nonstick spray. Cut the eggplant into 3/8-inch rounds and arrange on the prepared pan. Brush both sides of each round with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Roast the eggplant until tender, 12 to 14 minutes, remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F.
  • While the eggplant roasts, slice both the tomatoes and the mozzarella into 1/4-inch slices.
    Tip: Using a serrated knife to slice the fresh mozzarella makes it much easier to get rounds of uniform thickness.
  • Next, prepare the pesto. Add the basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, pine nuts, salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste.
  • Spread about 3/4 teaspoon of pesto over each slice of eggplant and top with a slice of mozzarella. Build 4 Napoleons by layering slices of tomato in between the eggplant and cheese layers, finishing each with a slice of eggplant and cheese on the top.
  • Bake the Napoleons until the tomatoes are softened and the cheese is melted and bubbly, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes:

For best results, choose an eggplant that’s about 3-1/2 to 4-inches in diameter at the base and doesn’t taper or curve too much. Pick tomatoes of about the same diameter too.

How To Make A Balsamic Reduction:

Place 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in small, non-reactive saucepan and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a syrupy consistency and easily coats the spoon, 12 to 20 minutes.
You can continue to reduce beyond this point, but bear in mind that the vinegar will thicken even more as it cools. Remove from the heat, allow to cool completely and transfer to a small jar. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Makes about 1/2 cup
Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.

Author: Lynne Webb | 

Course: Vegetarian
 | 
Cuisine: Italian

Pasta with Artichoke Sauce PREVIOUS
Pasta with Artichoke Sauce
Classic Bellini
Classic Bellini NEXT

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this Recipe:




Comments

  1. Carol Hannon says

    November 1, 2020 at 10:09 am

    Hi Lynne!

    We are always looking for more low carb recipes and this fit the bill! We loved the taste and not too difficult to make. But my eggplant was too soft after roasting making it difficult to build the layers. Any recommendations?

    Appreciate your time 🙂

    Reply
    • Lynne Webb says

      November 1, 2020 at 4:15 pm

      Hi Carol,
      Here are a couple of suggestions for making the eggplant a little easier to work with. Try making the slices slightly thicker, reducing the oven temperature by 25°, and testing for doneness after 10 minutes. That should give you a little more control over how well done the eggplant gets.

      Reply

Hi there! We’re Lynne & Erika, seasoned home cooks and recipe creators here at My Gourmet Connection. Our aim is to bring variety and new flavors to your everyday meals and we’ve got hundreds of recipes for you to explore. Welcome!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

to start making
tastier meals?

Sign up to receive our free ebook and learn five easy ways to level up the flavor of your everyday meals.

Everyday meals, unique flavors

Serving platter with garlic crusted boneless pork roast, partially carved and garnished with fresh herbs.

Garlic Herb Crusted Boneless Pork Roast

A bowl of Instant Pot Italian chicken soup sprinkled with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Instant Pot Italian Chicken Soup

Sliced apple cider brined turkey breast on a serving platter.

Apple Cider Brined Turkey Breast

Pork Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese

Boneless Pork Chops with Pears

Quick & Easy Recipes

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp Flatbread

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp Flatbread

Caprese Pasta

Our Best Crab Cake Recipe

Braised Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cabbage

Braised Pork Tenderloin with Cabbage and Apples

More Easy Recipes

Stay Inspired!

Sign up to get our recipes via email.

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2023 MyGourmetConnection

Site Credits