Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole – A Southern Eggplant Casserole Recipe
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How do you make eggplant taste good? Follow this Southern Eggplant Casserole Recipe. Adding cheese, cracker crumbs and butter to eggplant makes this Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole the perfect side dish to any dinner.
I’m in the swing of summer cooking. For me that means, I’m making all sorts of summer casseroles using fresh garden vegetables, including zucchini, cabbage, yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, kale, peppers, corn and eggplant.
While eggplant isn’t one of my normal vegetables I use, I was excited that they were included in our weekly vegetable haul as part of the Purdue University Student Farm’s “subscription box” or CSA. Each week from July to November we pick up a bag full of produce grown by college students as part of a student farm at Purdue. If you have a local farm or farmer’s market that offers a weekly vegetable box, we highly recommend it!
Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole Recipe
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with the eggplant, and I was really questioning how to make eggplant taste good. Low and behold, Mom just happened to save me a recipe she found from her good teacher friend Jackie for eggplant casserole.
This recipe actually originates from Jackie’s Granny, and it is a winner.
The reason this eggplant casserole is so darn amazing is because it has cheese, butter, and cracker crumbs. Everything is better with cheese, butter and cracker crumbs; I mean how could it not be?
Eggplant Casserole with Cheese
The texture of this eggplant casserole with cheese reminds me almost of a stuffing. Crushed crackers are mixed with melted butter, eggs and milk which are all ingredients of a tasty stuffing.
The icing on the cake is the addition of shredded cheddar cheese. Use whichever cheddar cheese variety you prefer. I had a special blend from Aldi that had Wisconsin, New York and Vermont Cheddar Cheeses mixed together.
When it comes down to it, all you need to know is that this cheesy eggplant casserole recipe makes for the perfect side dish to any summer grilled meat.
What to serve with Eggplant Casserole?
Southern Eggplant Casserole Ingredients
- Eggplant, peeled and diced
- Butter, melted
- Crackers, crushed
- Milk
- Eggs, beaten
- Shredded Cheese
- Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
How to Make Eggplant Casserole from Scratch
Step By Step Instructions
- Peel and diced one large (or two small) eggplant.
- Boil until fork tender; drain well.
- In a large bowl, stir together drained eggplant, melted butter, beaten eggs, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, crushed cracker crumbs, and salt and pepper.
- Pour the mixture into greased baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Equipment
Before making this southern eggplant casserole, make sure you have the pantry ingredients and kitchen tools you need.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days.
For the full ingredient amounts and steps for southern eggplant casserole, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe FAQs
- Use one large or two small eggplant for this southern eggplant casserole recipe. Once peeled, and diced, you’ll need approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups eggplant.
- There’s several different varieties of eggplant; just use whichever you have on hand.
- I used a 2 quart baking dish, but an 8 x 8 inch will also do the trick.
- Use your favorite cheese including provolone, mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese
- To cook eggplant, boil the peeled and diced eggplant until it is fork tender, approximately 10 minutes.
- Be sure to drain the eggplant well after boiling so you don’t have a runny eggplant casserole.
- For the crushed crackers, use a butter cracker like Ritz or Townhouse, Saltines or Club crackers. Put them in a resealable bag, and pound them with something heavy to crush or give them a quick pulse in a food processor.
- Want an easier way to fix eggplant? Try our Fried Eggplant without Egg or Flour.
How do you peel an eggplant?
Cut off the top and bottom to make flat, and then use a sharp knife to peel thin slices of the skin away, trying not to take the flesh with it.
Summer Casserole Recipes
- Kentucky Summer Squash Casserole
- Sour Cream Zucchini Casserole
- Cheesy Cabbage Casserole
- Layered Garden Casserole
- Texas Squash Casserole
- Scalloped Tomatoes
Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole – A Southern Eggplant Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (or two small) 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced eggplant
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups crushed crackers
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 2 quart baking dish (or 8×8 inch) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook peeled, diced eggplant in boiling water until fork tender; drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked eggplant, beaten eggs, crushed crackers, milk, shredded cheese, melted butter and salt and pepper.
- Pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Use one large or two small eggplant for this southern eggplant casserole recipe. Once peeled, and diced, you’ll need approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups eggplant.
- There’s several different varieties of eggplant; just use whichever you have on hand.
- I used a 2 quart baking dish, but an 8 x 8 inch will also do the trick.
- How do you peel an eggplant? Cut off the top and bottom to make flat, and then use a sharp knife to peel thin slices of the skin away, trying not to take the flesh with it.
- To cook eggplant, boil the peeled and diced eggplant until it is fork tender, approximately 10 minutes.
- Be sure to drain the eggplant well after boiling so you don’t have a runny eggplant casserole.
- For the crushed crackers, use a butter cracker like Ritz or Townhouse, Saltines or Club crackers. Put them in a zip-lock bag, and pound them with something heavy to crush or give them a quick pulse in a food processor.
- Love summer casseroles? Try our Bacon Cheeseburger Squash Casserole.
- The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.
Nutrition
Extremely easy to prepare from beginning to end. I followed the recipe and it came out as I expected it to. I would recommend it to ones who love eggplant.
I loved tthe bones of this recipe. When I got around to make it I only had 2 small eggplants, I didnt’ have crackers or butter. Time to improvise. I added grated zucchini, panko bread crumbs, mayo, and french fried onions. The substituions turned out amazing.
Don’t you love a recipe with “good bones” – love how you made it your own and glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Was wondering about using Panko, don’t have the patience for crushing crackers. The french fried onions sound great!
I used saltine crackers and a blend of cheddar and kolby jack cheese. It was good! I loved the cheesy crust that formed on the bottom that gave the casserole great texture. Next time I plan to use ritz crackers.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I used an aubergine eggplant & added some heirloom organic tomatoes to this. As I didn’t have panko or regular bread crumbs or crackers, I used crushed pretzels in the food processor. I subbed 1/2 cup of sour cream for 1/2 the milk and used 1/2 red leicester & 1/2 cheddar. I loved this recipe! Easy to make – all ingredients in 1 bowl, then add mixture to the casserole dish. Yum!
Mary – did you find that the liquid made the casserole to soupy? I know you said you used 1/2 milk and 1/2 sour cream but both of those turn to liquid in baking and I was worried that the full cup of liquid might be too much? I look forward to your response, Kathi
this turned out very good . and easy without having to fry eggplant. I added 1 small jar of marzette truffle pasta sauce . I will definitely make again
Irene
Glad you enjoyed it!
Will it hurt the recipe if I leave out cheese?
We haven’t tried it without cheese, but it should be OK…might affect the texture a bit.
I’ve been looking for this recipe for years. I used to get Eggplant Casserole at a Lubie’s restaurant and I loved it. Their recipe was covered in melted cheese is the only difference I see. Thank you so very much for sharing this.